USFWS · Washington

Pierce National Wildlife Refuge

The Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is in southwest Washington within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It encompasses wetlands and uplands along the north shore of the Columbia River west of the town of North Bonneville. Refuge habitats include wetlands, Columbia River riparian corridor blocks, transitional woodlands from willows to cottonwood/ash to white oak to Douglas fir, improved pastures with some native grasses, and numerous creeks, seeps, and springs.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateWashington
Size386 acres
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point45.63° N, 122.00° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

2 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 Pierce National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°January: 11.31 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowFebruary: 8.67 inches of precipitation, 3.4 inches of snowMarch: 9.13 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowApril: 6.47 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.08 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.60 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.90 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.62 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 7.30 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 12.48 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowDecember: 13.45 inches of precipitation, 2.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 38.5°F averageFebruary: 41.3°F averageMarch: 45.6°F averageApril: 50.8°F averageMay: 57.0°F averageJune: 61.9°F averageJuly: 68.1°F averageAugust: 68.6°F averageSeptember: 63.6°F averageOctober: 54.5°F averageNovember: 45.0°F averageDecember: 38.5°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Bonneville Dam, 2 miles from the center point at 62 feet, station USC00350897 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 80 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 10 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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.

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

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Bull Piles Rx East

    14 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Bronco Piles Rx East

    16 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    Tyee Piles Rx - South

    17 mi from the center point · 329 acres

  • Prescribed
    Opal Piles Rx -South

    21 mi from the center point · 73 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 · 7 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Washington

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

  • Hiking Waterfalls in Washington
    Sawyer Scheer, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Washington
    Ellie Kozlowski, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Washington's Fire Lookouts
    Amber Casali, 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 Pierce National Wildlife Refuge?

386 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Pierce National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Pierce National Wildlife Refuge in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Pierce 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 Pierce National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.631° N, 122.000° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Bull Piles Rx East at 14 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Pierce National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 7 listings within 15 miles, including Bonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase) and Thompson, Clark, House.

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.
  • Description: Pierce 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.