USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Nevada

Desert National Wildlife Refuge

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in northwestern Clark and southwestern Lincoln counties, with much of its land area lying within the southeastern section of the Nevada Test and Training Range. The Desert NWR, created on May 20, 1936, is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States, encompassing 1.615 million acres (6,540 km2) of the Mojave Desert in the southern part of Nevada. The refuge was originally established at 2.25 million acres. In 1940 840,000 acres were transferred to the Department of Defense.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge1.6 million acresUSFWSNV
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNevada
Size1.6 million acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 8
Center point36.8281, -115.3960
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 26)

Boundary map

1 outline

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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · Adjacent
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 18 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

1.6 million 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 Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Desert National Wildlife Refuge in?

Nevada.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.828, -115.396. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 26 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (adjacent). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Desert National Wildlife Refuge?

18 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Hidden Forest Cabin and Mormon Well Spring.

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: Desert 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.