# US Public Lands > Offline maps of US federal public land boundaries and ownership. (iPhone/iPad app by Two Steps Beyond.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-public-lands/id723185418 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Two Steps Beyond](https://appshunter.io/developer/371852083) - Category: Travel, Reference - Price: $3.99 - Rating: 4.50/5 from 745 App Store ratings · 69 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 184 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2014-04-11 - Data updated: 2026-08-31 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-public-lands/id723185418/reviews.md ## What is US Public Lands? The US Federal Governments owns nearly 650 million acres of land - almost 30 percent of the land area of the United States. These are lands that are held for all Americans. US Public Lands allows you to quickly retrieve the boundaries of these properties without carrying physical maps, books, or digging deep online. Included in the app are on-device (fully works offline), individually selectable & beautifully colored map layers for most of the properties administered by the federal government: - Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - US Forest Service (FS) - National Park Service (NPS) - Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) - US Fish & Wildlife Service - Bureau of Reclamation - Tennessee Valley Authority - Department of Defense (military bases & installations) - Other (National Laboratories, Test Sites, etc...) Key Benefits & Features - Know which US agency owns and operates the land you're on or are heading to. Use the "Layers" icon to select which agencies you want displayed to create your own custom map. (Hint, the toggles are color coded to the color each layer is displayed in.) - Links are provided to each agency's website within the app, so that you can further your research as to what land use rules apply for each public land type - such as permits, fees, activities allowed, and limits of stay. - Map layers are stored on device - no internet connection required. - Be sure to turn on the 'Basic' base map to see the US Public Land labels for each land area. This base map layer is also stored entirely on your device, and can be utilized if you do not have an internet connection or would like to conserve bandwidth. - If you have an internet connection (or have cached them before going out of signal), you can utilize the built in Apple Maps and satellite view maps as the base layer underneath the public land overlays. - A boondocker's assistant - While US Public Lands is not specifically a camp site locator and does not have a database of specific sites, by turning on the satellite view map, you can better scout out trails, roads and signs of dispersed camping locations within the boundaries of the public land resources. - Quickly toggle between 'Show' and 'Hide' via the "Map" icon to more clearly see satellite images below. - If you have GPS access on your device, click the 'Locate Me' icon to show your present location - know what type of land you're on right now! - Built in search tool locates anything on device maps supports (requires internet access) - including cities, states, zip codes, addresses and points of interest. A pin is dropped at the search location. Thank you to the Protected Area Database (PAD-US) of the U.S. Geological Survey for providing the public domain raw map data that we’ve been able to utilize to create this interactive overlayable mapping & navigation tool. We will update our maps in the future to stay in sync with improvements to this data set. Please note, the USGS PAD-US database contains the “most up-to-date aggregation of Federal lands and waters” available, but this database is still evolving and some locations may not be listed and others may not have precisely accurate boundaries. Resolution across the nation may vary. And always remember - there may be private unmapped inholdings within any public lands - so always pay attention to local signage, indications, and information. The US Public Lands app should only be used as an overview, and you should always confirm more precise details by consulting local field offices, administration websites, and other resources. Do not solely rely on this app for determining if you are on public or private land. ## Key features - Offline federal land boundary maps - Selectable agency map layers (BLM, NPS, FS, etc.) - Identify land ownership and agency - Links to agency land use rules - Locate your position on public land - Search for locations and points of interest ## Chart rankings - #29 in Top Paid · Travel (US App Store) ## What do users think of US Public Lands? