USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Oregon

Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge

Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge off the northern Oregon Coast. It is located on the central coast of Tillamook County, in the northwestern part of Oregon. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges within the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex and was the first National Wildlife Refuge west of the Mississippi River. In 1970 the Refuge was designated as wilderness. It is one of the smallest wilderness areas in the United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateOregon
Size8.1 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point45.4643, -123.9854
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 7)

Boundary map

6 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.

Fire nearby

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

    21 mi from the center point

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 · 5 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge?

8.1 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 Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge in?
How do I get to Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.464, -123.985. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Nestucca Rx at 21 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 7 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge?

5 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Cape Meares Lighthouse and Herschell--Spillman Noah's Ark Carousel.

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: Three Arch Rocks 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.