Public lands in Iowa

8 units whose boundary reaches Iowa. They are 8 national wildlife refuges, largest first within each type.

Acreage in Iowa

National wildlife refuges
77,148 acres

Each figure is the acreage inside Iowa 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 Iowa.

National wildlife refuges

All national wildlife refuges →
Refuge · USFWS
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
190,553 acres7 campgrounds near
Refuge · USFWS
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
18,601 acres1 campground near
Refuge · USFWS
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
17,231 acresAlso MN
Refuge · USFWS
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
8,354 acres1 campground near
Refuge · USFWS
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
6,172 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
3,967 acres1 campground near
Refuge · USFWS
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge
2,840 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge
1,237 acres1 campground near

Boundaries come from the agencies’ own layers. A unit is listed in every state or territory its boundary reaches. Data refreshed November 1, 2026.