USFWS · Kansas

Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge

Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in Linn County, Kansas along the Marais des Cygnes River. The 7,500 acre (30 km2) Refuge was established in 1992 to protect one of the northwesternmost examples of bottomland hardwood forest in the United States as well as the largest contiguous tract of bottomland hardwood forest in Kansas.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge7,596 acresUSFWSKS
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by USFWS Mountain-Prairie, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
1 fire
active
Outholdings Rx (prescribed burn) · 2 mi from the center · 450 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateKansas
Size7,596 acres
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point38.23° N, 94.65° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

6 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 29.5°F averageFebruary: 34.3°F averageMarch: 43.8°F averageApril: 53.9°F averageMay: 64.5°F averageJune: 74.0°F averageJuly: 78.2°F averageAugust: 76.6°F averageSeptember: 69.0°F averageOctober: 57.1°F averageNovember: 44.4°F averageDecember: 34.1°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Mound City 1Ssw, 11 miles from the center point at 912 feet, station USC00145530 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020.

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
  • Prescribed
    Outholdings Rx

    2 mi from the center point · 450 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 Historic Site · 24 mi
Fort Scott National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 11 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Kansas

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

  • The guide to Kansas birds and birding hot spots
    Bob Gress, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Kansas Trail Guide
    Jonathan M. Conard and Kristin M. Conard, 2015
    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 Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge?

7,596 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in?

Kansas.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.225° N, 94.645° W. Fort Scott National Historic Site is 24 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge right now?

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

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge?

Fort Scott National Historic Site (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 11 listings within 15 miles, including Paseo Ymca and Mine Creek Bridge.

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 (Q14689769), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Marais des Cygnes 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.