10 Largest Wilderness Areas In The Lower 48

June 26, 2018

If you’re keen to get away from it all, where are you going to go? The best place to escape the hustle and bustle of the “real world” is in the vast and remote landscapes that are scattered throughout the United States. For most people, the best places to get a pure breath of fresh air is in one of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48.

In the United States, there are 765 wilderness areas that consist of 110,005,113 acres. A huge portion of the wild land (57,432,650 acres) that is designated as wilderness is in Alaska, but that also means that 52,572,463 total acres of wilderness exist in the continental United States.

These wild landscapes are managed by federal land management agencies such as the National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management

Wilderness is an ideal destination for an outdoor enthusiast. There’s no better way to see wild lands in their preserved and conserved state. Maybe for your next adventure you should visit one one of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48. Which one will you choose to visit first?

Here are the top 10 largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48:

1. Death Valley Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: California/Nevada
Total Acres: 3,102,456
Year Designated: 1994

2. Frank Church-River Of No Return Wilderness

Agency: Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service
State: Idaho
Total Acres: 2,358,876
Year Designated: 1980

3. Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness

Agency: US Forest Service
State: Idaho/Montana
Total Acres: 1,347,644
Year Designated: 1964

4. Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Florida
Total Acres: 1,296,500
Year Designated: 1978

5. Bob Marshall Wilderness

Agency: US Forest Service
State: Montana
Total Acres: 1,062,694
Year Designated: 1964

6. Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

Agency: US Forest Service
State: Montana/Wyoming
Total Acres: 937,032
Year Designated: 1978/1984

7. Daniel J. Evans Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Washington
Total Acres: 876,447
Year Designated: 1988

8. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Agency: US Forest Service
State: Minnesota
Total Acres: 814,441
Year Designated: 1964

9. Cabeza Prieta Wilderness

Agency: US Fish and Wildlife Service
State: Arizona
Total Acres:804,418
Year Designated: 1990

10. Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: California
Total Acres: 768,222
Year Designated: 1984

Information in this post is based on data found on Wilderness.net. For a complete list of all wilderness areas, visit Wilderness.net. Click here for a map of all of the wilderness areas in the Lower 48.