USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Colorado

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a 15,988-acre (24.981 sq mi) National Wildlife Refuge located adjacent to Denver and Commerce City, Colorado, in the United States. It is approximately 8 miles (13 km) northeast of downtown Denver. The refuge is on the grounds of the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a United States Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility. The site was designated a national wildlife refuge in 1992 by the United States Congress, and underwent a costly environmental cleanup in order to remove pollutants. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 330 species of wildlife inhabit the refuge, including raptors, deer, raccoons, coyotes, white pelicans, black-footed ferrets, black-tailed prairie dogs, and bison.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge15,971 acresUSFWSCO
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateColorado
Size15,971 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point39.8345, -104.8393
Night skyBright skies nearby (Black Marble reading 155)

Boundary map

1 outline

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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 306 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?

15,971 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in?

Colorado.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 39.834, -104.839. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 155 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, bright skies nearby.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge?

306 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Central Promenade, Denver Civic Center and Fuller, Granville, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Rocky Mountain Arsenal 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.