USFS · Idaho, Utah

Sawtooth National Forest

Sawtooth National Forest is a national forest that covers 2,110,408 acres in the U.S. states of Idaho and Utah. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was originally named the Sawtooth Forest Reserve in a proclamation issued by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 29, 1905. On August 22, 1972, a portion of the forest was designated as the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA), which includes the Sawtooth, Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds, and Hemingway–Boulders wilderness areas. The forest is managed as four units: the SNRA and the Fairfield, Ketchum, and Minidoka Ranger Districts.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.2 million acresUSFSIDUT112 campgrounds within 10 mi149 Forest Service sites629 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
3fires
active
Buckhorn · 28 mi from the center · 161 acres
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesIdaho, Utah
Size2.2 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0414, region 04
Center point43.8568, -114.7346
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

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 Sawtooth National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 27.0 inches of snowFebruary: 1.88 inches of precipitation, 17.2 inches of snowMarch: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 10.5 inches of snowApril: 1.17 inches of precipitation, 3.2 inches of snowMay: 1.78 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.40 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowNovember: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 10.3 inches of snowDecember: 2.57 inches of precipitation, 32.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.6°F averageFebruary: 23.1°F averageMarch: 30.6°F averageApril: 39.4°F averageMay: 48.2°F averageJune: 54.8°F averageJuly: 62.6°F averageAugust: 61.1°F averageSeptember: 52.6°F averageOctober: 41.8°F averageNovember: 29.3°F averageDecember: 19.7°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ketchum RS, 22 miles from the center point at 5,890 feet, station USC00104845 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 102 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,800 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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 →

79 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 33 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
Abbott Campground
ReservableID
FS · Inside
Alturas Inlet Campground
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Alturas Lake Inlet
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Alturas Lake Picnic Area
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Baumgartner Campground
Reservable31 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Creek Transfer Camp
Reservable6 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Gulch Campground
First-comeID
FS · Inside
Bennett Springs Campground
First-come6 sites
Show 4 more

100 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 149

The Forest Service lists 149 recreation sites in this forest, among them 72 campgrounds, 23 trailheads, 9 interpretive sites, 7 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; 89 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 629 named trails in this forest, 2,313 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Skyline Trail ↗26
Redfish Creek - Baron Creek ↗21.9
Lake Fork Loop ↗21.8
Livingston Mill-Castle Divide ↗21.6
Cold Springs Canyon Loop ↗21.2
Warm Springs Creek ↗20.5
Alice Lake-Redfish Lake ↗20.4
South Fork Payette River ↗19.6
Harriman Trail ↗18.8
Harriman Trail Ski ↗18.4

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 629 trails in Sawtooth National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    Buckhorn

    28 mi from the center point · 161 acres · 90% contained

  • Wildfire
    Crooked

    40 mi from the center point · 10,081 acres · 98% contained

  • Wildfire
    Woodridge

    49 mi from the center point · 15 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Reserve · 3 mi
City Of Rocks National Reserve
National Historic Site · 24 mi
Minidoka National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 43 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Sawtooth National Forest?

2.2 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Sawtooth National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Sawtooth National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Idaho and Utah.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Sawtooth National Forest?

79 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Abbott Campground, Alturas Inlet Campground and Alturas Lake Inlet. 112 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 Sawtooth National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 149 recreation sites here, including 72 campground campgrounds, 23 trailheads and 9 interpretive areass. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Sawtooth National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.857, -114.735. City Of Rocks National Reserve is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Sawtooth National Forest right now?

3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Buckhorn at 28 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Sawtooth National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 14 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 Sawtooth National Forest?

City Of Rocks National Reserve (3 mi) and Minidoka National Historic Site (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Sawtooth National Forest?

43 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Day, Ivan W., House and Niece Brothers' 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: Sawtooth 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.