Public lands in California
224 units whose boundary reaches California. They are 37 national wildlife refuges, 154 wilderness areas, 20 national forests and grasslands and 13 BLM national monuments and conservation areas, largest first within each type.
Acreage in California
- National wildlife refuges
- 364,825 acres
- Wilderness areas
- 15,344,425 acres
- National forests and grasslands
- 24,377,687 acres
- BLM national monuments and conservation areas
- 3,738,848 acres
Each figure is the acreage inside California for one kind of unit, summed over the units listed below. A unit that crosses into another state counts only the part of its boundary that lies in California. Wilderness often lies inside one of the other kinds, so the figures overlap and should not be added together.
National wildlife refuges
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Wilderness areas
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National forests and grasslands
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BLM national monuments and conservation areas
Boundaries come from the agencies’ own layers. A unit is listed in every state or territory its boundary reaches. Data refreshed November 1, 2026.