USFWS · Tennessee, Kentucky

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the U.S. system of National Wildlife Refuges consisting of an area of Northwest Tennessee and Western Kentucky that consists primarily of a buffer zone around Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee's only large natural lake. It formed after the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811–1812 and is one of the Mississippi River Basin's richest locations for waterfowl, aquatic life, and other wildlife.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge10,411 acresUSFWSTNKY
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesTennessee, Kentucky
Size10,411 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point36.43° N, 89.34° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

Boundary map

4 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 Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.48 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.22 inches of precipitationMarch: 4.95 inches of precipitationApril: 5.28 inches of precipitationMay: 5.72 inches of precipitationJune: 4.24 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.91 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.27 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.85 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.92 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.27 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.06 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 35.2°F averageFebruary: 39.4°F averageMarch: 48.5°F averageApril: 58.1°F averageMay: 66.9°F averageJune: 75.0°F averageJuly: 77.6°F averageAugust: 76.4°F averageSeptember: 69.9°F averageOctober: 58.9°F averageNovember: 48.4°F averageDecember: 39.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Samburg Wr, 3 miles from the center point at 310 feet, station USC00408065 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 53 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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Trail · 25 mi
Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail
National Register listings within 15 miles · 21 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Tennessee

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

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?

10,411 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses Tennessee and Kentucky.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.434° N, 89.342° W. Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail is 25 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 21 listings within 15 miles, including Caldwell--Hopson House and Fulton County Courthouse.

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: Reelfoot 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.