Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwest Washington state, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The refuge provides a variety of habitats including riparian wetlands, Columbia River riparian corridor blocks, transitional woodlands from lower elevation willows, and cottonwoods to mid-elevation old-growth fir and cedar with associated native understory shrubs, open meadows, and numerous streams and seeps.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Washington |
| Size | 571 acres |
| FWS region | Region 1 |
| Center point | 45.61° N, 122.08° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 8) |
Boundary map
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
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
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.
Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedBull Piles Rx East
16 mi from the center point
- PrescribedBronco Piles Rx East
18 mi from the center point
- PrescribedTyee Piles Rx - South
19 mi from the center point · 329 acres
- PrescribedOpal Piles Rx -South
24 mi from the center point · 73 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
- 5.3 miBonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase) ↗National Historic Landmark
- 7.9 miGraf, Andreas, House ↗Corbett, OR
- 7.9 miVista House ↗Crown Point, OR
- 8.3 miView Point Inn ↗Corbett, OR
- 9.6 miThompson, Clark, House ↗Cascade Locks, OR
- 11.5 miCascade Locks Work Center ↗Cascade Locks, OR
- 12.2 miSpringdale School ↗Corbett, OR
- 14.1 miHarlow, Fred, House ↗Troutdale, OR
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Washington
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
571 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?
Washington.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Franz 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 Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 45.605° N, 122.078° W. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is 27 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is there a fire near Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Bull Piles Rx East at 16 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (27 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The National Register has 14 listings within 15 miles, including Bonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase) and Graf, Andreas, 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 (Q5492872), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Description: Franz 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.