USFWS · Delaware

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for migratory birds located east of Milton, Delaware, United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Moreau1, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateDelaware
Size10,161 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point38.85° N, 75.26° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18)

Boundary map

3 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.38 inches of precipitation, 2.0 inches of snowFebruary: 3.17 inches of precipitation, 6.5 inches of snowMarch: 4.21 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowApril: 3.45 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 3.38 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.95 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.41 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.59 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 4.17 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 38.2°F averageFebruary: 40.0°F averageMarch: 46.3°F averageApril: 56.3°F averageMay: 65.3°F averageJune: 74.5°F averageJuly: 79.2°F averageAugust: 77.3°F averageSeptember: 71.7°F averageOctober: 60.9°F averageNovember: 50.4°F averageDecember: 42.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Lewes, 7 miles from the center point at 10 feet, station USC00075320 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 11 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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Becky Taylor Branch Rx

    34 mi from the center point · 46 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 · 93 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic

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

  • Best Hikes of the Appalachian Trail
    Matt Willen, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails mid-Atlantic
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Scenic Routes and Byways Middle Atlantic
    Randi Minetor and Nic Minetor, 2015
    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 Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge?

10,161 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in?

Delaware.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.846° N, 75.261° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Becky Taylor Branch Rx at 34 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 93 listings within 15 miles, including Robbins, David, Homestead and Fisher 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 (Q7243268), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Prime Hook 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.