Guide Rankings Geography Updated July 11, 2026

National Forests by State

Misty old-growth spruce and hemlock forest along a fjord in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska

National Forests by State

Ranking - Geography

Alaska has about 21.9 million acres of national forest land, the most of any state. The Tongass National Forest alone covers 16.7 million acres, more ground than the entire state of West Virginia.

Quick Answer

National Forests by State

  1. 1

    Alaska leads all states in national forest land with about 21.9 million acres in just two forests, the Tongass and the Chugach. California ranks second at roughly 20.8 million acres.

  2. 2

    California has the most national forests with 18. Idaho commits the largest share of its territory, about 38 percent, or 20.4 million of its 53.5 million acres.

  3. 3

    Ten states have no national forest, including Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, and North Dakota. New York comes closest to zero among the rest, with the 16,000-acre Finger Lakes National Forest.

Map

National Forests by State Map

NF Acres
No data
National Forests by State Map
Rank State NF Acres
1 Alaska 21.9M
2 California 20.8M
3 Idaho 20.4M
4 Montana 16.9M
5 Oregon 15.7M
6 Colorado 14.5M
7 Arizona 11.2M
8 New Mexico 9.4M
9 Washington 9.3M
10 Wyoming 9.2M
11 Utah 8.2M
12 Nevada 5.8M
13 Michigan 2.9M
14 Minnesota 2.8M
15 Arkansas 2.6M
16 Virginia 1.7M
17 Wisconsin 1.5M
18 Missouri 1.5M
19 North Carolina 1.2M
20 Mississippi 1.2M
21 Florida 1.1M
22 South Dakota 1.1M
23 West Virginia 1.1M
24 Georgia 867,000
25 New Hampshire 750,000
26 Kentucky 710,000
27 Alabama 667,000
28 Tennessee 656,000
29 Texas 638,000
30 South Carolina 630,000
31 Louisiana 604,000
32 Pennsylvania 514,000
33 Vermont 400,000
34 Oklahoma 350,000
35 Illinois 289,000
36 Nebraska 257,000
37 Ohio 244,000
38 Indiana 204,000
39 Maine 49,000
40 New York 16,000
41 Connecticut 0
42 Delaware 0
43 Hawaii 0
44 Iowa 0
45 Kansas 0
46 Maryland 0
47 Massachusetts 0
48 New Jersey 0
49 North Dakota 0
50 Rhode Island 0

Alaska has the most national forest land at about 21.9 million acres, with California and Idaho close behind above 20 million. Ten states, shown lightest, have none.

National Forests by State Table

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Print-ready table — National Forests by State

States with the Most National Forests

Mount Shasta rising above pine forest in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California
Shasta-Trinity is the largest of California's 18 national forests at about 2.2 million acres. No state has more national forests, and only Alaska has more national forest land.

California leads with 18 national forests holding about 20.8 million acres, more than a fifth of the state. Oregon and Colorado tie for second with 11 forests each.

Alaska runs the opposite pattern. Just two forests, the Tongass and the Chugach, give it about 21.9 million acres, more national forest land than any other state. Mississippi packs six forests into 1.2 million acres, the smallest footprint among the states with six or more.

Rank
1
State
California
Forests
18
NF Acres
20800000
Rank
2
State
Oregon
Forests
11
NF Acres
15700000
Rank
2
State
Colorado
Forests
11
NF Acres
14500000
Rank
4
State
Idaho
Forests
10
NF Acres
20400000
Rank
5
State
Montana
Forests
7
NF Acres
16900000
Rank
5
State
Washington
Forests
7
NF Acres
9300000
Rank
5
State
Wyoming
Forests
7
NF Acres
9200000
Rank
8
State
Arizona
Forests
6
NF Acres
11200000
Rank
8
State
Mississippi
Forests
6
NF Acres
1200000
Rank
8
State
Utah
Forests
6
NF Acres
8200000

Largest National Forests in the United States

Old-growth rainforest meeting a glacial fjord in the Tongass National Forest, southeast Alaska
The Tongass National Forest covers 16.7 million acres of southeast Alaska, the largest national forest in the country. About 5.7 million of those acres are designated wilderness.

The Tongass in southeast Alaska covers 16.7 million acres, larger than the entire state of West Virginia. Humboldt-Toiyabe, spread across Nevada and eastern California, ranks second at 6.3 million acres and is the largest national forest outside Alaska.

Alaska's Chugach takes third at 5.4 million acres. Idaho's Salmon-Challis, at 4.3 million acres, is the largest forest contained within a single lower-48 state, edging out Washington's Okanogan-Wenatchee at about 4 million.

Rank
1
National Forest
Tongass
State(s)
Alaska
Acres
16700000
Rank
2
National Forest
Humboldt-Toiyabe
State(s)
Nevada, California
Acres
6300000
Rank
3
National Forest
Chugach
State(s)
Alaska
Acres
5400000
Rank
4
National Forest
Salmon-Challis
State(s)
Idaho
Acres
4300000
Rank
5
National Forest
Okanogan-Wenatchee
State(s)
Washington
Acres
4000000
Rank
6
National Forest
Bridger-Teton
State(s)
Wyoming
Acres
3400000
Rank
7
National Forest
Beaverhead-Deerlodge
State(s)
Montana
Acres
3350000
Rank
8
National Forest
Gila
State(s)
New Mexico
Acres
3300000

National Forests Shared Between States

Mountain road winding through dense evergreen forest near a state border
Several national forests cross state lines, including Humboldt-Toiyabe in Nevada and California, Black Hills in South Dakota and Wyoming, and Ouachita in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Humboldt-Toiyabe spreads its 6.3 million acres across Nevada and eastern California, and the Black Hills National Forest splits about 1.25 million acres between South Dakota and Wyoming. Ouachita National Forest crosses from Arkansas into Oklahoma, where its 350,000 acres are that state's only national forest land.

White Mountain National Forest gives Maine its only national forest acreage, about 49,000 acres spilling over from New Hampshire. George Washington and Jefferson National Forests stretch from Virginia into West Virginia and Kentucky, and Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest administers New York's 16,000-acre Finger Lakes National Forest.

Quick Answers

Which state has the most national forests?
California has the most national forests with 18. Oregon and Colorado tie for second with 11 each, and Idaho follows with 10.
Which state has the most national forest land?
Alaska has the most with about 21.9 million acres, held in just two forests. California ranks second at roughly 20.8 million acres and Idaho third at 20.4 million.
What is the largest national forest in the United States?
The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is the largest at 16.7 million acres. Humboldt-Toiyabe, spanning Nevada and eastern California, is the largest outside Alaska at 6.3 million acres.
Which states have no national forests?
Ten states have no national forest. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Rhode Island all lack one, though Kansas and North Dakota contain national grasslands managed by the same agency.
What percentage of Idaho is national forest?
About 38 percent. National forests cover roughly 20.4 million of Idaho's 53.5 million acres, the highest share of any state. Oregon ranks second at about 26 percent.
How much national forest land is designated wilderness?
About 36 million acres, roughly one-fifth of the National Forest System. The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho is the largest national forest wilderness in the lower 48 at about 2.4 million acres, and Minnesota's Boundary Waters, at 1.1 million acres, is the most visited.

Methodology

Acreage is National Forest System land within each state, rounded from the U.S. Forest Service Land Areas Report, and excludes national grasslands. Forest counts follow current administrative units and include forests shared with neighboring states.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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