USFS · Washington

Colville National Forest

The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest also borders Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.8 million acresUSFSWA74 campgrounds within 10 mi264 Forest Service sites207 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size1.8 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0621, region 06
Center point48.6780, -118.1912
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

8 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 Colville National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.20 inches of precipitation, 14.5 inches of snowFebruary: 1.47 inches of precipitation, 5.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.89 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowApril: 1.53 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMay: 1.93 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 2.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.68 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.72 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.51 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.19 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowDecember: 2.80 inches of precipitation, 15.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 28.8°F averageFebruary: 32.9°F averageMarch: 41.1°F averageApril: 48.9°F averageMay: 57.6°F averageJune: 63.4°F averageJuly: 70.5°F averageAugust: 69.7°F averageSeptember: 61.0°F averageOctober: 47.5°F averageNovember: 36.2°F averageDecember: 28.8°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Colville, 14 miles from the center point at 1,554 feet, station USC00451630 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 43 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,700 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 36 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
Beth Lake Campground
Reservable15 sites
FS · Inside
Beth Lake Campground
First-come15 sites
FS · Inside
Big Meadow Lake Campground
First-comeWA
FS · Inside
Bonaparte Lake Campground
Reservable33 sites
FS · Inside
Browns Lake Campground
First-comeWA
FS · Inside
Canyon Creek Campground
First-comeWA
FS · Inside
Crawfish Lake Campground
First-comeWA
FS · Inside
Davis Lake Campground
First-comeWA
Show 4 more

62 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 264

The Forest Service lists 264 recreation sites in this forest, among them 45 backpackings, 42 campgrounds, 40 trailheads, 39 paddling accesss. 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; 204 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 207 named trails in this forest, 802 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Boundary ↗69.1
Little Pend Oreille ORV ↗38.5
Kettle Crest North ↗29.9
Batey Bould Main Trunk ↗21.7
Shedroof Divide ↗16.9
13 Mile ↗16.5
Taylor Ridge ↗15.6
Kettle Crest South ↗14
Gillette Ridge ↗13.1
Gibralter ↗11.8

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 207 trails in Colville National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Recreation Area · 21 mi
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
National Register listings within 15 miles · 51 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Colville National Forest?

1.8 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Colville National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Colville National Forest in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Colville National Forest?

38 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Beth Lake Campground, Beth Lake Campground and Big Meadow Lake Campground. 74 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 Colville National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 264 recreation sites here, including 45 backpackings, 42 campground campgrounds and 40 trailheads. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Colville National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.678, -118.191. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is 21 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Colville National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 12 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 Colville National Forest?

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (21 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Colville National Forest?

51 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Bonaparte Mountain Cabin and Lost Lake Guard Station.

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: Colville 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.