USFWS · Missouri

Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1994, and has grown to over 16,700 acres (68 km2). Like pearls on a string, these acres are spread out as individual units along the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis. These pearls of habitat benefit floodplain-dependent fish and wildlife species. The Big Muddy Refuge is planning to grow to 60,000 acres (240 km2) by buying land from willing sellers who want to see their properties set aside for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of all.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge21,714 acresUSFWSMO
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Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation, licensed CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMissouri
Size21,714 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point38.96° N, 92.57° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

27 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.11 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.26 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.92 inches of precipitationApril: 4.21 inches of precipitationMay: 5.16 inches of precipitationJune: 4.95 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.49 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.05 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.94 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.63 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.85 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.00 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 28.8°F averageFebruary: 32.8°F averageMarch: 44.0°F averageApril: 53.9°F averageMay: 64.8°F averageJune: 73.9°F averageJuly: 78.0°F averageAugust: 76.6°F averageSeptember: 68.2°F averageOctober: 56.7°F averageNovember: 43.8°F averageDecember: 34.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Boonville, 9 miles from the center point at 752 feet, station USC00230824 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 43 inches a year.

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.

Limited data for this unit

This unit has no confirmed official page or nearby campgrounds in the sources this site reads. The boundary, size, agency and location above come from the agency layer.

The sources are read again every Sunday.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 13 mi
Gateway Arch National Park
National Historic Site · 14 mi
Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site
National Historic Site · 25 mi
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 806 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Missouri

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

  • Rail-trails Iowa & Missouri
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • The Ozarks: 43 spectacular hikes in Arkansas and Missouri
    Jim Warnock, 2017
    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 Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge?

21,714 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in?

Missouri.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.958° N, 92.574° W. Gateway Arch National Park is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge?

Gateway Arch National Park (13 mi), Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site (14 mi) and Harry S Truman National Historic Site (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 806 listings within 15 miles, including Bingham, George Caleb, House and Trumbull, Lyman, House.

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 (Q4906052), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Big Muddy National Fish and 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.