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

Okanogan National Forest

The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northern and western Okanogan County in north-central Washington State, United States...

 and the Kaniksu National Forest

Kaniksu National Forest

The Kaniksu National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington, the Idaho panhandle, and northwestern Montana. The Idaho portion is one of three forests that are aggregated into the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, along with the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and St. Joe...

 to the east. The forest itself also contains Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

The Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve, one of the National Wildlife Refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located east of Colville, Washington along the west slope of the Selkirk Mountain Range. It lies mostly in eastern...

 and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area of the National Park Service that encompasses the long Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake between Grand Coulee Dam and Northport, Washington, in eastern Washington state. It is a popular boating, fishing, hunting, camping, and...

.

The forest encompasses a mountainous area consisting of the Kettle River

Kettle River Range

The Kettle River Range is a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada and north-central Washington state, United States. It has an area of 4345 km2 and is a subrange of the Monashee Mountains which in turn form part of the Columbia Mountains.-References:...

 and Selkirk

Selkirk Mountains

The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...

 mountain ranges, and the upper reaches of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

. Wildlife include grizzly

Grizzly

Grizzly may refer to:* Grizzly bear , a North American bear* Grizzly , a Marvel Comics character* Grizzly , a novel in Gary Paulsen's World of Adventure series...

 and black

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

 bears, grey wolves, cougars, bald eagles

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

, lynx

Lynx

A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...

, and the last remaining herd of caribou in the lower 48.

The forest has a total area of 954,413 acre

Acre

The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

s (1,491.3 sq mi, or 3,862.4 km²). A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 212488 acres (85,990.9 ha). 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

Colville, Washington

Colville is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,673 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stevens County.- History :...

. There are local ranger

National Park Ranger

National Park Service Rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and/or the President of the United States...

 district offices located in Kettle Falls

Kettle Falls, Washington

Kettle Falls is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States, named for the nearby Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, an ancient and important fishing site for Native Americans...

, Metaline Falls

Metaline Falls, Washington

Metaline Falls is a town in Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States. The population was 238 at the 2010 census.-History:Metaline Falls was discovered by natives 12,000 years ago. Eventually by fur traders came in 1810. The town was founded in 1900, with most of its residents then employed...

, Newport

Newport, Washington

Newport is a city in, and the county seat of, Pend Oreille County, Washington. The population was 2,126 at the 2010 census.-History:Newport was given its name in 1890 because it was selected as a landing site for the first steamboat on the Pend Oreille River. Newport was officially incorporated on...

, and Republic

Republic, Washington

Republic is a city in Ferry County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2010 census, a 12.5% increase over the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Ferry County.-History:...

.

Other Protected Areas

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

Salmo-Priest Wilderness

Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest.-Topography:...

, crosses the Pend Oreille at Boundary Dam

Boundary Dam

Boundary Dam is a concrete arch gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Pend Oreille River, in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is located in the northeast corner of Washington state, just south of the border with British Columbia, Canada. It is operated by Seattle City Light and makes up a...

, passes through Leadpoint

LeadPoint

LeadPoint, Inc. is a software and information technology services company for the lead generation industry located in Los Angeles, California. The company operates a business-to-business exchange for data and voice leads in numerous verticals including: consumer lending, consumer credit, and...

 and Northport

Northport

-Places:United States*Northport, Alabama*Northport, Maine*Northport, Michigan*Northport, Nebraska*Northport, New York**Northport High School*Northport, Tennessee*Northport, Washington*Northport, Door County, Wisconsin*Northport, Waupaca County, Wisconsin...

, then traverses the Kettle Range and exits the Colville near Republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

.

External links

• USDA Forest Service - Colville National Forest