USFWS · 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 acresUSFWSOR
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Bobjgalindo, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons.
4 fires
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
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point45.59° N, 118.78° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.2°F averageFebruary: 39.0°F averageMarch: 45.7°F averageApril: 51.5°F averageMay: 59.1°F averageJune: 65.3°F averageJuly: 73.2°F averageAugust: 72.0°F averageSeptember: 63.4°F averageOctober: 52.1°F averageNovember: 42.1°F averageDecember: 35.6°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Pendleton Dwtn, 6 miles from the center point at 1,040 feet, station USC00356541 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
  • Wildfire
    North Cayuse

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

  • Wildfire
    Hagen

    26 mi from the center point · 61,380 acres · 99% contained

  • Prescribed
    Birdtrack Unit 620 Rx

    29 mi from the center point · 200 acres

  • Prescribed
    Wanaket Broadcast Rx

    31 mi from the center point · 337 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 Register listings within 15 miles · 17 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Oregon

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

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

1,831 acres.

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

How do I get to McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.587° N, 118.783° W. 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 2026-11-01, the nearest North Cayuse at 16 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near McKay Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 17 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 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 (Q6801696), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • 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.