USFWS · Idaho

Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeast Idaho, seven miles (11 km) south of Montpelier. Surrounded by mountains, it lies in Bear Lake Valley at an elevation ranging from 5,925 feet (1,806 m) on the marsh to 6,800 feet (2,100 m) on the rocky slopes of Merkley Mountain. The refuge office is located in Montpelier.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge18,273 acresUSFWSID7 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Pacific Region, licensed CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateIdaho
Size18,273 acres
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point42.17° N, 111.32° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

2 outlines

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 Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.80 inches of precipitation, 9.1 inches of snowFebruary: 0.82 inches of precipitation, 8.8 inches of snowMarch: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 4.1 inches of snowApril: 1.09 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowMay: 1.80 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 0.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.76 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.09 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowOctober: 1.10 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowNovember: 0.76 inches of precipitation, 4.1 inches of snowDecember: 0.75 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 18.1°F averageFebruary: 19.6°F averageMarch: 29.1°F averageApril: 39.5°F averageMay: 49.2°F averageJune: 58.1°F averageJuly: 66.0°F averageAugust: 63.9°F averageSeptember: 54.6°F averageOctober: 42.7°F averageNovember: 30.5°F averageDecember: 20.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Lifton Pumping Stn, 3 miles from the center point at 5,935 feet, station USC00105275 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 11 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 37 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 7 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.

FS · 4.6 mi
St. Charles Campground
Reservable6 sites
FS · 6.6 mi
Paris Springs Campground
Reservable12 sites
FS · 6.8 mi
Davis Canyon Campground
Reservable1 site
FS · 8.5 mi
Montpelier Canyon Campground
Reservable15 sites
FS · 8.6 mi
Porcupine
Reservable17 sites
FS · 9.2 mi
Cloverleaf Campground
Reservable19 sites
FS · 9.2 mi
North Fork Campground - St. Charles Canyon
Reservable1 site

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 · 87 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Idaho

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

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

18,273 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 42.166° N, 111.317° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 87 listings within 15 miles, including Ream, William and Nora, House and Linvall, J. L., House and Outbuilding.

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 (Q4876481), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Bear Lake 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.