The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 protects free-flowing rivers that possess outstanding natural, cultural, or recreational value. This interactive Wild and Scenic Rivers map plots all 249 designated rivers across 42 states and Puerto Rico, totalling more than 13,000 miles of federally protected river corridor. Filter by classification (Wild, Scenic, Recreational), managing agency (USFS, NPS, BLM, FWS), or river name, and zoom into any region to see which streams are protected.

How to Use This Map

Browse and zoom

Pan and zoom anywhere in the United States to see designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the area. River segments are color-coded by classification — the darker the blue, the more protected the corridor. Click any segment for the river name, segment length, managing agency, county, and the “Outstanding Remarkable Values” (ORVs) that justified designation.

Filter by classification

The three classifications — Wild, Scenic, and Recreational — reflect the level of development along each river segment. Wild rivers are the most pristine (no roads, generally inaccessible by road); Scenic rivers may have some road access but largely undeveloped shoreline; Recreational rivers are readily accessible and may have shoreline development. Toggle the checkboxes in the Classification legend to focus on just one category.

Filter by managing agency

Most Wild and Scenic Rivers are administered by one of four federal agencies: the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, or US Fish and Wildlife Service. Some rivers span multiple agencies. Use the Managing Agency legend to filter to a specific agency.

Search by location or river name

The search box accepts any US town, park, or address. Or use the “Filter rivers by name” field to narrow down to rivers matching a keyword — useful for finding famous rivers like the Rogue, Salmon, Allagash, or Chattooga.

Optional layers

Toggle on the Active Study Rivers layer to see rivers under formal study for future designation. Toggle on the Eligible / Suitable Rivers layer to see the much larger pool of streams that federal agencies have identified as eligible for designation but that have not been added to the system. These extra layers load on demand.

About the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by Congress in 1968 to preserve certain rivers in their free-flowing condition. To qualify, a river or river segment must possess one or more “Outstandingly Remarkable Values” (ORVs) in categories such as scenery, recreation, geology, fish, wildlife, history, or culture. The system currently protects 248 rivers across 42 states and Puerto Rico, but those rivers represent less than half of one percent of the nation’s river miles.

Designation does not change land ownership. It does, however, prohibit new federally licensed dams on the designated segment, require federal agencies to manage adjacent public lands to protect the river’s ORVs, and limit certain types of mining and water diversion within the corridor. For a river you may already know well, see how Wild and Scenic Rivers fit alongside our broader US lakes and rivers map, which shows every named river and stream in the country.

Data Sources

This map combines the US Forest Service’s National Wild and Scenic River Segments dataset (the canonical multi-agency layer for designated rivers) with the Active Study Rivers and Eligible / Suitable Rivers layers from the same source. The classification, agency, segment mileage, and ORV attributes come directly from the EDW (Enterprise Data Warehouse). River segment geometry is derived from USGS National Hydrography Dataset at 1:24,000 scale or better.

Geometry has been simplified for fast browser rendering at national zoom; segment-level detail is preserved at state zoom. Where segment_miles was missing in the source (about a third of segments), we computed length from polyline geometry via haversine. The total of 13,215 miles agrees within rounding error with the agency-cited 12,708.8 miles.

Source service: USFS EDW Wild Scenic River Segments. Authoritative national index: rivers.gov.

Related MapScaping Interactive Maps

If Wild and Scenic Rivers are your kind of thing, you’ll likely enjoy our US scenic byways map (every All-American Road, National Scenic Byway, and State Scenic Byway in the country) and our National Forest roads and trails map (many WSRs run through National Forest land). For high-country water sources, try the US springs map with 151,000 cold and hot springs, or our US mountain peaks map covering 68,000 named summits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Wild and Scenic Rivers are there?

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System currently includes 248 rivers spread across 42 states and Puerto Rico, totalling approximately 13,000 protected miles. Rivers are added by act of Congress or, in some cases, by the Secretary of the Interior when nominated by a state.

What’s the difference between Wild, Scenic, and Recreational?

These are the three classifications under the Act. Wild river segments are free of impoundments, generally inaccessible except by trail, with primitive shorelines and unpolluted water. Scenic segments are free of impoundments, with largely undeveloped shorelines, but accessible in places by road. Recreational segments are readily accessible by road or railroad, may have some shoreline development, and may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the past. A single river can have multiple segments with different classifications.

Which agency manages which rivers?

It depends on the underlying federal land. The US Forest Service administers the largest share (109 rivers), particularly in the West. The National Park Service manages rivers running through national parks and monuments. The Bureau of Land Management oversees rivers on BLM-administered public lands. The US Fish and Wildlife Service manages segments flowing through national wildlife refuges. Some rivers cross multiple agencies’ boundaries and are jointly managed.

What does designation actually do?

Designation prohibits new federally licensed dams or water-resource projects that would harm the river’s outstanding values. Federal agencies must develop and maintain a Comprehensive River Management Plan within three years of designation. Existing private property rights are not affected; landowners along designated rivers retain full title to their land. Mining and water diversion are restricted within the river corridor but not prohibited entirely.

Are there rivers being considered for designation?

Yes. Toggle on the Active Study Rivers layer to see rivers currently under formal congressional or agency study. The Eligible / Suitable Rivers layer shows over 4,000 stream segments that federal agencies have identified as eligible for designation but that have not been added to the system.

Why are there so few designated rivers in the eastern US?

Two reasons. First, most eligible rivers in the East had already been heavily modified by dams and diversion before the Act passed in 1968. Second, the Act focuses on rivers crossing federal land, and federal landholdings are much larger in the West. As a result, Oregon alone hosts 68 designated rivers — more than the entire eastern half of the country combined.

Can I download the data?

Yes. The underlying geometry and attributes are publicly available from the USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse. Use the source service URL linked in the Data Sources section above to query the FeatureServer directly, or visit rivers.gov for the official authoritative index maintained by the Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council.