USFS · Colorado

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, 2.5 million acres by the boundary data. No Wikipedia article matched the name closely enough to quote.

National Forest2.5 million acresUSFSCO90 campgrounds within 10 mi227 Forest Service sites444 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateColorado
Size2.5 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0210, region 02
Center point40.8517, -103.8588
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 29)

Boundary map

3 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 Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.27 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowFebruary: 0.42 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowMarch: 0.93 inches of precipitation, 6.3 inches of snowApril: 1.87 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowMay: 2.82 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowJune: 2.35 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.51 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowOctober: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowNovember: 0.57 inches of precipitation, 6.2 inches of snowDecember: 0.44 inches of precipitation, 6.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 27.3°F averageFebruary: 28.7°F averageMarch: 37.2°F averageApril: 44.1°F averageMay: 53.8°F averageJune: 64.7°F averageJuly: 71.5°F averageAugust: 69.3°F averageSeptember: 60.5°F averageOctober: 47.1°F averageNovember: 35.6°F averageDecember: 27.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at New Raymer 21 N, 6 miles from the center point at 5,180 feet, station USC00055934 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 42 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 →

55 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 35 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
Aa Bar Ranch (Aa Barn) Group Picnic Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Ansel Watrous
Reservable17 sites
FS · Inside
Arapaho Bay
Reservable85 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen Glen Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Bellaire Lake Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Big Bend Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Big South Campground
First-comeCO
FS · Inside
Browns Park Campground
First-comeCO
Show 4 more

78 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 227

The Forest Service lists 227 recreation sites in this forest, among them 62 trailheads, 49 campgrounds, 36 picnic areas, 14 backpackings. 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; 167 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 444 named trails in this forest, 1,356 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Beaver Creek ↗24.8
South Fork ↗23.9
Mount Nystrom ↗19.9
Stillwater Pass ↗19.7
Flowers ↗18.7
High Lonesome ↗17.9
Medicine Bow ↗17.1
Blue Lake ↗16.9
Buchanan Pass ↗15.8
Cub Creek ↗15.3

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 444 trails in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 7 mi
Rocky Mountain National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 248 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

2.5 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

55 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Aa Bar Ranch (Aa Barn) Group Picnic Site, Ansel Watrous and Arapaho Bay. 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 Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

The Forest Service lists 227 recreation sites here, including 62 trailheads, 49 campground campgrounds and 36 picnickings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 40.852, -103.859. Rocky Mountain National Park is 7 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 29 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

Rocky Mountain National Park (7 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests?

248 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Winks Panorama and Georgetown Schoolhouse.

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.
  • 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.