Wilderness by the Numbers
South Fork of the Teton River from near Headquarters Pass (Kerry Neils)
Here are some fast facts to help you understand the state of Montana’s – and the nation’s – wildlands.
Montana Wilderness Facts
Montana landbase (acres): 94,109,542
Total Wilderness acres: 3,443,038
Percent of land base: 3.7%
Total number of Wilderness areas: 15
Total Forest Service Inventoried Roadless Area acres: 6,397,000
Percent of land base that is Roadless: 6.8%
National Wilderness Facts
Number of wilderness areas: 756
Total Wilderness acres nationwide: 107,436,608
State with most acres: Alaska contains 57,422,302 of the total acres, approximately 53%
Percent of national landbase: 4.41% of the continental United States. Excluding Alaska, wilderness comprises only
2.5%of our national landbase
Percent of land base that is Roadless: 2%
Loss of Roadless acres in past 20 years: Over 3.5 million
Montana Wilderness and Public Lands Statistics
| Total Acres in Montana |
94,109,440 acres |
| Total Square Miles in Montana |
145,556 square miles |
| Total Remaining Montana Wildland Base |
9,839,100 acres |
| Total Wilderness Acres in Montana |
3,443,038 acres |
| Percent of Land Base |
3.7% |
| Total Number of Wilderness Areas |
15 |
| Total Unprotected Wilderness1 Acres in Montana |
6,397,000 acres |
| Percent of Land Base |
6.8% |
| Total Acres of Public Lands in Montana |
27,378,247 acres |
| Percent of Land Base |
29% |
Total Public Acres by Managing Agency
| Agency |
Acreage (% of Montana) |
| U.S. Forest Service |
16,893,000 (18%) |
| National Park Service |
1,222,314 (1%) |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
1,227,478 (1%) |
| Bureau of Land Management |
8,060,382 (9%) |
| Total |
27,378,247 (29%) |
| Federally Protected/Designated Wilderness |
3,443,038 (3.7%) |
Designated Wilderness by Agency
| Agency |
Acreage |
| U.S. Forest Service |
3,372,503 |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
64,535 |
| Bureau of Land Management |
6,000 |
| Total |
3,443,038 |
Remaining Roadless Lands and Potential Wilderness
| Agency |
Acreage |
| U.S. Forest Service |
5,337,694 |
| National Park Service |
1,037,160 |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
157,000 |
| Bureau of Land Management |
447,327 |
| Total |
6,979,181 |
| Forest |
Supervision Office |
Approximage Acres |
| Beaverhead-Deerlodge |
Dillon |
3.32 million acres |
| Bitterroot |
Hamilton |
1.6 million acres |
| Custer |
Billings |
1.3 million acres |
| Flathead |
Kalispell |
2.3 million acres |
| Gallatin |
Bozeman |
1.8 million acres |
| Helena |
Helena |
975,407 acres |
| Kaniksu |
Coeur D’Alene, ID |
2.1 million acres |
| Kootenai |
Libby |
2.2 million acres |
| Lewis & Clark |
Great Falls |
1.8 million acres |
| Lolo |
Missoula |
2.0 million acres |
| National Forest Totals |
|
19.39 million acres |
Forest Service Wilderness Areas Acreage
| Wilderness/Forest |
Acres |
| Absaroka-Beartooth |
|
| Custer NF |
345,599 |
| Gallatin NF |
574,744 |
| Anaconda Pintler |
|
| Bitterroot NF |
41,162 |
| Bob Marshall |
|
| Flathead NF |
709,356 |
| Lewis & Clark NF |
300,000 |
| Cabinet Mountains |
|
| Kaniksu NF |
44,320 |
| Kootenai NF |
49,952 |
| Gates of the Mountains |
|
| Helena NF |
28,562 |
| Great Bear |
|
| Flathead NF |
286,700 |
| Lee Metcalf |
|
| Beaverhead NF |
107,694 |
| Gallatin NF |
140,594 |
| Mission Mountains |
|
| Flathead NF |
73,877 |
| Rattlesnake |
|
| Lolo NF |
32,976 |
| Scapegoat |
|
| Helena NF |
80,697 |
| Lewis & Clark NF |
84,407 |
| Lolo NF |
74,832 |
| Selway-Bitterroot |
|
| Bitterroot NF |
241,676 |
| Lolo NF |
9,767 |
| Welcome Creek |
|
| Lolo NF |
28,135 |
Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Areas Acreage
| Wilderness |
Acres |
| Lee Metcalf |
6,000 |
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wilderness Areas Acreage
| Wilderness |
Acres |
| Medicine Lake |
|
| Medicine Lake NWR |
11,366 |
| Red Rock Lakes |
|
| Red Rock Lakes NWR |
32,350 |
| UL Bend |
|
| UL Bend NWR |
20,819 |
| Total Wilderness Acres in Montana |
3,443,038 |
National Wild, Scenic and Recreation Rivers Wilderness Areas Acreage
| Wilderness |
NFS |
Other |
Total |
| Flathead National Wild River |
|
|
|
| Flathead NF |
38,346 |
19,054 |
57,400 |
Sources:
- U.S. Census TIGER data for State border
- The USGS National Hydrography Dataset
- Natural Heritage Program Stewardship/Ownership Data
- Montana State Library, Natural Resource Information System
- USDA Forest Service
For detailed information on each of Montana Wilderness Areas, we recommend you visit wilderness.net. (Please note: Montana Wilderness Association is not associated with Wilderness.net.)
