USFWS · National wildlife refuge · New Mexico

Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge

Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge is a protected natural area in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a National Wildlife Refuge. With the Rocky Mountains to the west, the Great Plains to the east, and the Chihuahuan Desert to the south, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a diversity of habitats. Located along the Central Flyway, it provides an important resting, feeding, and wintering area for migrating geese, ducks, and cranes.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge8,708 acresUSFWSNM
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
San Augustine · 4 mi from the center · 16 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew Mexico
Size8,708 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point35.5328, -105.1693
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 34)

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.

Fire nearby

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

    4 mi from the center point · 16 acres

  • Wildfire
    Enchantment

    10 mi from the center point · 20 acres

  • Wildfire
    Zero

    16 mi from the center point · 12 acres

  • Wildfire
    Santa Fe Trail

    25 mi from the center point · 60 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 25 mi
Fort Union National Monument
National Historical Park · 26 mi
Pecos National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 81 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

8,708 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 Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 35.533, -105.169. Fort Union National Monument is 25 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest San Augustine at 4 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 34 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 Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

Fort Union National Monument (25 mi) and Pecos National Historical Park (26 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge?

81 National Register listings within 15 miles, including House at 521 S. Pacific and At & Sf Roundhouse.

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: Las Vegas 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.