USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Texas

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge was established on January 4, 1994, with an initial purchase of 4,400 acres (18 km2). Since that time, the refuge has acquired additional acreage which now totals 30,000 acres (120 km2). The primary purpose of establishing this refuge is to protect a portion of the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity River located in southeastern Texas. The refuge, which is a remnant of what was once a much larger natural area is a broad flat floodplain made up of numerous sloughs, oxbow lakes, artesian wells, and tributaries.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge29,403 acresUSFWSTX
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
Rx Polk 8325 (prescribed burn) · 34 mi from the center · 20 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateTexas
Size29,403 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point30.3405, -94.8410
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

25 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
    Rx Polk 8325

    34 mi from the center point · 20 acres · 0% contained

  • Prescribed
    Rx San Jacinto 8214

    40 mi from the center point · 2 acres · 0% contained

  • Prescribed
    Rx Trinity 8321

    49 mi from the center point · 121 acres · 0% contained

  • Prescribed
    Rx Trinity 8374

    50 mi from the center point · 48 acres · 0% 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Preserve · 23 mi
Big Thicket National Preserve
National Register listings within 15 miles · 8 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge?

29,403 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 Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in?

Texas.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 30.340, -94.841. Big Thicket National Preserve is 23 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Rx Polk 8325 at 34 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

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

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 12 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge?

Big Thicket National Preserve (23 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge?

8 National Register listings within 15 miles, including State Highway 3 Bridge at the Trinity River and Chambers, Thomas Jefferson, 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: Trinity 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.