USFS · California

Plumas National Forest

Plumas National Forest is a 1,146,000-acre (464,000 ha) United States national forest located in northern California at the northern terminus of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The Forest was named after its primary watershed, the Rio de las Plumas, or Feather River. Part of the natural area is old-growth forest and recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.4 million acresUSFSCA89 campgrounds within 10 mi86 Forest Service sites397 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateCalifornia
Size1.4 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0511, region 05
Center point39.9255, -120.8292
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

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 Plumas National Forest30°40°50°60°70°January: 7.65 inches of precipitation, 5.8 inches of snowFebruary: 7.59 inches of precipitation, 7.6 inches of snowMarch: 6.66 inches of precipitation, 5.4 inches of snowApril: 3.14 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowMay: 1.94 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.71 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.10 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.42 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.94 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 4.06 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowDecember: 7.32 inches of precipitation, 6.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 34.5°F averageFebruary: 38.0°F averageMarch: 42.6°F averageApril: 47.1°F averageMay: 54.7°F averageJune: 61.8°F averageJuly: 68.3°F averageAugust: 66.6°F averageSeptember: 61.1°F averageOctober: 50.9°F averageNovember: 40.3°F averageDecember: 34.2°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Quincy, 6 miles from the center point at 3,420 feet, station USC00047195 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 42 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 28 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 →

63 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 26 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
Antelope Lake Recreation Area
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Big Cove
Reservable67 sites
FS · Inside
Black Mountain Lookout
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Boulder Creek
Reservable44 sites
FS · Inside
Brady's Camp
First-come6 sites
FS · Inside
Bucks Lake Recreation Area
First-comeCA
FS · Inside
Chilcoot
Reservable40 sites
FS · Inside
Conklin Park Campground
ReservableCA
Show 4 more

77 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 86

The Forest Service lists 86 recreation sites in this forest, among them 57 campgrounds, 8 boat launchs, 5 RV campings, 3 beachcombings. 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; 26 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 397 named trails in this forest, 654 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
PCT: Plumas ↗69.9
Lakeshore Trail ↗14.3
Tobin-Rock Creek Powerline ↗12.5
Hough ↗10.8
Antelope/Taylor Lake ↗10.3
Mill Creek ↗9
Tollgate ↗8.4
Gold Lake Highway ↗8
Mills Peak Trail ↗7.5
Hartman Bar ↗7.4

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 397 trails in Plumas National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 24 mi
Lassen Volcanic National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 45 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Plumas National Forest?

1.4 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Plumas National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Plumas National Forest in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Plumas National Forest?

63 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Antelope Lake Recreation Area, Big Cove and Black Mountain Lookout. 89 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 Plumas National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 86 recreation sites here, including 57 campground campgrounds, 8 boating - motorizeds and 5 rv campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Plumas National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 39.925, -120.829. Lassen Volcanic National Park is 24 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Plumas National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 13 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 Plumas National Forest?

Lassen Volcanic National Park (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Plumas National Forest?

45 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Nevada City Free Public Library and Woodleaf Hotel.

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: Plumas 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.