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - ⭐ Great app - 🗺️ Helpful for finding public lands - 💻 Useful for boondocking **Cons** - 🗺️ Inaccurate maps and boundaries - 🤔 Lacks important details and information - 💰 Not worth the cost **Commonly reported bugs** - Subscription issues - Incorrect land ownership display **Most requested features** - Ability to share/archive pin locations - Integration with other mapping apps - More detailed land type information ## Recent user reviews (10 of 69) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-public-lands/id723185418/reviews.md ### 1/5 — THIS APP’S MAPS ARE INCORRECT *2025-11-06, version 2024.7* I’m new to dispersed camping and used US public lands to find national forest land to camp on. A few hours into camping, the owners of the land show up and tell me it is private property. Later, I check the my camping location on 2 other apps (onX offroad and regrid). Those other apps show me the CORRECT BORDER and that I am in fact on private land. This app is trash, DO NOT USE IT. ### 3/5 — Clunky *2025-04-06, version 2024.7* You can’t copy the latitude-longitude of a spot you’re interested in to paste into Google maps. This is extremely inconvenient. It really only works for checking if you are, in fact, on public land already and is of little help finding where to go. ### 3/5 — Yes, as advertised, but… *2025-02-24, version 2024.7* This app will present you with a map that outlines public lands, assuming that you can figure out which shade of color or very limited symbology a particular spot may correlate with. It does little or nothing to provide even the most basic information on what the public land shown on the map is (name, etc.), let alone whether there is any access to it. I have rarely found it useful as a result. ### 2/5 — Hard to read and understand Eastern US *2024-03-13, version 2022.11* It’s difficult to use this app. I’m simply trying to identify land with dispersed camping, are Fish and Wildlife holdings displayed here because they have that? Also a lot of back and forth and guessing to use the color key that identifies the type of land that is overlaid. Quite regret this purchase. ### 4/5 — Nearly Useful *2024-01-11, version 2022.11* Wanted an app like this. It's close. The color overlay is ok except green areas because the default map color is green. Must squint and guess. Should let you tap to get management info about a the location. Maybe change default map color or allow configuration of overlay/map colors. Yes, you can choose "basic map" with white default color to help, but lose roads and whatnot. You can zoom in but some areas have fuzzy, gradient borders. Shouldn't the GIS data be very clear about boundaries? ### 3/5 — Maps not vey accurate *2023-05-18, version 2022.11* I purchased this app to help me find legal shooting locations on national forest land. Unfortunately, the detail and accuracy of the maps are not good enough for me to rely upon. I live next to national forest land, but the app shows that my house and all the homes around me are on national forest land, which they are not. Hopefully over time the maps will get better. Nevertheless, the app is well done. I just think it needs a better database to draw upon. I would like to see the national forest system put out more detailed information for app developers to draw upon. ### 2/5 — Not accurate *2022-12-06, version 2022.11* In using this app for the last year it has become very clear that the maps within the app do not accurately list or show privately owned lands within BLM and USFS boundaries. ### 1/5 — Beware *2022-06-24, version 2021.5* This app is just a rehash of low resolution publicly available info but once you sign up for it the subscription doesn’t show up to be cancelled but you keep getting charged. This “feature” is obviously where they focused their efforts. ### 5/5 — State Lands???? *2022-06-14, version 2021.5* Great app! Comes in very useful. I wonder though if/when state owned lands will be added? ### 1/5 — Useless if you need any detail *2022-03-19, version 2021.5* We live in a rural area that is a mix of private and public land. I bought this app hoping it would let me know where it’s safe to hike without trespassing, but it doesn’t even show the private property that I already know of. It shows half of the neighboring subdivision and all of the private land near a local reservoir as part of the national forest. I deleted it almost as soon as I bought it because I knew it wouldn’t be useful at all here. Only consider this app if you need it in the most general sense; do not trust it if you are out on the land and want accurate boundaries. ## Frequently asked questions about US Public Lands ### What does the US Public Lands app do? This app allows you to view the boundaries of US federal public lands directly on your device. It provides offline map layers for various agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), and US Forest Service (FS), helping you understand land ownership and access rules. ### How does the app work offline? All map layers, including the public land boundaries and a basic base map, are stored directly on your device. This means you can access and use the app to identify public lands and your location without an internet connection, making it ideal for areas with no signal. ### Is this app free to use? Yes, the US Public Lands app is completely free to download and use. It does not require any payment or subscription to access its features, including the offline map data and agency information. ### What kind of public lands are included? The app includes map layers for lands managed by several federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service (FS), National Park Service (NPS), Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE), US Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Department of Defense. ### Can I find specific campsites with this app? While the app is a valuable tool for identifying public land boundaries and can help you scout for dispersed camping areas by using the satellite view, it is not a dedicated campsite locator. It does not contain a database of specific campsites or amenities. