Arapaho National Forest

Arapaho National Forest covers roughly 2,929 km² in the northern Colorado Rockies and has been federally managed by the US Forest Service since 1908. Together with Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland, it forms the ARP system — one of the largest unified forest management units in the country at over 7,400 km². Terrain ranges from dense conifer slopes to alpine tundra above 4,000 meters, with populations of elk, black bear, and golden eagle throughout. The forest operates under the multiple-use mandate that has defined US Forest Service policy since Theodore Roosevelt's era: balancing timber harvest, watershed protection, and public recreation. Hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, and skiers all draw on its extensive trail networks and campgrounds year-round.