Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is located six miles (10 km) south of Cheney, Washington, on the eastern edge of the Columbia Basin in Spokane County in northeastern Washington. Turnbull NWR encompasses more than 23,000 acres (9,300 ha) of the Channeled Scablands. The ecosystem that predominates the refuge is unique within the National Wildlife Refuge System and has characteristics that distinguish it from natural reserves worldwide. The combination of basalt outcrops, channeled canyons, and ponderosa pine forests infused in a diverse landscape of over 130 marshes, wetlands, and lakes creates an environment of aesthetic beauty as well as high quality wildlife habitat. The refuge is named for Cyrus Turnbull who lived on the site in the 1880s.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Washington |
| Size | 20,990 acres |
| FWS region | Region 1 |
| Center point | 47.42° N, 117.57° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 18) |
Boundary map
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.
Weather by month
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.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedWa-Nec Uswfs Misc Rx Burning
20 mi from the center point
- WildfireMarket
24 mi from the center point · 30 acres
- PrescribedD1 Rx Misc Pile Burn
34 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
- under 0.1 miItalian Rock Ovens ↗Cheney, WA
- 1 miSutton Barn ↗Cheney, WA
- 1.1 miCheney Odd Fellows Hall ↗Cheney, WA
- 1.2 miLowe, David, House ↗Cheney, WA
- 1.2 miCheney Interurban Depot ↗Cheney, WA
- 2.6 miDybdall Gristmill ↗Cheney, WA
- 5.6 miMarshall Bridge ↗Marshall, WA
- 8.2 miHallett House ↗Medical Lake, WA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Washington
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge?
20,990 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in?
Washington.
Source: How states are assigned
How do I get to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 47.422° N, 117.570° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is there a fire near Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge right now?
3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Wa-Nec Uswfs Misc Rx Burning at 20 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge?
The National Register has 117 listings within 15 miles, including Italian Rock Ovens and Sutton Barn.
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 (Q7855841), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Description: Turnbull 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.