Spanning over 720,000 acres across north-central Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Arapaho National Forest has drawn adventurers to its rugged peaks and alpine valleys since its establishment in 1908. The forest shares administrative duties with neighboring Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland, creating a vast protected region managed from Fort Collins.
The forest’s 43 campgrounds offer diverse base camps for exploration. Olive Ridge provides easy access to Wild Basin and Rocky Mountain National Park’s southern reaches, while Kelly Dahl sits at 9,000 feet near Nederland with views of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Crow Valley campground on the grassland portion offers a stark contrast—wide-open prairie skies perfect for stargazing. For group outings, the AA Bar Ranch Group Picnic Site accommodates larger parties.
Anglers find productive waters throughout the forest, from high-country streams holding native cutthroat trout to larger reservoirs stocked with rainbow and brown trout. Hiking trails range from gentle riverside walks to strenuous climbs above treeline, where summer wildflower displays transform alpine meadows into carpets of columbine, Indian paintbrush, and alpine sunflowers.
Summer and early fall bring the most accessible conditions, with most campgrounds operating from late May through September. Higher elevation roads and trails may remain snow-covered into June. Winter transforms the forest into cross-country skiing and snowshoeing terrain, though many facilities close seasonally.
Fort Collins, approximately 45 miles northeast, serves as the primary gateway city with full services, gear shops, and forest service offices where visitors can obtain current trail conditions and permits.
Explore Nearby
- Dillon Field Office — Public Land
- Guanella Pass Scenic Byway — Scenic Byway in Colorado
- Breckenridge, Colorado — Dark Sky Site in Colorado
- Black Mountain Scenic Byway — Scenic Byway in Kentucky
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park — State Park in Colorado
