USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Idaho

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Snake River Plain in south-central Idaho, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Rupert. It includes about 80 miles (130 km) of shoreline around Lake Walcott, from Minidoka Dam upstream about 25 miles (40 km).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge24,522 acresUSFWSID
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Stinson Creek Rx 2026 (prescribed burn) · 35 mi from the center
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
StateIdaho
Size24,522 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point42.6556, -113.3487
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19)

Boundary map

2 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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Stinson Creek Rx 2026

    35 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 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 Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge?

24,522 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 Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in?

Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 42.656, -113.349. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Stinson Creek Rx 2026 at 35 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 19 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 Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge?

12 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Register Rock and Rupert Town Square Historic District (Boundary Increase).

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: Minidoka 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.