Boundaries, Borders, and more

[GowerGulch42]

Thought it'd be helpful to compile all the sources I know of for federal land boundaries, primarily Wilderness and NPS.

For these, if you download data make sure it is in .kmz or .kml format for google earth. All other formats require proper GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, etc.):

NPS interactive map with all current boundaries (requires a bit of a learning curve and familiarity with how ArcGIS works. Under "add layer", look for "NPS Administrative Boundaries" https://nps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html

Library of boundaries for all NPS units (can be split into parks) https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference...5?lnv=True

USFS including National Monuments managed by USFS: https://data-usfs.hub.arcgis.com

Wilderness boundaries interactive map: https://umontana.maps.arcgis.com/apps/we...4b0db5c3b6

Here's a new one I just found this morning: Protected Areas Database of the United States hosted by the USGS's interactive map engine: https://maps.usgs.gov/padusdataexplorer/

Happy mapping!

[GowerGulch42]

Worth adding that most of these display huge datasets and can perform quite slow.

[Daymoth]

Do you happen to know if the Caltopo boundaries are taken from these datasets? I never know how accurate they are

[GowerGulch42]

Yes, but I'm not sure if Caltopo harvests them live or downloads the dataset wholesale once every so often.