USFWS · Iowa, Illinois

Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge

Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge is a 10,780-acre (43.6 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located on the Mississippi River at the border of Illinois and Iowa. The refuge is east of Wapello, in Louisa County, Iowa and Mercer County, Illinois.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge18,601 acresUSFWSIAIL1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesIowa, Illinois
Size18,601 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point41.12° N, 91.10° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

25 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 Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.31 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.72 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.62 inches of precipitationApril: 3.56 inches of precipitationMay: 5.05 inches of precipitationJune: 4.59 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.52 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.83 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.34 inches of precipitationOctober: 2.86 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.13 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.77 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.4°F averageFebruary: 27.5°F averageMarch: 39.1°F averageApril: 51.2°F averageMay: 62.4°F averageJune: 72.2°F averageJuly: 75.7°F averageAugust: 73.4°F averageSeptember: 66.0°F averageOctober: 53.8°F averageNovember: 40.7°F averageDecember: 29.3°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at New Boston Dam 17, 6 miles from the center point at 548 feet, station USC00116080 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 36 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 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

USACE · 3.2 mi
Blanchard Island Recreation Area
Reservable16 sites

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

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · 28 mi
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 62 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Iowa

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

  • Hiking Iowa
    Elizabeth Corcoran Hill and Kate Corcoran, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails Iowa & Missouri
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes des Moines
    Michael Ream, 2011
    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 Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge?

18,601 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses Iowa and Illinois.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Port Louisa 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 Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 41.116° N, 91.101° W. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is 28 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge?

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (28 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 62 listings within 15 miles, including Upper South Hotel and Commercial 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: Port Louisa 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.