USFWS · Oklahoma

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, located in southwestern Oklahoma near Lawton, has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901 and is the oldest managed wildlife facility in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service system. The refuge's location in the geologically unique Wichita Mountains and its areas of undisturbed mixed grass prairie make it an important conservation area. The Wichita Mountains are approximately 500 million years old. Measuring about 59,020 acres (238.8 km2), the refuge hosts a great diversity of species: 806 plant species, 240 species of birds, 36 fish, and 64 reptiles and amphibians are present.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge59,030 acresUSFWSOK2 campgrounds within 10 mi
Search U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
1 fire
active
Montgomery · 14 mi from the center · 14 acres
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
StateOklahoma
Size59,030 acres
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point34.75° N, 98.69° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

1 outline

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 1.35 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowFebruary: 1.67 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMarch: 2.48 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowApril: 3.15 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.89 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.75 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.35 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 1.97 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowDecember: 1.64 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 40.3°F averageFebruary: 44.1°F averageMarch: 53.0°F averageApril: 61.4°F averageMay: 69.9°F averageJune: 78.8°F averageJuly: 83.7°F averageAugust: 82.9°F averageSeptember: 74.5°F averageOctober: 62.9°F averageNovember: 51.2°F averageDecember: 42.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Wichita Mtn Wr, 2 miles from the center point at 1,665 feet, station USC00349629 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 34 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 2 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.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

2 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FWS · Inside
Doris Campground
Reservable93 sites
FWS · Inside
Fawn Creek Youth Campground
Reservable4 sites

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Wildfire
    Montgomery

    14 mi from the center point · 14 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

National Register listings within 15 miles · 31 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Oklahoma

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 Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge?

59,030 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in?

Oklahoma.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Wichita Mountains Wildlife 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 Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.752° N, 98.687° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Montgomery at 14 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 31 listings within 15 miles, including Boulder Cabin and Buffalo Lodge.

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 (Q743584), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Wichita Mountains 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.