USFS · Washington

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

The Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.9 million acresUSFSWA181 campgrounds within 10 mi338 Forest Service sites1,197 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4fires
active
Little Giant · 10 mi from the center · 172,814 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size3.9 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0617, region 06
Center point47.9163, -120.6973
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 4.57 inches of precipitation, 31.5 inches of snowFebruary: 2.95 inches of precipitation, 17.4 inches of snowMarch: 2.43 inches of precipitation, 9.5 inches of snowApril: 1.25 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowMay: 1.31 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowJune: 0.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.48 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.42 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.79 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.61 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowNovember: 4.58 inches of precipitation, 14.6 inches of snowDecember: 4.97 inches of precipitation, 42.1 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 27.5°F averageFebruary: 31.4°F averageMarch: 37.4°F averageApril: 44.5°F averageMay: 52.9°F averageJune: 59.0°F averageJuly: 66.1°F averageAugust: 65.6°F averageSeptember: 57.8°F averageOctober: 45.7°F averageNovember: 34.5°F averageDecember: 26.9°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 in50 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Plain, 9 miles from the center point at 1,936 feet, station USC00456534 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 27 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 117 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 →

156 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 25 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
Alpine Meadows Campground
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
American Forks Campground
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
American Ridge Lodge
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
American River Guard Station
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Antilon Lake Campground
First-comeWA
FS · Inside
Atkinson Flat Campground
First-come11 sites
FS · Inside
Atkinson Flats
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Ballard
Reservable4 sites
Show 4 more

169 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 338

The Forest Service lists 338 recreation sites in this forest, among them 134 trailheads, 115 campgrounds, 20 snowmobilings, 9 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; 278 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 1,197 named trails in this forest, 4,918 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
PCT: Methow Valley N. Terminus ↗55.5
John Wayne ↗46.5
PCT: Naches North ↗39.3
Boulder Creek ↗38.4
Grade Creek Snomo ↗38.2
PCT: Wenatchee River North ↗36.1
Rock Creek Snowmobile ↗31.5
Thirtymile Meadows ↗29
Lake Creek ↗27.4
American Ridge ↗25.7

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 1,197 trails in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

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

    10 mi from the center point · 172,814 acres · 81% contained

  • Wildfire
    Gamma Creek

    24 mi from the center point · 29 acres

  • Wildfire
    Miners

    27 mi from the center point · 149 acres · 0% contained

  • Wildfire
    Sisi

    30 mi from the center point · 3,691 acres · 15% contained

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 Park · 9 mi
Mount Rainier National Park
National Park · 10 mi
North Cascades National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 117 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

3.9 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

156 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Alpine Meadows Campground, American Forks Campground and American Ridge Lodge. 181 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 Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 338 recreation sites here, including 134 trailheads, 115 campground campgrounds and 20 snowmobilings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.916, -120.697. Mount Rainier National Park is 9 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Little Giant at 10 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Okanogan-Wenatchee 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 Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

Mount Rainier National Park (9 mi) and North Cascades National Park (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?

117 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Blewett Arrastra and Bumping Lake Cabin No. 16.

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: Okanogan–Wenatchee 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.