10 Largest Wilderness Areas In The United States

June 19, 2018

Did you know that there are 765 wilderness areas in the United States? These wilderness units total 110,005,113 acres in 44 states and Puerto Rico. That calculates to almost 5% of the total land area of the USA. If you’re keen to get outside and experience untouched environments, then you need to visit the vast wilderness of the United States.

Wrangell Mountains, Alaska | Pixabay Image

In the USA, wilderness is managed by one of four federal land management agencies such as the National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. These impressive landscapes are meant to be preserved in their natural and pristine condition – making them the perfect destinations for outdoor lovers.

If you really want to escape the “real world,” it’s time to visit one of the largest wilderness areas in the United States. The top ten largest wilderness areas in the United States consist of 46,415,476 total acres. That’s a lot of terrain to explore!

Let’s take a look at the 10 largest wilderness areas in the United States:

1. Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 9,078,675
Year Designated: 1980

2. Mollie Beattie Wilderness

Agency: US Fish and Wildlife Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 8,000,000
Year Designated: 1980

3. Gates of The Arctic Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 7,167,192
Year Designated: 1980

4. Noatak Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 5,765,427
Year Designated: 1980

5. Katmai Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 3,384,358
Year Designated: 1980

6. Death Valley Wilderness

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

7. Glacier Bay Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 2,664,867
Year Designated: 1980

8. Jay S. Hammond Wilderness

Agency: National Park Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 2,619,550
Year Designated: 1980

9. 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

10. Togiak Wilderness

Agency: US Fish and Wildlife Service
State: Alaska
Total Acres: 2,274,066
Year Designated: 1980

Information in this post is based on data found on Wilderness.net. For a complete list of all wilderness areas, visit Wilderness.net.