PAD-US Data Download

Download the Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 2.1 Data:

Data are available for download Nationally, by 12 Department of the Interior (DOI) regions, or 56 State/Territory boundaries. Select your desired file type — either ESRI ArcGIS 10 Geodatabase, Shapefile, Geopackage, GeoJSON, or KMZ.

<< Back to PAD-US Data Overview: Data & Tools

The latest version of the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 2.1) is now available. The download options below provide access to PAD-US data.

How to Cite Data:

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2020, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 2.1: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P92QM3NT.

More data and resources: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5f186a2082cef313ed843257

NOTE ON COMPARING VERSIONS OF PAD-US:

We strongly discourage comparing two PAD-US versions to look for changes in protection status as many changes reflect improvements to agency and organization GIS systems and data, rather than actual changes in protected area acquisition on the ground.

PAD-US does include a Date of Establishment field defined as: The Year (yyyy) the protected area was designated, decreed, or otherwise established. Currently this field is not fully attributed and data gaps are difficult to address. Values in the Date_Est field strive to represent the year the area received its current Name and Designation, but this is a complex topic due to changes over time with names and designations. Individual agencies/field offices are the best source of more time specific management practices.

Download PAD-US Nationally

A Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile or KMZ is not available given file format size limitations.

National Geodatabase | National GeoPackage

Download PAD-US by Department of the Interior Region

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) dataset was clipped to the 12 unified regional boundaries for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to provide data downloads for each of the regions. This may be especially helpful for users interested in a Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile. The unified regional boundaries are primarily based on a science-based approach to promote management efficiencies. The unified regions provide better management on an ecosystem basis to include critical components such as wildlife corridors, watersheds, and trail systems.

Download PAD-US by State / Territory

The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) dataset was clipped to 56 State and Territorial boundaries to provide data downloads for areas of interest. This may be especially helpful for users interested in a Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile. The Census Bureau is the national steward for legally defined geographic area boundaries for State and Equivalent areas. The national sub-state geography geodatabase is updated annually and contains multiple layers reflecting selected geography, including state name and jurisdiction; this dataset is translated by USGS and used to standardize "State-Name" and improve boundary quality as a common reference for agencies contributing data for PAD-US.

PAD-US Data Download

Science Center Objects