USFWS · Virginia

Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge

The Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located along the Potomac River in Virginia, at the point where it meets Neabsco Creek. The 325 acres (1.32 km2) of tidal marsh has been administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service since 1970; currently, it is part of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge covers wetlands and woodlands, and has a railroad right-of-way bordering its western edge. It is currently accessible only by boat, but has been considered as a possible portion of the route for the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge273 acresUSFWSVA4 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Judy Gallagher, licensed CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateVirginia
Size273 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point38.61° N, 77.25° W
Night skyNoticeable light pollution (Black Marble reading 124)

Boundary map

3 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 Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.66 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowFebruary: 2.36 inches of precipitation, 5.8 inches of snowMarch: 3.58 inches of precipitation, 1.4 inches of snowApril: 3.16 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 3.63 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.64 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.24 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.43 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.33 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.6°F averageFebruary: 39.4°F averageMarch: 46.7°F averageApril: 57.5°F averageMay: 66.1°F averageJune: 74.8°F averageJuly: 79.3°F averageAugust: 77.6°F averageSeptember: 70.8°F averageOctober: 59.2°F averageNovember: 48.6°F averageDecember: 40.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Quantico Mcas, 8 miles from the center point at 10 feet, station USW00013773 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 41 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 12 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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 4 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 · 4.8 mi
Prince William Forest RV Campground
First-comeVA
NPS · 6.3 mi
Turkey Run Ridge Group
Reservable10 sites
NPS · 8.2 mi
Oak Ridge Campground
Reservable99 sites
NPS · 8.5 mi
Chopawamsic Backcountry Camping Permits
Reservable8 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
Park · 7 mi
Prince William Forest Park
Park · 11 mi
Piscataway Park
National Historic Site · 13 mi
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Park · 13 mi
Fort Washington Park
Park · 15 mi
Fort Foote Park
Park Unit · 16 mi
Harmony Hall
National Register listings within 15 miles · 28 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Virginia

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

  • Paddling Virginia and West Virginia
    Charli Kerns, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking Virginia
    Johnny Molloy, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Virginia
    Randy Porter, 2018
    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 Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge?

273 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge in?

Virginia.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Featherstone 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 Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.614° N, 77.251° W. Prince William Forest Park is 7 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge?

Prince William Forest Park (7 mi), Piscataway Park (11 mi) and Thomas Stone National Historic Site (13 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 28 listings within 15 miles, including Woodlawn Plantation (Boundary Increase) and Hammond--Queen House.

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 (Q5439649), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Featherstone 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.