USFS · California

Angeles National Forest

The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest706,719 acresUSFSCA46 campgrounds within 10 mi103 Forest Service sites203 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size706,719 acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0501, region 05
Center point34.4106, -118.1639
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

2 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 Angeles National Forest40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 1.43 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.84 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.08 inches of precipitationApril: 0.39 inches of precipitationMay: 0.11 inches of precipitationJune: 0.02 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.17 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.04 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.14 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.40 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.40 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.30 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 47.1°F averageFebruary: 50.2°F averageMarch: 55.4°F averageApril: 60.6°F averageMay: 68.0°F averageJune: 76.1°F averageJuly: 82.6°F averageAugust: 82.0°F averageSeptember: 76.4°F averageOctober: 65.5°F averageNovember: 53.6°F averageDecember: 46.2°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Palmdale, 13 miles from the center point at 2,612 feet, station USC00046624 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 7 inches a year. The station sits about 1,600 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 →

38 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 8 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
Appletree Campground
Reservable8 sites
FS · Inside
Bandido Group Campground
Reservable5 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Big Rock Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Blue Ridge Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Buckhorn Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Cabin Flat Campground (Hike-in Campground)
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Chilao Campground - Little Pines Loop
Reservable44 sites
Show 4 more

34 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 103

The Forest Service lists 103 recreation sites in this forest, among them 33 picnic areas, 30 campgrounds, 18 trailheads, 6 visitor centers. 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; 43 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 203 named trails in this forest, 668 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
PCT Dawson Saddle ↗30.3
Gabrielino NRT ↗26.7
PCT la Aqueduct ↗17.3
PCT Mt. Gleason ↗16.6
PCT Pacifico Mountain ↗15
PCT Liebre RD to Pine Cyn RD ↗14.3
Silver Moccasin NRT ↗14
Upper Pacoima Canyon Trail ↗13.8
Silver Fish Trail ↗13.5
PCT San Francisquito Cyn ↗12.8

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 203 trails in Angeles National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Recreation Area · 23 mi
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
National Register listings within 15 miles · 428 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Angeles National Forest?

706,719 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Angeles National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Angeles National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Angeles National Forest?

38 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Appletree Campground, Bandido Group Campground and Bear Campground. 46 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 Angeles National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 103 recreation sites here, including 33 picnickings, 30 campground campgrounds and 18 trailheads. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Angeles National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.411, -118.164. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is 23 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Angeles National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 21 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 Angeles National Forest?

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (23 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Angeles National Forest?

428 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Neutra, Richard and Dion, Vdl Research House Ii and Hollyhock 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: Angeles 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.