USFWS · North Dakota

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,739-acre (5,965 ha) National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is the centerpiece of the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes numerous other refuges in the region. Originally designated as the Snake Creek National Wildlife Refuge in 1955, the refuge was renamed in 1967 in honor of the artist and naturalist John James Audubon. Most of the refuge area is a lake known as Audubon Lake which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by USFWS Mountain-Prairie, licensed CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNorth Dakota
Size14,782 acres
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point47.59° N, 101.17° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

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 Audubon National Wildlife Refuge0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.54 inches of precipitation, 6.7 inches of snowFebruary: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 5.0 inches of snowMarch: 0.78 inches of precipitation, 6.8 inches of snowApril: 1.39 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowMay: 2.59 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowJune: 3.78 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.44 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.68 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.56 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.41 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowNovember: 0.73 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowDecember: 0.63 inches of precipitation, 10.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 9.8°F averageFebruary: 13.4°F averageMarch: 26.1°F averageApril: 40.7°F averageMay: 53.7°F averageJune: 63.7°F averageJuly: 69.6°F averageAugust: 68.3°F averageSeptember: 58.1°F averageOctober: 42.9°F averageNovember: 27.4°F averageDecember: 15.4°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Underwood, 9 miles from the center point at 2,045 feet, station USC00328872 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 18 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 39 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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 →

None of the 2 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.

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.

Guidebooks for hiking across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacker's the national parks coast to coast
    Ted Alvarez, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

14,782 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in?

North Dakota.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

The refuge page says whether camping is allowed here. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.586° N, 101.167° W. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is 16 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (16 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Audubon National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 1 listing within 15 miles, including Ingersoll School.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q4820243), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Audubon National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • 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.