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 National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest itself also contains Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.Description
The forest encompasses a mountainous area consisting of the Kettle River and Selkirk mountain ranges, and the upper reaches of the Columbia River. Wildlife include grizzly and black bears, wolf packs, bighorn sheep, cougars, bald eagles, Canadian lynxes, moose, beavers, loons, and the last remaining herd of caribou in the lower 48 US states.
The forest has a total area of 1.1 million acres. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was. In descending order of forestland area it is located in parts of Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens counties. The forest headquarters is located in Colville, Washington. There are local ranger district offices located in Kettle Falls, Metaline Falls, Newport, and Republic.
Most of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness lies within the forest, while its southeastern portion extends into Kaniksu National Forest.The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail passes through the Colville National Forest. It enters the forest on the east side within the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, crosses the Pend Oreille at Boundary Dam, passes through Leadpoint and Northport, then traverses the Kettle Range and exits the Colville near Republic. The Sullivan Lake Trail, designated a National Recreation Trail in 1978, runs between two campgrounds in the forest.
