USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Minnesota

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,000-acre (5,666-hectare) National Wildlife Refuge in eastern and central Minnesota. Located just south of the city of Minneapolis, it is one of fourteen Regional Priority Urban Wildlife Refuges in the nation. Many parts of the refuge are near large establishments of Minneapolis–Saint Paul; the Bloomington Education and Visitor Center and two trailheads are located just blocks from the Mall of America, the Wilkie Unit is just east of Valleyfair, and the Louisville Swamp Unit is just south of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge14,802 acresUSFWSMN
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMinnesota
Size14,802 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point44.7959, -93.4047
Night skyBright skies nearby (Black Marble reading 195)

Boundary map

32 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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National River & Recreation Area · 8 mi
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area
National Register listings within 15 miles · 377 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

14,802 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 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in?

Minnesota.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.796, -93.405. Mississippi National River & Recreation Area is 8 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 195 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, bright skies nearby.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (8 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge?

377 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Christ Church Lutheran and Kellogg, Frank B., House.

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: Minnesota Valley 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.