USFWS · West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania

Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (ORINWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in non-contiguous sites consisting of islands along 362 miles (583 km) of the Ohio River, primarily in the U.S. state of West Virginia.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge3,218 acresUSFWSWVOHKY3 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Butler Janet, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesWest Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania
Size3,218 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point38.69° N, 83.58° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

26 outlines

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.64 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.40 inches of precipitationMarch: 4.74 inches of precipitationApril: 4.66 inches of precipitationMay: 5.05 inches of precipitationJune: 4.35 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.04 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.36 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.52 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.27 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.19 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.10 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.0°F averageFebruary: 34.8°F averageMarch: 43.0°F averageApril: 53.7°F averageMay: 63.4°F averageJune: 72.0°F averageJuly: 75.9°F averageAugust: 74.8°F averageSeptember: 68.7°F averageOctober: 56.9°F averageNovember: 44.8°F averageDecember: 36.5°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Maysville Wwtp, 11 miles from the center point at 515 feet, station USC00155243 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 48 inches a year.

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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 3 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 1.4 mi
Leith Run
Reservable23 sites
FS · 4.2 mi
Lane Farm Campground
First-comeOH
FS · 6.9 mi
Ring Mill Campground
First-comeOH

Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 309 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for West Virginia

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

  • Paddling Virginia and West Virginia
    Charli Kerns, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking West Virginia
    Mary T. Reed, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in West Virginia
    Leonard M. Adkins, 2013
    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 Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

3,218 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

The refuge page says whether camping is allowed here. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.688° N, 83.581° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 309 listings within 15 miles, including W.p. Snyder, Jr. (steamboat) and Beginning Point of the U.s. Public Land Survey.

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 (Q14714291), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Ohio River Islands 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.