USFS · Texas

National Forests in Texas

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Texas.

National Forest1.9 million acresUSFSTX30 campgrounds within 10 mi37 Forest Service sites84 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Rx Trinity 9616 (prescribed burn) · 44 mi from the center · 145 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateTexas
Size1.9 million acres
Forest Service code0813, region 08
Center point31.24° N, 94.32° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

8 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 Texas50°60°70°80°90°January: 5.59 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.76 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.44 inches of precipitationApril: 4.63 inches of precipitationMay: 4.53 inches of precipitationJune: 5.54 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.52 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.98 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.44 inches of precipitationOctober: 5.22 inches of precipitationNovember: 5.29 inches of precipitationDecember: 6.09 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 50.7°F averageFebruary: 54.4°F averageMarch: 61.3°F averageApril: 67.9°F averageMay: 75.8°F averageJune: 82.0°F averageJuly: 84.4°F averageAugust: 84.5°F averageSeptember: 79.8°F averageOctober: 69.6°F averageNovember: 59.7°F averageDecember: 52.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sam Rayburn Dam, 18 miles from the center point at 189 feet, station USC00417936 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 60 inches a year.

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 →

25 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 5 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
566 Piney Creek Horse Camp
First-comeTX
FS · Inside
Black Creek Lake
First-come14 sites
FS · Inside
Bois D' Arc
First-come28 sites
FS · Inside
Boles Field
ReservableTX
FS · Inside
Boles Field Campground
Reservable22 sites
FS · Inside
Boykin Springs Camping
First-comeTX
FS · Inside
Cagle Recreation Area
Reservable47 sites
FS · Inside
Cagle Recreation Area
ReservableTX
Show 4 more

18 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 37

The Forest Service lists 37 recreation sites in this forest, among them 15 campgrounds, 7 boat launchs, 4 trailheads, 3 OHV trails. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 37

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 84 named trails in this forest, 451 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Lone Star ↗96.9
Trail Between the Lakes ↗27.6
LBJ Orange ↗25.4
Four C (4c'S) ↗19.7
Little Lake Creek ↗18.4
Piney Cr. (Orange) ↗16.6
Piney Cr. (White) ↗16.4
Lake Loop ↗12.8
Piney Cr. (Blue) ↗10.9
LBJ White ↗10.3

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 84 trails in National Forests in Texas on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx Trinity 9616

    44 mi from the center point · 145 acres · 0% contained

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 Register listings within 15 miles · 128 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Texas

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

  • Enjoying Big Bend National Park
    Gary Clark, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes, Austin
    Keith Stelter, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Austin and San Antonio
    Matt Forster, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explore Austin Outdoors
    Charlie Llewellin, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking the Gulf Coast
    Joe Cuhaj, 2016
    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 Texas?

1.9 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages National Forests in Texas?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is National Forests in Texas in?

Texas.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at National Forests in Texas?

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 Texas?

A point inside the boundary is at 31.238° N, 94.320° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near National Forests in Texas right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Trinity 9616 at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near National Forests in Texas?

The National Register has 128 listings within 15 miles, including Rayburn, Samuel T., House and Oliphant 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.