Public lands in North Dakota

66 units whose boundary reaches North Dakota. They are 62 national wildlife refuges, 3 wilderness areas and 1 national forest, largest first within each type.

Acreage in North Dakota

National wildlife refuges
286,747 acres
Wilderness areas
39,652 acres
National forests and grasslands
1,203,502 acres

Each figure is the acreage inside North Dakota 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 North Dakota. Wilderness often lies inside one of the other kinds, so the figures overlap and should not be added together.

National wildlife refuges

All national wildlife refuges →
Refuge · USFWS
J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge
59,320 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge
32,196 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge
27,357 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
22,550 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge
19,584 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
16,024 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
14,782 acres2 campgrounds near
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge
12,242 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
9,285 acresAlso TX
Refuge · USFWS
Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge
8,321 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Rock Lake National Wildlife Refuge
5,523 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge
4,351 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Show 50 more
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge
3,843 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
3,793 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge
3,333 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge
3,062 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lake George National Wildlife Refuge
3,047 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Slade National Wildlife Refuge
2,996 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Ardoch National Wildlife Refuge
2,755 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2,664 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2,573 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Hobart Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2,006 acres1 campground near
Refuge · USFWS
Johnson Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2,003 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Brumba National Wildlife Refuge
1,968 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lords Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,894 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Florence Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,891 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Shell Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,827 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Snyder Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,564 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lambs Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,218 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Sibley Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,071 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
White Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,036 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Cottonwood Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1,024 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge
993 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lost Lake National Wildlife Refuge
964 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
940 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Appert Lake National Wildlife Refuge
906 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Stoney Slough National Wildlife Refuge
887 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Pleasant Lake National Wildlife Refuge
884 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Rose Lake National Wildlife Refuge
848 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Patricia National Wildlife Refuge
801 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Wild Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge
782 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Sheyenne Lake National Wildlife Refuge
770 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Maple River National Wildlife Refuge
721 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Storm Lake National Wildlife Refuge
677 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
McLean National Wildlife Refuge
663 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Springwater National Wildlife Refuge
646 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Bone Hill National Wildlife Refuge
638 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Stewart Lake National Wildlife Refuge
638 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Camp Lake National Wildlife Refuge
589 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge
576 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Hutchinson Lake National Wildlife Refuge
474 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Tomahawk National Wildlife Refuge
438 acres4 campgrounds near
Refuge · USFWS
School Section Lake National Wildlife Refuge
353 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Sunburst Lake National Wildlife Refuge
328 acres1 campground near
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Otis National Wildlife Refuge
323 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Canfield Lake National Wildlife Refuge
306 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Little Goose National Wildlife Refuge
283 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Wood Lake National Wildlife Refuge
283 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Rabb Lake National Wildlife Refuge
252 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Wintering River National Wildlife Refuge
238 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Half-Way Lake National Wildlife Refuge
158 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Stump Lake National Wildlife Refuge
20 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Wilderness areas

All wilderness areas →
Wilderness · NPS
Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness
29,920 acres7 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFWS
Lostwood Wilderness
5,577 acresWilderness
Wilderness · USFWS
Chase Lake Wilderness
4,155 acresWilderness

National forests and grasslands

All national forests and grasslands →
Forest · USFS
Dakota Prairie Grasslands
1.4 million acres12 campgrounds 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.