USFWS · Nebraska, Iowa

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1992, is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) located along the banks of the Missouri River in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The 4,040-acre (1,630 ha) refuge preserves an area that had been cultivated and neglected before the early 1990s. Channelization projects along the Missouri River to improve flood control and navigation resulted in the closing off a side branch of the river, known since the early 19th century as Boyer Chute. Between 1820 and 1937 the Missouri River had migrated 3 mi (4.8 km) eastward and the area of the chute had originally been on the east bank of the river; today, the chute is west of the main channel of the Missouri. In 1937, the Army Corps of Engineers began to rechannel portions of the Missouri River, cutting off the chute to flowing water. Overgrowth and cultivation took over the lands now preserved in the refuge. Restoration of the area commenced in 1993; this included planting 9,100 native plants and trees and restoring the inflow to the chute from the main channel of the Missouri River.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge3,967 acresUSFWSNEIA1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesNebraska, Iowa
Size3,967 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point41.44° N, 95.94° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19)

Boundary map

6 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 Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.4°F averageFebruary: 28.7°F averageMarch: 40.2°F averageApril: 52.4°F averageMay: 61.8°F averageJune: 71.8°F averageJuly: 75.8°F averageAugust: 74.2°F averageSeptember: 66.5°F averageOctober: 53.4°F averageNovember: 40.1°F averageDecember: 27.8°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Omaha #1, 8 miles from the center point at 1,280 feet, station USW00094918 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020.

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 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

USACE · 6.3 mi
Cunningham Lake Dam Site 11 Campground
First-comeNE

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

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Trail · 10 mi
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
National Register listings within 15 miles · 196 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Nebraska and hiking across the country

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

  • Best Easy Day Hikes Lincoln and Omaha
    Michael Ream, 2011
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 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 Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge?

3,967 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses Nebraska and Iowa.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Boyer Chute 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 Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 41.444° N, 95.937° W. Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge?

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 196 listings within 15 miles, including Uss Hazard (am-240) National Historic Landmark and Pottawattamie County Jail.

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.
  • Description: Boyer Chute 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.