USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Montana

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,459-acre (5,042 ha) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the central part of the U.S. state of Montana.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge12,387 acresUSFWSMT
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Cora Creek · 31 mi from the center · 280 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMontana
Size12,387 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point47.6659, -111.3335
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    Cora Creek

    31 mi from the center point · 280 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 21 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

12,387 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.666, -111.334. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Cora Creek at 31 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 21 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

21 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Russell, Charles M., House and Studio and Tenth Street Bridge.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Benton 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.