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2026.3 — 2026-04-01 Updated maps to PADUS 4.1 Added ability to backup and restore pins. Added export feature so that pins can be imported into mapping software. ### 2024.7 — 2024-07-19 Updated map data to current PAD-US version (4.0). ### 2022.11 — 2022-11-29 Updated the maps to reflect the latest PAD US map release.Removed some older notification dialogs. ### 2021.5 — 2021-05-29 New to US Public Lands this year - we have greatly improved the ability to place and manage your own custom pins on the map! Now you can add pins by using the search tool, by entering GPS coordinates, or by pressing and holding to drop a pin on the map. And the new pin manager lets you edit and name pins, and select which ones that you want to see displayed. Also new - if you also own our app ‘Coverage?’ which tracks cellular coverage maps, your pin collection is shared automatically between US Public Lands and ‘Coverage?’ - making it easier than ever to scout ahead. The Public Lands database powering the maps has also been updated with all the latest information from the U.S. Geological Survey. REMINDER: Even with the more detailed maps we rolled out in 2019, always remember, there may be private unmapped inholdings within any public lands - so always pay attention to local signage, indications, and information. Do not solely rely on this app for determining if you are on public or private land. ### 2019.7 — 2019-07-08 This is the first update to US Public Lands in over four years, and the changes are huge! + Much more detailed & updated maps! (Read below for an explanation) + Full support for all the latest devices and screen sizes, including the iPhone X and iPad Pro. + Support for iPad split-screen multi-tasking. You can now use our app ‘Coverage?’ and US Public Lands to scout out remote boondocking spots and potential cellular coverage simultaneously! The original version of US Public Lands was based on the National Atlas of the United States of America, but this public domain data set was shortly thereafter discontinued and was no longer being updated. The new app has migrated to instead rely on the completely new Protected Area Database (PAD-US 2.0) of the U.S. Geological Survey for the public domain raw map data that we’ve been able to convert to create this interactive overlayable mapping & navigation tool. The PAD-US database is an active and evolving project - which means that we’ll be able to more frequently update this app with future enhancements and improvements. Please note, the USGS PAD-US database contains the “most up-to-date aggregation of Federal lands and waters” available, but this database is still evolving and some locations may not be listed and others may not have precisely accurate boundaries. We’ve in particular noticed some military bases that were charted in the old National Atlas which have not yet been added to the new database, and there are a few other minor omissions too. But overall the detail available in the new maps is VASTLY improved over the old. So while the original data set could be counted on to be no more accurate than 1-square mile of resolution, the data in the new release will vary in resolution across the nation (often much higher, but not always). But even with the more detailed maps: always remember, there may be private unmapped inholdings within any public lands - so always pay attention to local signage, indications, and information. Do not solely rely on this app for determining if you are on public or private land. ## Apps similar to US Public Lands | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [National Park Service](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-park-service/id1549226484) | 4.9 (124,184) | Free | Travel | | [AllStays Camp & RV: Camping](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allstays-camp-and-rv-camping/id370820516) | 4.7 (10,602) | Free | Travel | | [The Dyrt: RV & Free Camping](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-dyrt-rv-and-free-camping/id1187626329) | 4.8 (122,167) | Free | Travel | | [StayFree: Vanlife Wild Camping](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stayfree-vanlife-wild-camping/id1439159740) | 4.2 (193) | Free | Travel | | [Parkwolf: National Park Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parkwolf-national-park-guide/id1596595516) | 4.7 (8,007) | Free | Travel | | [RV Campgrounds: Camping & Park](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rv-campgrounds-camping-and-park/id1614247335) | 3.7 (35) | Free | Travel | ## More apps by Two Steps Beyond - [State Lines](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/state-lines/id371852080) - [Coverage?](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coverage/id388815949) - [Coverage? Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coverage-lite/id418908913) All apps by Two Steps Beyond: https://appshunter.io/developer/371852083 ## Related topics [public lands](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/public-lands) · [us public lands](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/us-public-lands) · [public land](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/public-land) · [two steps beyond](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/two-steps-beyond) · [public land map](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/public-land-map) · [free camping apps](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/free-camping-apps) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*