USFWS · Arizona

Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge

Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Arizona. The 2,770-acre (11.2 km2) refuge was established in 1988 to protect habitat for the endangered Yaqui Chub and Yaqui Topminnow. The refuge also protects a rare velvet ash-cottonwood-black walnut gallery forest.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by C. Lohrengel-USFWS, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateArizona
Size24,801 acres
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point31.64° N, 109.48° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 0.77 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.59 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.44 inches of precipitationApril: 0.11 inches of precipitationMay: 0.20 inches of precipitationJune: 0.31 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.29 inches of precipitationAugust: 2.99 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.22 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.71 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.59 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.74 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 47.2°F averageFebruary: 50.9°F averageMarch: 57.0°F averageApril: 62.1°F averageMay: 69.8°F averageJune: 79.4°F averageJuly: 80.7°F averageAugust: 79.6°F averageSeptember: 75.2°F averageOctober: 65.7°F averageNovember: 54.9°F averageDecember: 47.2°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Mc Neal, 11 miles from the center point at 4,170 feet, station USC00025418 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 11 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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

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

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Douglas Piles Rx

    11 mi from the center point · 46 acres

  • Prescribed
    Camp Rucker Piles Rx

    11 mi from the center point

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 Register listings within 15 miles · 10 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Arizona

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

  • Explore Tucson outdoors
    Karen Krebbs, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Camping Arizona
    Bruce Grubbs, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Arizona
    Kirstin Olmon Phillips and Kelly Phillips, 2019
    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 Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge?

24,801 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge in?

Arizona.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Leslie Canyon 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 Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 31.636° N, 109.485° W. Chiricahua National Monument is 22 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Douglas Piles Rx at 11 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge?

Chiricahua National Monument (22 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 10 listings within 15 miles, including Monte Vista Lookout Cabin and Douglas Underpass.

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 (Q6530691), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Leslie Canyon 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.