USFWS · California

Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge

Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge is 0.5 miles (0.80 km) offshore from Crescent City in northern California. This coastal rock covers approximately 14 acres (5.7 ha), and rises steeply 335 feet (102 m) above sea level. The refuge provides an important sanctuary for the Aleutian cackling goose and nesting seabirds.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge 12 acres USFWS CA 2 campgrounds within 10 mi

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Photo by Ellin Beltz, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

1 fire
active

Srf 2026 Rx Implementation (prescribed burn) · 49 mi from the center · 500 acres

Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01

Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓

Designation	National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State	California
Size	12 acres
FWS region	Region 8
Center point	41.76° N, 124.25° W
Night sky	Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 30)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Crescent City Mcnamara AP, 1 mile from the center point at 56 feet, station USW00024286 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 58 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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 2 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.

NPS · 8.6 mi

Jedediah Smith Campground

First-come89 sites

NPS · 8.7 mi

Mill Creek Campground

First-come145 sites

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

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01

Prescribed
Srf 2026 Rx Implementation
49 mi from the center point · 500 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas

National and State Parks · 29 mi

Redwood National and State Parks

National Register listings within 15 miles · 3 in all · Register Atlas

2 mi
Brother Jonathan (Shipwreck Site) ↗Crescent City, CA
2.6 mi
Cresent City Lighthouse ↗Crescent City, CA
8.3 mi
St. George Reef Light Station ↗Crescent City, CA

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

Guidebooks for California

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

Moon Southern California Road Trips
Ian Anderson, 2020
Find at Bookshop.org
Walkabout Northern California
Tom Courtney, 2019
Find at Bookshop.org
Backpacking California
Wilderness Press, 2019
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 Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge?

12 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Castle Rock 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 Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 41.762° N, 124.249° W. Redwood National and State Parks is 29 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Srf 2026 Rx Implementation at 49 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge?

Redwood National and State Parks (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 3 listings within 15 miles, including Brother Jonathan (Shipwreck Site) and Cresent City Lighthouse.

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 (Q5050277), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
Description: Castle Rock 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.
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