USFWS · National wildlife refuge · California

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 11 miles north of Monterey, California, and 3 miles south of Castroville, California, at the point where the Salinas River empties into Monterey Bay. The 367-acre (1.49 km2) refuge encompasses several habitat types including sand dunes, pickleweed salt marsh, river lagoon, riverine habitat, and a saline pond. The refuge was established in 1974 because of its "particular value in carrying out the national migratory bird management program".

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge387 acresUSFWSCA
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
2fires
active
Locatelli Rx (prescribed burn) · 35 mi from the center
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateCalifornia
Size387 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 8
Center point36.7392, -121.7996
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 28)

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Locatelli Rx

    35 mi from the center point

  • Wildfire
    Timber

    36 mi from the center point · 25,435 acres · 44% contained

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 · 42 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge?

387 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 Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.739, -121.800. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Locatelli Rx at 35 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 28 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge?

42 National Register listings within 15 miles, including First Theater of California and Jeffers, Robinson, 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: Salinas River 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.