USFWS · Missouri

Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 10,795-acre (43.69 km2) National Wildlife Refuge established in 1937 and located in Chariton County, Missouri, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the town of Sumner. It is located near the confluence of the Grand and Missouri Rivers.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge11,713 acresUSFWSMO1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Hillebrand, Steve - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMissouri
Size11,713 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point39.61° N, 93.18° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17)

Boundary map

7 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 Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.50 inches of precipitation, 4.8 inches of snowFebruary: 1.82 inches of precipitation, 5.9 inches of snowMarch: 2.90 inches of precipitation, 2.5 inches of snowApril: 3.95 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMay: 5.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 5.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.37 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.99 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.43 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 2.52 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowDecember: 1.80 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.9°F averageFebruary: 31.5°F averageMarch: 42.8°F averageApril: 53.6°F averageMay: 63.9°F averageJune: 73.3°F averageJuly: 77.4°F averageAugust: 75.5°F averageSeptember: 67.6°F averageOctober: 55.9°F averageNovember: 42.7°F averageDecember: 31.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Brookfield, 12 miles from the center point at 767 feet, station USC00230980 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 42 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 19 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.

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 · 9.1 mi
Sparrowfoot
Reservable85 sites

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

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 21 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Missouri

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

  • Rail-trails Iowa & Missouri
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • The Ozarks: 43 spectacular hikes in Arkansas and Missouri
    Jim Warnock, 2017
    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 Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

11,713 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Missouri.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Swan Lake 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 Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 39.610° N, 93.180° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 21 listings within 15 miles, including Pershing, Gen. John J., Boyhood Home and Caplinger Mills Historic District.

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 (Q7653467), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Swan Lake 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.