You may not have known this, but there is most likely a National Wildlife Refuge near you. If so, you could be in for a treat. In this post, I’ll talk about the refuges, the one I visited in Wyoming, and the ones near me. I’ll also provide a link for you to find the refuges near you. These are great places to see cool wildlife, and learn a lot about their habitats and biology.

What is a National Wildlife Refuge?

According to their website, National Wildlife Refuges protect iconic species and provide some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 590 refuges around the country. By statute, each site targets the conservation of native species dependent on its lands and waters. Each site provides considerable education services about the species it protects. In addition the website for the refuge system contains discussions about a wide range of species.

National Elk Refuge

I had the good fortune to visit the National Elk Refuge outside Jackson, Wyoming. I enjoyed the winter sleigh ride program, which includes a very knowledgeable guide/driver. Everyone on the sleigh got a chance to see elk up close, including a mature male, several younger males, many female elk, and a coyote. We learned about their lifecycle, feeding, and mating habits.

Jackson is very near to the Grand Tetons National Park, so there is no lack of wildlife of all kinds to see and many other activities nearby. However, if you are there for any reason, consider checking out the elk!

National Wildlife Refuges near me

I live in Maryland, and not far from DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. A simple check for Maryland on the National Wildlife Refuge website revealed 6 sites in Maryland alone. The map below shows them, as well as some of the sites in the surrounding states.

National Wildlife Refuges near you

You don’t need to travel to Wyoming or Maryland to get to a wildlife refuge. You can search the page for their facilities and search by state, activity, program, species, and distance from any zip code.

So check out some wildlife, and learn a lot. All near you.