USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Oregon

McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge

McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located between plains and the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. The refuge provides habitat for rare and endangered species and breeding and migratory birds. The lack of other local wetland habitats elevates the importance of this refuge as a home to a variety of wildlife and plant species in an arid environment.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge1,831 acresUSFWSOR1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
North Cayuse · 16 mi from the center · 4,887 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateOregon
Size1,831 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point45.5867, -118.7831
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground sits inside the boundary. 1 is within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 5.1 mi
Umatilla Forks Campground
Reservable8 sites

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
    North Cayuse

    16 mi from the center point · 4,887 acres · 97% contained

  • Wildfire
    Hagen

    26 mi from the center point · 61,381 acres · 87% contained

  • Wildfire
    Nine Canyon

    39 mi from the center point · 600 acres

  • Wildfire
    Paradise

    48 mi from the center point · 9,656 acres · 86% 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 · 17 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

1,831 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 McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge in?

Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Umatilla Forks Campground, 5.1 miles out. 1 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 McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.587, -118.783. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest North Cayuse at 16 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

17 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Bowman Hotel and Matlock-Brownfield Building.

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: McKay Creek 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.