USFWS · Alabama

Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge

Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a 1,060 acre (4.3 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in northwestern Alabama, along the Tennessee River downstream from Florence, Alabama. Additional purchases are under negotiation which will increase the size of the refuge to 1,800 acres (7.3 km2).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateAlabama
Size1,059 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point34.75° N, 87.79° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 39)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°January: 5.25 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.27 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.36 inches of precipitationApril: 5.42 inches of precipitationMay: 4.73 inches of precipitationJune: 5.17 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.76 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.91 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.04 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.85 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.09 inches of precipitationDecember: 6.18 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 40.1°F averageFebruary: 43.6°F averageMarch: 51.7°F averageApril: 60.4°F averageMay: 68.7°F averageJune: 76.6°F averageJuly: 79.7°F averageAugust: 79.1°F averageSeptember: 73.2°F averageOctober: 61.9°F averageNovember: 50.3°F averageDecember: 43.0°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Muscle Shoals Wtp, 8 miles from the center point at 540 feet, station USC00015751 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 58 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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Lynx

    32 mi from the center point · 43 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

National Register listings within 15 miles · 37 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Alabama and the South

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

  • Paddling Alabama
    Joe Cuhaj and Curt Burdick, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Wild Alabama
    Kenneth M. Wills and Dr. L. J. Davenport, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails Southeast
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2024
    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 Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge?

1,059 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge in?

Alabama.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.755° N, 87.787° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Lynx at 32 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 37 listings within 15 miles, including Barton Hall and Norman, Felix Grundy, 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.
  • Description: Key Cave 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.