USFS · Utah

Dixie National Forest

Dixie National Forest is a United States national forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km2) and stretches for about 170 miles (270 km) across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it straddles the divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River. In descending order of forestland area it is located in parts of Garfield, Washington, Iron, Kane, Wayne, and Piute counties. The majority of forest acreage lies in Garfield County.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.7 million acresUSFSUT44 campgrounds within 10 mi71 Forest Service sites334 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateUtah
Size1.7 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0407, region 04
Center point37.7017, -112.5970
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

4 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 Dixie National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.10 inches of precipitation, 12.9 inches of snowFebruary: 1.12 inches of precipitation, 10.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.10 inches of precipitation, 6.8 inches of snowApril: 0.80 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowMay: 0.78 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowJune: 0.44 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJuly: 1.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.58 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.45 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.40 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowNovember: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowDecember: 1.08 inches of precipitation, 11.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.5°F averageFebruary: 29.0°F averageMarch: 36.0°F averageApril: 42.4°F averageMay: 49.7°F averageJune: 58.4°F averageJuly: 65.1°F averageAugust: 63.0°F averageSeptember: 55.1°F averageOctober: 45.6°F averageNovember: 33.5°F averageDecember: 25.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hatch, 9 miles from the center point at 6,893 feet, station USC00423776 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 13 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 53 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 →

29 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 15 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
Barker Recreation Area
Reservable18 sites
FS · Inside
Blue Spruce Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Cedar Canyon
Reservable19 sites
FS · Inside
Cowpuncher Guard Station
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Coyote Hollow
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Dean Gardner Campground
Reservable21 sites
FS · Inside
Deer Haven
Reservable18 sites
FS · Inside
Duck Creek
Reservable95 sites
Show 4 more

32 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 71

The Forest Service lists 71 recreation sites in this forest, among them 20 campgrounds, 17 fishings, 10 beachcombings, 7 day hikings. 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; 11 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 334 named trails in this forest, 1,761 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Great Western Trail ↗110.5
Markagunt Plateau ↗81.6
Grand View Trail ↗74.9
Fremont ATV Trail ↗54.4
Paunsaugunt ATV Trail ↗48.2
Great Western ATV Trail ↗44.8
Snowmobile Trail ↗43.8
Mount Dutton Trail ↗29.9
Virgin River Rim Trail ↗29.9
Summit Trail ↗29.6

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 334 trails in Dixie National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 1 mi
Cedar Breaks National Monument
National Park · 1 mi
Bryce Canyon National Park
National Park · 15 mi
Zion National Park
National Park · 17 mi
Capitol Reef National Park
National Historic Trail · 25 mi
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
National Register listings within 15 miles · 83 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Dixie National Forest?

1.7 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Dixie National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Dixie National Forest in?

Utah.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Dixie National Forest?

29 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Barker Recreation Area, Blue Spruce Campground and Cedar Canyon. 44 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 Dixie National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 71 recreation sites here, including 20 campground campgrounds, 17 lake and pond fishings and 10 beachcombings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Dixie National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.702, -112.597. Cedar Breaks National Monument is 1 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Dixie National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 18 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 Dixie National Forest?

Cedar Breaks National Monument (1 mi), Bryce Canyon National Park (1 mi) and Zion National Park (15 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Dixie National Forest?

83 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Old Irontown and Page, Daniel R. and Sophia G., House.

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: Dixie 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.