USFWS · Montana

Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge

The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is 915,814 acres (3,706.17 km2) in size. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States, and the largest in Montana. Created in 1936, it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. It was renamed in 1963 after Montana artist Charles M. Russell, a famous painter of the American West. In 1976, the "range" was made a "refuge".

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge937,047 acresUSFWSMT3 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMontana
Size937,047 acres
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point47.69° N, 107.28° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

4 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 Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.36 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.33 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.59 inches of precipitationApril: 1.28 inches of precipitationMay: 2.28 inches of precipitationJune: 2.76 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.72 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.31 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.21 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.10 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.45 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.48 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 15.9°F averageFebruary: 19.3°F averageMarch: 31.3°F averageApril: 42.7°F averageMay: 52.8°F averageJune: 61.5°F averageJuly: 69.2°F averageAugust: 68.0°F averageSeptember: 57.1°F averageOctober: 43.4°F averageNovember: 29.2°F averageDecember: 18.9°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Content 4 NNE, 29 miles from the center point at 2,325 feet, station USC00241984 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 14 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 →

3 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

USACE · Inside
Downstream
Reservable94 sites
BLM · Inside
James Kipp Campground
First-comeMT
USACE · Inside
West End Tent And Trailer Campground
First-come33 sites

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 46 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Montana

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

  • Camping Montana
    Kenneth L. Graham, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Backpacking Trips in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado
    Mike White and Douglas Lorain, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Montana
    Carter G. Walker, 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 Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

937,047 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Charles M. Russell 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 Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.693° N, 107.281° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 46 listings within 15 miles, including Administration Building and Employee's Hotel and Garage.

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 (Q5080495), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Charles M. Russell 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.