USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Alabama

Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,689.63 acres (15 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in central Alabama, along the Cahaba River downstream from Birmingham, Alabama. The refuge was established on September 25, 2002. Additional purchases were approved that will potentially increase the size of the refuge to 7,300 acres (29.5 km2). Additional negotiations propose an expansion to a potential 280,000 acres (1,100 km2), most of which currently belongs to private landowners. The facility is unstaffed, but is administered by the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge in Anniston, Alabama.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge4,785 acresUSFWSAL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Unit 16/20 Rx (prescribed burn) · 1 mi from the center · 534 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
StateAlabama
Size4,785 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point33.0742, -87.0599
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

Boundary map

4 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
  • Prescribed
    Unit 16/20 Rx

    1 mi from the center point · 534 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 · 9 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge?

4,785 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 Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in?

Alabama.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.074, -87.060. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Unit 16/20 Rx at 1 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 13 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge?

9 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Blocton Italian Catholic Cemetery and Montebrier.

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: Cahaba River 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.