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Wilderness Data Search

Please enter your search criteria below or search the map or use the A to Z index of wilderness areas. For an aggregated view of wilderness data view the wilderness summary reports.

Select a wilderness name from the list below
 -- OR -- Type part of a wilderness name

If you do not know the correct spelling of a wilderness name, please select it from the dropdown list. If you know some or part of a wilderness name, but are unsure of the spelling, you can also use the input field. If, for example, you type "hal" into the input field above, your search results will return the following wilderness areas: Bob Marshall, Haleakala, Harquahala Mountains and Southern Nantahala.
1:



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 1:
2: : (ex. 5000, DO NOT use commas)
3: : (ex. 1964)
: (ex. 1964)
 
1 By default, this search will select all wilderness areas that have acreage in the state or geographic region you select and are managed by any of agencies you select. To view wildernesses managed by more than one agency, check the checkbox under the agency selection boxes. If, however, you select an agency-specific region, you will view only wildernesses managed by that agency which have acreage in the region regardless of any agency selections you make. If your selections result in a single wilderness area, you visit the wilderness page for that area directly.
2 Total acreage is the acreage of the entire wilderness. This measurement will include all acres of a wilderness, regardless of any state, agency or region selections you make. Unit acreage is wilderness acreage existing in a single state managed by a single agency. Unit acreage should not be confused with administrative unit acreage, a further breakdown of acreage that differs by agency.
3 Year of designation indicates the year that a wilderness was originally designated by Congress and does not reflect any acreage additions made since designation. To search for acreage additions by wilderness, year or public law, search the wilderness law library.

Exploring Wilderness Data: The Federal laws that established individual wilderness unit, beginning with the Wilderness Act of 1964 and including all subsequent wilderness legislation, are the legally correct source for the wilderness names, locations, original acreage, and dates of designation. Wilderness.net's National Wilderness Preservation System database, searchable using the form above, began with the following publication, which compiled the legislated acres for all designated wilderness areas: Landres, Peter; Meyer, Shannon. 2000. National Wilderness Preservation System database: key attributes and trends, 1964 through 1999. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-18-Revised Edition. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 97 p. Download this publication. Current reported acreage figures are the sum of administrative unit acreages reported by the Wilderness' managing agency or agencies. Data last updated on 4/29/09.