Land area: 79,610.08 sq. mi.
Water area: 7,328.79 sq. mi.
Total area: 86,938.87 sq. mi.
State length: 406 miles
State width: 348 miles
Lowest point: Lake Superior shore - 602 ft.
Highest point: Eagle Mountain, Cook County - 2301 ft.
Average mean altitude: 1200 ft.
Largest County: St. Louis - 6,125 sq. mi.
Smallest County: Ramsey - 154 sq. mi.
State-Owned Lands Managed by the DNR
as of August 2019
| DNR Management Program | Approx. Acres Managed |
|---|---|
| State Forests | 3,145,900 |
| Wildlife Management Areas | 1,259,000 |
| Other Areas Managed for Forestry | 704,500 |
| State Parks and Recreation Areas | 239,100 |
| Scientific & Natural Areas | 185,600 |
| Building Sites and Undesignated Lands | 34,200 |
| Aquatic and Fish Management Areas | 31,000 |
| State Trails | 11,900 |
| Other Areas Managed for Wildlife | 11,800 |
| Mineral Lands | 3,700 |
| Water Access Sites | 3,100 |
| Wild and Scenic Rivers | 1,500 |
| Water Management Areas (Dams) | 800 |
| Water Trails | 700 |
| Wetland Bank Projects | 300 |
| Total DNR managed acres | 5,633,100 |
Source: DNR Land Records Database
The DNR also administers state mineral rights underlying approximately 13.5 million acres. DNR has administrative responsibility to manage trust lands (in FY18 a total of $12.2 million was deposited in the Permanent School Fund), and to make PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) payments to the counties, which totaled about $35.9 million for 2018 (payable in 2019).
(Updated August 2019)