USFS · Montana

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

The Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest is the largest of the National Forests in Montana, United States. Covering 3.36 million acres (13,600 km2), the forest is broken into nine separate sections and stretches across eight counties in the southwestern area of the state. President Theodore Roosevelt named the two forests in 1908 and they were merged in 1996. Forest headquarters are located in Dillon, Montana. In Roosevelt's original legislation, the Deerlodge National Forest was called the Big Hole Forest Reserve. He created this reserve because the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, based in Butte, Montana, had begun to clearcut the upper Big Hole River watershed. The subsequent erosion, exacerbated by smoke pollution from the Anaconda smelter, was devastating the region. Ranchers and conservationists alike complained to Roosevelt, who made several trips to the area. (Munday 2001)

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.6 million acresUSFSMT134 campgrounds within 10 mi98 Forest Service sites646 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4fires
active
Skull · 8 mi from the center · 67 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMontana
Size3.6 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0102, region 01
Center point45.5152, -113.0810
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

12 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 Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.24 inches of precipitation, 2.0 inches of snowFebruary: 0.39 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowMarch: 0.47 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowApril: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowMay: 1.74 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 1.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.85 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.71 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 0.68 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowNovember: 0.46 inches of precipitation, 1.8 inches of snowDecember: 0.31 inches of precipitation, 2.5 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 22.3°F averageFebruary: 26.1°F averageMarch: 34.7°F averageApril: 41.6°F averageMay: 50.2°F averageJune: 57.7°F averageJuly: 65.0°F averageAugust: 63.1°F averageSeptember: 54.5°F averageOctober: 42.6°F averageNovember: 30.3°F averageDecember: 21.6°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Glen 4 N, 18 miles from the center point at 5,054 feet, station USC00243570 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 9 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 10 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,600 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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 →

86 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 48 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
Antone Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Basin Canyon Campground and Picnic Area
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Bear Creek Bunkhouse
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bear Creek Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Beaverdam Campground and Picnic Area
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Birch Creek Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Black Butte Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bloody Dick Cabin
Reservable1 site
Show 4 more

122 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 98

The Forest Service lists 98 recreation sites in this forest, among them 53 campgrounds, 25 cabins, 14 picnic areas, 5 fishings. 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; 38 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 646 named trails in this forest, 2,972 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Continental Divide NST ↗55.2
Black Butte Loop Snowmobile ↗49.7
Snowcrest ↗38.3
Pioneer Loop National Recreati ↗35
Hiline Trail ↗25.3
Clover Meadows Snowmobile ↗22.5
Wise River-Elkhorn Hot Spring ↗22.5
Bloody Dick Snowmo Trail C ↗22.2
Grasshopper Inn-Res Lk #b ↗22.2
Gilbert Trail ↗22

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 646 trails in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    Skull

    8 mi from the center point · 67 acres · 0% contained

  • Wildfire
    Bobcat Lakes

    10 mi from the center point · 10,896 acres · 72% contained

  • Wildfire
    Sand Creek

    12 mi from the center point · 35,520 acres · 58% contained

  • Wildfire
    Moose

    48 mi from the center point · 6,005 acres · 15% 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Battlefield · 1 mi
Big Hole National Battlefield
National Historic Site · 7 mi
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 152 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

3.6 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

86 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Antone Cabin, Basin Canyon Campground and Picnic Area and Bear Creek Bunkhouse. 134 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 98 recreation sites here, including 53 campground campgrounds, 25 cabin rentalss and 14 picnickings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.515, -113.081. Big Hole National Battlefield is 1 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Skull at 8 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 11 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

Big Hole National Battlefield (1 mi) and Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (7 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest?

152 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Stewart Mine, Mineyard Headframe and Socialist Hall.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • 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.