USFS · Colorado, Kansas

Pike and San Isabel National Forests

National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and Kansas, 4.0 million acres by the boundary data. No Wikipedia article matched the name closely enough to quote.

National Forest4.0 million acresUSFSCOKS150 campgrounds within 10 mi270 Forest Service sites558 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesColorado, Kansas
Size4.0 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0212, region 02
Center point37.1917, -102.6998
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 26)

Boundary map

6 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.30 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.32 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitationApril: 1.33 inches of precipitationMay: 1.75 inches of precipitationJune: 1.85 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.81 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.53 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.38 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.02 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.43 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.58 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.5°F averageFebruary: 34.6°F averageMarch: 42.8°F averageApril: 50.2°F averageMay: 60.3°F averageJune: 71.2°F averageJuly: 75.5°F averageAugust: 73.5°F averageSeptember: 66.1°F averageOctober: 52.8°F averageNovember: 41.0°F averageDecember: 32.4°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Springfield Comanche, 8 miles from the center point at 4,383 feet, station USW00003028 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 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 →

110 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 40 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
Alvarado Campground
Reservable51 sites
FS · Inside
Angel Of Shavano
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Angel Of Shavano Group
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Aspen
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Baby Doe
Reservable51 sites
FS · Inside
Bassam Guard Station
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bear Lake Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Belle Of Colorado
Reservable4 sites
Show 4 more

138 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 270

The Forest Service lists 270 recreation sites in this forest, among them 77 campgrounds, 38 picnic areas, 37 trailheads, 14 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; 210 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 558 named trails in this forest, 2,201 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Colorado ↗193.8
Rainbow ↗99.4
CDNST ↗91.7
Turtle Mountain ↗56.7
Santa Fe Nat Hist ↗42.5
Brookside-McCurdy ↗32.1
Signal Butte Multi Use ↗31.8
Midland Bike Trail ↗19.7
Cimarron River Trail ↗19.2
Companion ↗18.3

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 558 trails in Pike and San Isabel National Forests on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 3 mi
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
National Park & Preserve · 8 mi
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
National Historic Site · 9 mi
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 351 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

4.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Pike and San Isabel National Forests in?

The boundary crosses Colorado and Kansas.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

110 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Alvarado Campground, Angel Of Shavano and Angel Of Shavano Group. 150 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

The Forest Service lists 270 recreation sites here, including 77 campground campgrounds, 38 picnickings and 37 trailheads. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.192, -102.700. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 26 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 Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (3 mi), Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (8 mi) and Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site (9 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Pike and San Isabel National Forests?

351 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Tabor Opera House 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.