Public lands in Tennessee

22 units whose boundary reaches Tennessee, 1.7 million acres counted whole even where a boundary crosses into another state. 8 national wildlife refuges, 12 wilderness areas, 2 national forests and grasslands. Largest first within each type.

National wildlife refuges

All national wildlife refuges →
Refuge · USFWS
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge
50,441 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge
26,837 acresAlso AR
Refuge · USFWS
Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
14,186 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
11,480 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge
10,411 acresAlso KY
Refuge · USFWS
Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge
8,850 acres3 campgrounds near
Refuge · USFWS
Lake Isom National Wildlife Refuge
1,808 acresNational Wildlife Refuge
Refuge · USFWS
Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge
87 acresNational Wildlife Refuge

Wilderness areas

All wilderness areas →
Wilderness · USFS
Cohutta Wilderness
37,033 acres8 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness
19,246 acres21 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Citico Creek Wilderness
16,213 acres21 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Sampson Mountain Wilderness
10,895 acres4 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Big Laurel Branch Wilderness
10,804 acres5 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Upper Bald River Wilderness
9,037 acres16 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Big Frog Wilderness
8,502 acres8 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Pond Mountain Wilderness
6,937 acres4 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Little Frog Mountain Wilderness
5,634 acres6 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Unaka Mountain Wilderness
4,472 acres2 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Bald River Gorge Wilderness
3,791 acres17 campgrounds near
Wilderness · USFS
Gee Creek Wilderness
2,559 acres6 campgrounds near

National forests and grasslands

All national forests and grasslands →
Forest · USFS
Cherokee National Forest
1.2 million acres67 campgrounds near
Forest · USFS
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
171,281 acres9 campgrounds near

Boundaries come from the agencies’ own layers. A unit is listed in every state its boundary reaches. Data refreshed September 18, 2026.