USFS · Alaska

Chugach National Forest

The Chugach National Forest is a 6,908,540-acre (27,958 km2) United States National Forest in south central Alaska. Covering portions of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and the Copper River Delta, it was formed in 1907 from part of a larger forest reserve. The Chugach includes extensive shorelines, glaciers, forests and rivers, much of which is untouched by roads or trails. It hosts numerous bird, mammal and marine species, including extensive shorebird habitat and a bald eagle population larger than the contiguous 48 states combined. Human industry in the forest includes extensive tourism and some mining and oil and gas operations.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest6.2 million acresUSFSAK61 campgrounds within 10 mi63 Forest Service sites147 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateAlaska
Size6.2 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code1004, region 10
Center point60.7032, -149.2776
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

15 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 Chugach National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 3.46 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.25 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.16 inches of precipitationApril: 2.27 inches of precipitationMay: 2.10 inches of precipitationJune: 1.74 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.43 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.76 inches of precipitationSeptember: 6.04 inches of precipitationOctober: 5.41 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.23 inches of precipitationDecember: 3.35 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.2°F averageFebruary: 20.9°F averageMarch: 24.4°F averageApril: 35.7°F averageMay: 44.6°F averageJune: 52.6°F averageJuly: 56.2°F averageAugust: 54.2°F averageSeptember: 46.2°F averageOctober: 34.5°F averageNovember: 23.7°F averageDecember: 19.5°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Moose Pass 3Nw, 15 miles from the center point at 492 feet, station USC00505894 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 42 inches a year.

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 →

53 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
Barber Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Beach River Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Bertha Creek Campground
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Black Bear Campground
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Caribou Creek Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Childs Glacier Recreation Area And Campground
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Coeur d'Alene Campground
First-comeAK
FS · Inside
Coghill Lake Cabin
Reservable1 site
Show 3 more

49 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 63

The Forest Service lists 63 recreation sites in this forest, among them 39 cabins, 13 campgrounds, 2 visitor centers, 2 viewpoints. 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; 3 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 147 named trails in this forest, 570 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Resurrection Pass Trail ↗73.7
Inht: Johnson Pass Trail ↗45.7
Russian Lakes Trail ↗21.8
Inht: Turnagain Pass Trail ↗21.2
Resurrection River Trail ↗17
Inht: Meridian Lakes Trail ↗15.5
Inht: Bear Lake Trail ↗13
Sand Trail ↗12.2
Devil'S Creek Trail ↗10.2
Inht: Bear Lake Trail Snow ↗9.6

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 147 trails in Chugach National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
Park Unit · 19 mi
Alaska Public Lands
National Register listings within 15 miles · 27 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Chugach National Forest?

6.2 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Chugach National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Chugach National Forest in?

Alaska.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Chugach National Forest?

53 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Barber Cabin, Beach River Cabin and Bertha Creek Campground. 61 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 Chugach National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 63 recreation sites here, including 39 cabin rentalss, 13 campground campgrounds and 2 visitor centerss. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Chugach National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 60.703, -149.278. Alaska Public Lands is 19 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Chugach National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 15 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 Chugach National Forest?

Alaska Public Lands (19 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Chugach National Forest?

27 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Bering Expedition Landing Site and Alaska Central Railroad: Tunnel No. 1.

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: Chugach 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.