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Drone Rules for Six Rivers National Forest

Humboldt County, California (CA) • United States
Six Rivers National Forest, California, USA
Lat: 41.0001 • Lng: -123.501
Ground Not fully verified Last updated: May 30, 2026
Summary
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USFS Six Rivers NF on California's North Coast contains the Siskiyou Wilderness and is critical habitat for the Northern spotted owl and Pacific fisher. The remote terrain makes emergency rescue extremely difficult.

Drone Rules - Six Rivers NF, California

Siskiyou Wilderness (153,000 acres, shared with Klamath NF) bans drones; spotted owl and Pacific fisher critical habitat adds ESA-layer restrictions.

Airspace / Site Context

  • The Siskiyou Wilderness is so remote that search-and-rescue for downed drones or injured operators can take 2-3 days
  • Arcata/Eureka Airport (ACV) Class D is ~40 NM west; Crescent City (CEC) Class D is ~30 NM northwest
  • Pacific Coast fog creates VFR-marginal conditions most mornings and evenings -- drone cameras need fog filters

Key Rules

  • Northern spotted owl nesting surveys are conducted March-August; drones disturb acoustic surveys and are actively restricted
  • USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial operations
  • Carry offline topo maps and emergency beacon; cell service is absent through most of the forest

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