USFS · Montana

Lolo National Forest

Lolo National Forest is a national forest located in western Montana, United States with the western boundary being the state of Idaho. The forest spans 2 million acres (8,000 km2) and includes four wilderness areas; the Scapegoat and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness are partially within the forest while the Welcome Creek and Rattlesnake Wildernesses are solely in Lolo National Forest. The forest was created in 1906 from 4 different previous forests which were combined for administrative purposes. Lolo National Forest is west of the Continental divide and has a biodiversity influenced by both continental and maritime weather creating a transitional forest that has a high number of different plant and tree species.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.6 million acresUSFSMT64 campgrounds within 10 mi70 Forest Service sites552 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMontana
Size2.6 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0116, region 01
Center point47.1540, -113.1552
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10)

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 Lolo National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.63 inches of precipitation, 30.4 inches of snowFebruary: 1.92 inches of precipitation, 18.5 inches of snowMarch: 1.44 inches of precipitation, 15.2 inches of snowApril: 1.37 inches of precipitation, 4.5 inches of snowMay: 1.88 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowJune: 2.31 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowJuly: 1.07 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.96 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.19 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.96 inches of precipitation, 2.3 inches of snowNovember: 2.52 inches of precipitation, 18.0 inches of snowDecember: 2.35 inches of precipitation, 28.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 22.0°F averageFebruary: 24.7°F averageMarch: 32.5°F averageApril: 40.2°F averageMay: 49.4°F averageJune: 56.4°F averageJuly: 63.7°F averageAugust: 62.8°F averageSeptember: 54.6°F averageOctober: 42.4°F averageNovember: 30.5°F averageDecember: 21.8°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Seeley Lake RS, 18 miles from the center point at 4,100 feet, station USC00247448 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 22 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 119 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 →

35 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 29 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
Big Hole Lookout
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Big Larch Campground
Reservable58 sites
FS · Inside
Big Nelson Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Bighorn Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Bitterroot Flat Campground
First-comeMT
FS · Inside
Cabin City Campground
Reservable25 sites
FS · Inside
Cascade Campground
Reservable2 sites
FS · Inside
Copper King Campground
First-comeMT
Show 4 more

52 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 70

The Forest Service lists 70 recreation sites in this forest, among them 32 campgrounds, 14 cabins, 4 viewing Wildlifes, 4 picnic areas. 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; 10 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 552 named trails in this forest, 2,409 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Cc Divide ↗55.5
Stateline ↗47.4
Rte of the Olympian / Milwauke ↗31.3
McCabe Cr - N Fk Blackfoot ↗28.9
Reservation Divide ↗28.2
Hobnail Tom ↗27.4
Dry Fork ↗25
Gold Creek ↗25
West Morrell-Rice Ridge Loop ↗23.8
Ford Pass / Old Mullan Pass ↗22.4

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 552 trails in Lolo National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 173 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Lolo National Forest?

2.6 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Lolo National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Lolo National Forest in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Lolo National Forest?

35 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Big Hole Lookout, Big Larch Campground and Big Nelson Campground. 64 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 Lolo National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 70 recreation sites here, including 32 campground campgrounds, 14 cabin rentalss and 4 viewing wildlifes. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Lolo National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.154, -113.155. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Lolo 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

Are there historic places near Lolo National Forest?

173 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Camp Paxson Boy Scout Camp (24mo77) and Cougar Peak Lookout.

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: Lolo 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.