Public lands in Nebraska

11 units whose boundary reaches Nebraska. They are 8 national wildlife refuges, 2 wilderness areas and 1 national forest, largest first within each type.

National wildlife refuges: 154,416 acres
Wilderness areas: 12,468 acres
National forests and grasslands: 562,054 acres

Each figure is the acreage inside Nebraska 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 Nebraska. 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

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge

73,672 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge

46,726 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

19,085 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Desoto National Wildlife Refuge

8,354 acres1 campground near

Refuge · USFWS

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge

3,967 acres1 campground near

Refuge · USFWS

North Platte National Wildlife Refuge

2,908 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

John W. and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge

2,405 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Refuge · USFWS

Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge

1,394 acresAlso SD

Wilderness areas

All wilderness areas →

Wilderness · USFS

Soldier Creek Wilderness

7,833 acres1 campground near

Wilderness · USFWS

Fort Niobrara Wilderness

4,635 acresWilderness

National forests and grasslands

All national forests and grasslands →

Nebraska National Forest

2.1 million acres9 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.