USFS · Idaho, Washington, Montana

Idaho Panhandle National Forests

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be administratively managed as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The IPNF consists of more than 2.5 million acres (10,000 km2) of public lands in the panhandle of north Idaho, with small areas extending into eastern Washington (4.7%) and western Montana (1.2%). The northernmost portion of the IPNF share a boundary with Canada. The Forest Supervisor's office is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with district office's in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Priest River, Fernan and Smelterville, and St. Maries and Avery.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.9 million acresUSFSIDWAMT90 campgrounds within 10 mi73 Forest Service sites754 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesIdaho, Washington, Montana
Size2.9 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0104, region 01
Center point47.9207, -116.2448
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

5 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 Idaho Panhandle National Forests20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 3.67 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.59 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.45 inches of precipitationApril: 2.14 inches of precipitationMay: 2.61 inches of precipitationJune: 2.73 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.95 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.76 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.52 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.15 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.53 inches of precipitationDecember: 3.64 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 29.2°F averageFebruary: 31.6°F averageMarch: 37.5°F averageApril: 44.3°F averageMay: 52.9°F averageJune: 58.7°F averageJuly: 66.2°F averageAugust: 65.8°F averageSeptember: 57.4°F averageOctober: 45.8°F averageNovember: 36.2°F averageDecember: 29.4°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Cabinet Gorge, 14 miles from the center point at 2,173 feet, station USC00101363 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 31 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 →

52 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 38 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
Arid Peak Lookout
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Avery Creek Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bartoo Island Boat-In Campground
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Bartoo Island Group Site/Campgrounds
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Beauty Creek Campground
Reservable20 sites
FS · Inside
Beaver Creek (Idaho)
Reservable42 sites
FS · Inside
Beaver Creek A-Frame Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bell Bay Campground
Reservable16 sites
Show 4 more

78 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 73

The Forest Service lists 73 recreation sites in this forest, among them 41 campgrounds, 9 picnic areas, 8 cabins, 6 trailheads. 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; 13 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 754 named trails in this forest, 2,660 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
State Line ↗53.6
ST. Joe Divide NRT ↗34.8
4th of July Pass OHV ↗27.6
ST. Joe River ↗20.8
Montana Line ↗20
Huckleberry OHV ↗19.2
Beetop-Roundtop ↗19.1
Timber Mountain ↗19
Little N. Fk.clearwater ↗18
Big Creek ↗17.1

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 754 trails in Idaho Panhandle National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 114 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

2.9 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Idaho Panhandle National Forests in?

The boundary crosses Idaho, Washington and Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

52 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Arid Peak Lookout, Avery Creek Cabin and Bartoo Island Boat-In Campground. 90 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 Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

The Forest Service lists 73 recreation sites here, including 41 campground campgrounds, 9 picnickings and 8 cabin rentalss. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.921, -116.245. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 9 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Idaho Panhandle National Forests?

114 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Avery Depot and Avery Ranger Station.

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: Idaho Panhandle National Forests 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.