USFWS · Oregon

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Wapato Lake is a restored historic lake located in what became parts of Washington County and Yamhill County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The area was sometimes known as Wapato Lake Bed and Wapato Flat. The lake is located about a half mile east of Gaston at 55 metres (180 ft) elevation. The lake bed soils contain a layer of organic peat that once supported a wetland community dominated by the wapato plant, Sagittaria latifolia, particularly in the upper marsh areas. Wapato plants were reintroduced to the restored lake by tribal people from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community in preparation for the opening of the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge in March 2023.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge955 acresUSFWSOR
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1 fire
active
Podunk Admin Piles Rx - West (prescribed burn) · 48 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateOregon
Size955 acres
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point45.42° N, 123.13° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15)

Boundary map

4 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°January: 7.19 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowFebruary: 5.76 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMarch: 5.03 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowApril: 3.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 2.19 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 1.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.32 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.70 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 7.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 8.72 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 38.8°F averageFebruary: 41.2°F averageMarch: 45.2°F averageApril: 49.6°F averageMay: 56.7°F averageJune: 61.4°F averageJuly: 67.6°F averageAugust: 67.9°F averageSeptember: 62.4°F averageOctober: 52.4°F averageNovember: 43.6°F averageDecember: 38.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Forest Grove, 7 miles from the center point at 180 feet, station USC00352997 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 3 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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Podunk Admin Piles Rx - West

    48 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · 26 mi
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 115 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Oregon

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 Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

955 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Oregon.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.422° N, 123.125° W. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is 26 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Podunk Admin Piles Rx - West at 48 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (26 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 115 listings within 15 miles, including Dundee Lodge and Waggener, Js and Melinda, Farmstead.

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.
  • Description: Wapato Lake 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.