USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Washington

Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge

The Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve, one of the national wildlife refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located east of Colville, Washington, along the west slope of the Selkirk Mountain Range. It lies mostly in eastern Stevens County, with a small part extending eastward into western Pend Oreille County. It is the only mountainous, mixed-conifer forest refuge outside Alaska and the largest in Washington state.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge40,908 acresUSFWSWA18 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Silver · 47 mi from the center · 2,593 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateWashington
Size40,908 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point48.4624, -117.6560
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

5 outlines

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground sits inside the boundary. 18 are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 3 mi
Gillette Campground
Reservable30 sites
FS · 3 mi
Lake Gillette Campground
Reservable14 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Big Meadow
Reservable16 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Canyon Creek
Reservable12 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Crawfish Lake
Reservable19 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Crescent Lake
Reservable3 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Davis Lake
Reservable5 sites
FS · 6.7 mi
Deer Creek Forest Camp
Reservable7 sites
Show 4 more

6 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.

Fire nearby

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

    47 mi from the center point · 2,593 acres · 30% contained

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 · 12 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

40,908 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 Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Gillette Campground, 3 miles out. 18 in all are within ten miles. Most refuges do not allow camping inside the refuge, so the campgrounds listed are outside it.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.462, -117.656. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Silver at 47 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 9 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 Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge?

12 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Loon Lake School and Us Post Office--Colville Main.

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: Little Pend Oreille 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.