USFWS · Florida

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north Key Largo, less than 40 miles (64 km) south of Miami off SR 905. The 6,686 acres (2,706 ha) refuge opened during the year of 1980, under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It was established in order to protect critical breeding and nesting habitat for the threatened American crocodile and other wildlife. This area also includes 650 acres (260 ha) of open water in and around the refuge. In addition to being one of only three breeding populations of the American crocodile, the refuge is home to tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove forest, and salt marsh. It is administered as part of the National Key Deer Refuge which is also located in the Florida Keys.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge6,767 acresUSFWSFL1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Clay Degayner, licensed CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateFlorida
Size6,767 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point25.28° N, 80.34° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

8 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 Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge60°70°80°90°January: 2.13 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.01 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.22 inches of precipitationApril: 3.33 inches of precipitationMay: 4.76 inches of precipitationJune: 7.91 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.81 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.89 inches of precipitationSeptember: 8.18 inches of precipitationOctober: 7.87 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.31 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.53 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 69.4°F averageFebruary: 71.2°F averageMarch: 73.2°F averageApril: 76.6°F averageMay: 79.7°F averageJune: 82.6°F averageJuly: 84.1°F averageAugust: 84.5°F averageSeptember: 83.3°F averageOctober: 80.6°F averageNovember: 75.7°F averageDecember: 71.9°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at John Pennekamp Sp, 6 miles from the center point at 6 feet, station USC00084412 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 57 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 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.

NPS · 8.6 mi
Elliot Key Campground
First-come99 sites

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 Park · 11 mi
Biscayne National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 10 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Florida

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

  • Florida Lighthouse Trail
    Thomas W. Taylor and Chris Belcher, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon South Florida & the Keys Road Trip
    Jason Ferguson, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Florida
    Johnny Molloy, 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 Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

6,767 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Florida.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Crocodile Lake 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 Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 25.279° N, 80.338° W. Biscayne National Park is 11 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

Biscayne National Park (11 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 10 listings within 15 miles, including African Queen and Carysfort 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 (Q3423290), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Crocodile Lake 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.