USFS · North Carolina

National Forests in North Carolina

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in North Carolina.

National Forest3.0 million acresUSFSNC87 campgrounds within 10 mi119 Forest Service sites605 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Rx - Buck Branch (prescribed burn) · 47 mi from the center · 652 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateNorth Carolina
Size3.0 million acres
Forest Service code0811, region 08
Center point35.26° N, 83.39° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near National Forests in North Carolina30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 5.34 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowFebruary: 4.44 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowMarch: 4.91 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowApril: 4.97 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 5.00 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.69 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.76 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 4.32 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 5.19 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.2°F averageFebruary: 40.7°F averageMarch: 47.6°F averageApril: 55.4°F averageMay: 63.3°F averageJune: 70.5°F averageJuly: 74.0°F averageAugust: 73.1°F averageSeptember: 67.6°F averageOctober: 57.1°F averageNovember: 46.5°F averageDecember: 40.0°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Franklin, 6 miles from the center point at 2,125 feet, station USC00313228 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 55 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 3 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

45 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 42 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Appletree Group Campground
ReservableNC
FS · Inside
Arrowhead Campground
Reservable49 sites
FS · Inside
Badin Horse Camp or Old Horse Camp
First-comeNC
FS · Inside
Badin Lake Campground
Reservable34 sites
FS · Inside
Badin Lake Group Camp
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Black Mountain Campground
Reservable41 sites
FS · Inside
Briar Bottom Group Campground
Reservable6 sites
FS · Inside
Canebrake Horse Camp
Reservable28 sites
Show 4 more

75 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 119

The Forest Service lists 119 recreation sites in this forest, among them 22 campgrounds, 20 beachcombings, 20 picnic areas, 10 boat launchs. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 59 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 605 named trails in this forest, 2,045 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Anst - Appalachian Rd ↗159.9
Saltwater Adventure ↗115.4
MST - Grandfather Rd ↗70.9
Bartram NRT - Nantahala Rd ↗68.6
Anst - Nantahala Rd ↗52.5
MST - Pisgah Rd ↗44.8
MST - Appalachian Rd ↗35
Benton Mackaye -Cheoah Rd ↗31.2
Art Loeb NRT ↗30.3
Anst - Cheoah Rd ↗29.5

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 605 trails in National Forests in North Carolina on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx - Buck Branch

    47 mi from the center point · 652 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
Parkway · 6 mi
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Park · 10 mi
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National Historic Site · 10 mi
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
National Historic Site · 11 mi
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
National Seashore · 22 mi
Cape Lookout National Seashore
National Register listings within 15 miles · 517 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for North Carolina

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Waterfalls North Carolina
    Melissa Watson, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Great Day Hikes on North Carolina's Mountains-To-Sea Trail
    Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Jim Grode, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Hikes near Asheville, North Carolina
    Johnny Molloy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking North Carolina
    Randy Johnson, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best of the Blue Ridge Parkway
    Nye Simmons, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is National Forests in North Carolina?

3.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages National Forests in North Carolina?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is National Forests in North Carolina in?

North Carolina.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at National Forests in North Carolina?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to National Forests in North Carolina?

A point inside the boundary is at 35.261° N, 83.388° W. Blue Ridge Parkway is 6 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near National Forests in North Carolina right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx - Buck Branch at 47 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near National Forests in North Carolina?

Blue Ridge Parkway (6 mi), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (10 mi) and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near National Forests in North Carolina?

The National Register has 517 listings within 15 miles, including Carson House and Wolfe, Thomas, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.