USFWS · North Dakota

Chase Lake Wilderness

If you were to tally up all of the white pelicans that nest on two islands in this isolated alkali lake, you'd find more than 20,000, one of the largest colonies in North America. That figure is all the...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Chase Lake Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNorth Dakota
Size4,155 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1975, by Congress
Center point47.0084, -99.4436
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Chase Lake Wilderness10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.48 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.49 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.94 inches of precipitationApril: 1.40 inches of precipitationMay: 2.94 inches of precipitationJune: 3.70 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.35 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.43 inches of precipitationSeptember: 2.29 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.68 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.64 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.57 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 9.4°F averageFebruary: 13.0°F averageMarch: 26.3°F averageApril: 39.9°F averageMay: 52.7°F averageJune: 62.8°F averageJuly: 68.6°F averageAugust: 67.1°F averageSeptember: 57.7°F averageOctober: 42.7°F averageNovember: 27.8°F averageDecember: 15.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Jamestown 38 WSW, 17 miles from the center point at 1,920 feet, station USW00054937 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 1 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Chase Lake Wilderness?

4,155 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Chase Lake Wilderness?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Chase Lake Wilderness in?

North Dakota.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Chase Lake Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1975.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Chase Lake Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Chase Lake Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.008, -99.444. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Chase Lake Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 15 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Chase Lake Wilderness?

1 National Register listing within 15 miles, including Crystal Springs Fountain.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.