USFWS · National wildlife refuge · South Dakota

Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge

Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in South Dakota. It covers 16,570 acres (67 km2) and is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge16,734 acresUSFWSSD
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
2fires
active
Needles · 39 mi from the center · 6,018 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateSouth Dakota
Size16,734 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point43.1014, -101.5794
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

2 outlines

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    Needles

    39 mi from the center point · 6,018 acres · 90% contained

  • Wildfire
    Event

    39 mi from the center point · 230 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 · 2 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge?

16,734 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 Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge in?

South Dakota.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 43.101, -101.579. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Needles at 39 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

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

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 18 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge?

2 National Register listings within 15 miles, including South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 48-244-204 and Inland Theater.

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: Lacreek 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.