USFWS · Georgia

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices in Folkston, Georgia. The refuge was established in 1937 to protect a majority of the 438,000 acres (1,770 km2) in the Okefenokee Swamp. The name "Okefenokee", often translated as "land of trembling earth", is likely derived from Hitchiti oki fanôːki.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge407,615 acresUSFWSGA1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by US Fish and Wildlife Service, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
1 fire
active
Bee Haven (2) (24-06) · 39 mi from the center · 2,060 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateGeorgia
Size407,615 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point30.80° N, 82.31° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge50°60°70°80°90°January: 3.87 inches of precipitationFebruary: 3.56 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.96 inches of precipitationApril: 3.34 inches of precipitationMay: 3.08 inches of precipitationJune: 7.00 inches of precipitationJuly: 6.08 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.47 inches of precipitationSeptember: 5.38 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.51 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.10 inches of precipitationDecember: 3.18 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 53.1°F averageFebruary: 56.9°F averageMarch: 62.9°F averageApril: 69.0°F averageMay: 75.6°F averageJune: 81.0°F averageJuly: 83.2°F averageAugust: 82.8°F averageSeptember: 79.2°F averageOctober: 70.3°F averageNovember: 61.4°F averageDecember: 55.7°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Fargo 17 NE, 4 miles from the center point at 124 feet, station USC00093325 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 52 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 →

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FWS · Inside
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Overnight Camping Permit
Reservable12 sites

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Bee Haven (2) (24-06)

    39 mi from the center point · 2,060 acres · 85% 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 · 14 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Georgia

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

  • Kayak & Canoe Camping Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
    Scott Lynch, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Georgia
    Donald Pfitzer and Jimmy Jacobs, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Georgia
    Johnny Molloy, 2018
    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 Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?

407,615 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in?

Georgia.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Okefenokee 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 Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 30.799° N, 82.305° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Bee Haven (2) (24-06) at 39 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 14 listings within 15 miles, including Hopkins, John M., Cabin and Barber, Obediah, Homestead.

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 (Q7081911), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Okefenokee 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.