USFS · California

Six Rivers National Forest

The Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.3 million acresUSFSCA30 campgrounds within 10 mi35 Forest Service sites240 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1fire
active
Bald Hills Rx (prescribed burn) · 25 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-18
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size1.3 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0510, region 05
Center point41.0065, -123.5523
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8)

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 Six Rivers National Forest40°50°60°70°80°January: 9.39 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowFebruary: 6.93 inches of precipitation, 1.5 inches of snowMarch: 6.38 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowApril: 3.97 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.89 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.19 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.15 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.76 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.52 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 6.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 10.49 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 43.4°F averageFebruary: 47.0°F averageMarch: 51.4°F averageApril: 55.8°F averageMay: 62.3°F averageJune: 67.6°F averageJuly: 74.4°F averageAugust: 73.4°F averageSeptember: 68.7°F averageOctober: 58.6°F averageNovember: 48.8°F averageDecember: 42.5°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Orleans, 21 miles from the center point at 403 feet, station USC00046508 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 52 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 3 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,400 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 →

16 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 14 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
Aikens Creek West Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Bailey Canyon Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Bear Basin Lookout And Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Big Flat Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Boise Creek
Reservable18 sites
FS · Inside
E-Ne-Nuck Campground
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
East Fork Campground
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Fir Cove Campground
Reservable14 sites
Show 4 more

18 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 35

The Forest Service lists 35 recreation sites in this forest, among them 16 campgrounds, 7 beachcombings, 4 fishings, 3 backpackings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 35

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 240 named trails in this forest, 279 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
South Kelsey ↗16.8
Horse Ridge Trail ↗16
Elk Camp Ridge ↗8.1
Forks of Blue Creek ↗8.1
Old South Kelsey ↗7.9
South Fork Trinity ↗7.9
Summit Valley ↗7.8
Somes MT. Trail ↗7.6
Salmon Summit ↗7.4
Skull Camp ↗6.4

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 240 trails in Six Rivers National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Prescribed
    Bald Hills Rx

    25 mi from the center point

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 and State Parks · 9 mi
Redwood National and State Parks
National Monument & Preserve · 17 mi
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve
National Register listings within 15 miles · 48 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Six Rivers National Forest?

1.3 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Six Rivers National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Six Rivers National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Six Rivers National Forest?

16 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Aikens Creek West Campground, Bailey Canyon Campground and Bear Basin Lookout And Cabin. 30 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 Six Rivers National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 35 recreation sites here, including 16 campground campgrounds, 7 beachcombings and 4 lake and pond fishings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Six Rivers National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 41.007, -123.552. Redwood National and State Parks is 9 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Six Rivers National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Bald Hills Rx at 25 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Six Rivers National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 8 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 Six Rivers National Forest?

Redwood National and State Parks (9 mi) and Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Six Rivers National Forest?

48 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Hotel Arcata and Gasquet Ranger Station Historic District.

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: Six Rivers 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.