Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 240,000-acre (970 km2), 261-mile-long (420 km) National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the Upper Mississippi River. It runs from Wabasha, Minnesota, in the north to Rock Island, Illinois, in the south.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| States | Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois |
| Size | 190,553 acres |
| FWS region | Region 3 |
| Center point | 44.23° N, 91.92° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13) |
Boundary map
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
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
1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 6 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx-Clay Corners East
49 mi from the center point · 32 acres
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
- 0.2 miDousman Hotel ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.2 miBrisbois, Michael, House ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.2 miAstor Fur Warehouse ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.6 miDubuque, Julien, Monument ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.7 miFort Crawford Military Hospital ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.8 miVan Allen Store ↗National Historic Landmark
- 1 miWilliam M. Black (dredge) ↗National Historic Landmark
- 1.4 miDubuque County Jail ↗National Historic Landmark
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Wisconsin
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?
190,553 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in?
The boundary crosses Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish 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 Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 44.233° N, 91.918° W. Effigy Mounds National Monument is 1 mile away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is there a fire near Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx-Clay Corners East at 49 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?
Effigy Mounds National Monument (1 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?
The National Register has 405 listings within 15 miles, including Dousman Hotel and Brisbois, Michael, House.
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 (Q7898801), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Description: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish 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.