Eldorado National Forest, National forest in Sierra Nevada mountains, California, USA.

Eldorado National Forest covers 786,994 gross acres in the central Sierra Nevada, of which 190,270 acres are in other ownership, leaving 596,724 net acres. It runs from 1,000 feet in the foothills to over 10,000 feet along the Sierra crest, cut by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American and Rubicon rivers. Photographs show a flat green meadow with shallow channels meeting a wall of conifers, and a rocky snow-patched summit above dark forest.

Eldorado National Forest was established on July 28, 1910, from a portion of Tahoe National Forest and other lands. Its headquarters are in Placerville, with ranger district offices in Camino, Georgetown, Pioneer, and Pollock Pines.

The forest lies in the territory of the Washoe and Miwok peoples, but the sources give no details on their traditions or present-day use. What visitors can see today are the ranger district offices at Camino, Georgetown, Pioneer and Pollock Pines, and the headquarters in Placerville, which serve the forest.

Eldorado National Forest has 2,367 miles of roads and 349 miles of trails, with Forest Service roads making up 2,158 miles. Its 611 miles of fishable streams run through four drainage systems, including the Middle and South Forks of the American River and the Cosumnes. Snow covers elevations above 6,000 feet from December to May.

The forest holds 122,000 acres of identified old-growth, including Sierra Nevada mixed conifer stands of ponderosa pine, white fir and Douglas-fir, plus lodgepole and red fir forests. Its 611 miles of fishable streams drain four systems: the Middle and South Forks of the American River, the Cosumnes and the North Fork of the Mokelumne.