Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west-central Montana, United States. Spanning 2.8-million acres. The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to this area, different areas of the large forest territory were used by members of the Blackfeet, Sioux, Cheyenne, Flathead and Crow nations for hunting and as an area for their seasonal winter camps. The forests provided shelter from the winter.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Forest |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Montana |
| Size | 3.2 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres)) |
| Forest Service code | 0115, region 01 |
| Center point | 46.8486, -110.6676 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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
52 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 26 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
66 more within ten miles are not listed here.
The Forest Service trail layer records 744 named trails in this forest, 2,931 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Continental Divide ↗ | 116.3 | |
| Snowmobile Loop J ↗ | 32.6 | |
| Two Med-Heart Butte ↗ | 27.1 | |
| South Fork Sun ↗ | 25.3 | |
| Tenderfoot ↗ | 24 | |
| North Fk Sun ↗ | 22.5 | |
| Crow Creek ↗ | 22 | |
| Dearborn River ↗ | 20.6 | |
| Moose Creek ↗ | 20.4 | |
| Cabin Creek ↗ | 19.1 |
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 744 trails in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 2.5 miRussell, Charles M., House and Studio ↗National Historic Landmark
- 8 miTwo Medicine General Store ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0 miMacDonald Pass Airway Beacon ↗Helena, MT
- 0 miNeihart School ↗Neihart, MT
- 0 miRegan, Thomas P., Cabin ↗Helena, MT
- 0 miSummit Lodge ↗Helena, MT
- 0.1 miUnion League of America Hall ↗White Sulphur Springs, MT
- 0.2 miF.m. Mack General Store ↗Augusta, MT
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
3.2 million acres.
Source: Forest Service boundary data
Who manages Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
What state is Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in?
Montana.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
52 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Aspen Campground, Aspen Grove Campground and Bar Gulch Cabin. 78 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
How do I get to Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.849, -110.668. Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
How dark is the night sky at Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 10 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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Grant-Kohrs Ranch 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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
157 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Russell, Charles M., House and Studio and Two Medicine General Store.
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: Helena-Lewis and Clark 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.