Six Rivers National Forest
40.9394, -123.6314
- Nearest town
- Willow Creek
- Map status
- Verified pin
- Visit conditions
- Check before travel
- Research reviewed
- Aug 17, 2026
Field guide
Know before you go
- Size
- Nearly one million acres forest-wide, in a 140-mile band; the Humboldt-only share isn't published
- Named for
- The Smith, Klamath, Trinity, Eel, Van Duzen and Mad rivers
- Trails
- 250 miles forest-wide, plus 2,500 miles of road and 365 miles of wild and scenic river
- Maps
- No free downloadable trail or visitor map. Paper maps are purchase-only at district offices or store.usgs.gov/fsmaps
- Free maps
- Motor Vehicle Use Maps only — ten cover the forest, downloadable as geospatial PDFs with Avenza layers; also FS topo maps at data.fs.usda.gov/geodata
- Eureka office
- Forest Supervisor's Office, Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:00pm, closed weekends
- Willow Creek office
- Lower Trinity Ranger District, Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm, closed weekends
- Bridgeville office
- Mad River Ranger District, Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm, closed noon–12:30pm for lunch and closed weekends
- Wildernesses managed alone
- North Fork (8,158 acres, designated 1984) and Mount Lassic (7,272 acres, designated 2006)
- Shared wildernesses
- Siskiyou, Trinity Alps, Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel and Marble Mountain, co-managed with nearby forests
- Campgrounds
- 16 or 17 family campgrounds, depending on which official page you read; ten are reservable through Recreation.gov in summer
- Camping limit
- 14 days
- Boise Creek Campground
- 18 sites including three tent-only, 2 miles from Willow Creek on Route 299, 680 ft elevation; tables, fire rings with grills, vault toilets, drinking water, no hookups, 35 ft trailer maximum
- Boise Creek fees
- $10 per night, 50% off with an Interagency Access Pass; $5 per vehicle per day for day use; extra vehicles charged on site. Closed in winter
- Fee changes
- A "Proposed Changes to Recreation Fees" comment period runs May 22 – September 15, 2026
- Dogs
- Leashed pets permitted in campgrounds
- Prohibited
- Fireworks and explosives at all times; seasonal fire restrictions also apply
The place
About Six Rivers National Forest
Six Rivers publishes no free trail map. That's the first thing to plan around. Forest Visitor Maps, National Forest Atlases and Wilderness Maps are purchase-only, sold over the counter at district offices or through store.usgs.gov/fsmaps. What you can download for free are Motor Vehicle Use Maps — ten of them cover the forest, three for Lower Trinity and three for Mad River, as geospatial PDFs with matching Avenza layers. Free Forest Service topo maps live at data.fs.usda.gov/geodata. Plan from those, or buy paper at Willow Creek or Bridgeville.
The name comes from the Smith, Klamath, Trinity, Eel, Van Duzen and Mad rivers. Nearly a million acres run in a narrow 140-mile band from the Oregon border south, holding 250 miles of trail, 2,500 miles of road, 365 miles of wild and scenic river, six botanical areas and three national scenic byways.
Three offices sit in Humboldt County. The Forest Supervisor's Office is in Eureka, open Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:00. Lower Trinity Ranger District is in Willow Creek, Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30, bisected by Highway 299 about 45 miles east of Eureka. Mad River Ranger District is in Bridgeville on Highway 36, roughly 50 miles east of Highway 101, same hours but closed for lunch from noon to 12:30.
Four wilderness areas here are shared with neighboring forests. Two are Six Rivers' alone: North Fork, 8,158 acres, designated 1984, where the wild and scenic North Fork Eel threads a gorge lined with mixed conifer above and oak below; and Mount Lassic, 7,272 acres, designated 2006, a cluster of Coast Range peaks about 20 miles northeast of Garberville.
Fireworks and explosives are prohibited, always, everywhere.
Same area
Explore nearby
Local planning questions
Frequently asked
Does Six Rivers National Forest have a free trail map?
No. The forest states plainly that its Forest Visitor Maps, National Forest Atlases and Wilderness Maps are available for purchase at district offices, or through store.usgs.gov/fsmaps. The only free downloads are Motor Vehicle Use Maps — geospatial PDFs with matching Avenza layers, also free over the counter at ranger stations — and Forest Service topo maps at data.fs.usda.gov/geodata.
Where are the Six Rivers ranger stations in Humboldt County?
Three offices. The Forest Supervisor's Office is in Eureka, open weekdays 8:30am to 4:00pm. Lower Trinity Ranger District is in Willow Creek and Mad River Ranger District is in Bridgeville, both open weekdays 8am to 4:30pm, with Bridgeville closed for lunch from noon to 12:30. All three close weekends.
How much does it cost to camp at Boise Creek Campground?
Ten dollars a night for a single site, halved for Interagency Access Pass holders, with extra vehicles charged on site. Day use is $5 per vehicle per day. Boise Creek has 18 sites two miles from Willow Creek on Route 299, is reservable through Recreation.gov, and closes for the winter. Note that the forest has proposed recreation fee changes with a comment period running to September 15, 2026.
Which wilderness areas does Six Rivers manage by itself?
Two: North Fork Wilderness, 8,158 acres, designated in 1984, and Mount Lassic Wilderness, 7,272 acres, designated in 2006. The forest co-manages four others — Siskiyou, Trinity Alps, Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel and Marble Mountain — with neighboring national forests. Wilderness-entry permit requirements for North Fork and Mount Lassic aren't stated on the forest's published pages.
Are dogs allowed in Six Rivers National Forest?
Yes, on leash in campgrounds, which is the only dog rule the forest states. No forest-wide trail restriction is published. Cell coverage exists at Boise Creek but shouldn't be counted on in the backcountry, so don't rely on a phone to find a lost dog.
Official and supporting sources
- Official site
- Six Rivers National Forest — Offices
- Six Rivers National Forest — Wilderness
- Six Rivers National Forest — Recreation
- Lower Trinity Ranger District
- Mad River Ranger District
- Boise Creek Campground
- Maps & Guides
- Motor Vehicle Use Maps
- Permits
- Fire
- Recreation.gov — Boise Creek Campground
- Research source — fs.usda.gov
- Research source — fs.usda.gov
Research reconciled 2026-08-17. Closures, fees, permits and hours can change.