ParksRanked

Best National Wildlife Refuges

120 places · 120 rated by visitors · ranked honestly, never by who pays.

These are the best places we track for national wildlife refuge visits, ranked purely by real visitor approval. We show every qualifying place; any without enough reviews yet carries an Insufficient ranking data marker instead of a guessed score.

Top of the list right now: Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary at 98% approval.

Explore on the live map →
  1. Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Massachusetts, United States · 98%
  2. Currituck National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · North Carolina, United States · 98%
  3. Oregon Islands National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Oregon, United States · 98%
  4. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Maryland, United States · 98%
  5. Red Creek Wildlife CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Pennsylvania, United States · 98%
  6. Wichita Mountains Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Oklahoma, United States · 96%
  7. Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Washington, United States · 96%
  8. Tanganyika Wildlife ParkNational Wildlife Refuge · Kansas, United States · 96%
  9. Chincoteague National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Virginia, United States · 96%
  10. Turpentine Creek Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Arkansas, United States · 96%
  11. Pea Island National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · North Carolina, United States · 96%
  12. Lion's Den Gorge Nature PreserveNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 96%
  13. Seven Islands State Birding ParkNational Wildlife Refuge · Tennessee, United States · 96%
  14. Back Bay National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Virginia, United States · 96%
  15. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · New Mexico, United States · 96%
  16. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 96%
  17. Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Rhode Island, United States · 96%
  18. Magee Marsh Wildlife AreaNational Wildlife Refuge · Ohio, United States · 96%
  19. Schlitz Audubon Nature CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 96%
  20. Ottawa National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Ohio, United States · 96%
  21. Salato Wildlife Education CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Kentucky, United States · 96%
  22. Egmont Key National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 96%
  23. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · New Jersey, United States · 96%
  24. Ash Meadows National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Nevada, United States · 96%
  25. Saint Marks National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 96%
  26. Hagerman National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Texas, United States · 96%
  27. Seney National Wildlife Refuge - Main UnitNational Wildlife Refuge · Michigan, United States · 96%
  28. Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Massachusetts, United States · 96%
  29. Cedar Cove Conservation & Education CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Kansas, United States · 96%
  30. Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New York, United States · 96%
  31. Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New Jersey, United States · 96%
  32. Loess Bluffs National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Missouri, United States · 96%
  33. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Oklahoma, United States · 96%
  34. DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge and MuseumNational Wildlife Refuge · Missouri, United States · 96%
  35. Holgate Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New Jersey, United States · 96%
  36. William L. Finley National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Oregon, United States · 96%
  37. Horicon National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 96%
  38. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge GatehouseNational Wildlife Refuge · Massachusetts, United States · 96%
  39. Detroit River International Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Michigan, United States · 96%
  40. Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge - Concord UnitNational Wildlife Refuge · Massachusetts, United States · 96%
  41. Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New Jersey, United States · 96%
  42. Norman Bird SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Rhode Island, United States · 96%
  43. Horicon Marsh State Wildlife AreaNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 96%
  44. Desert National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Nevada, United States · 96%
  45. Sacramento National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · California, United States · 96%
  46. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 96%
  47. Trustom Pond National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Rhode Island, United States · 96%
  48. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Montana, United States · 96%
  49. Mattamuskeet National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · North Carolina, United States · 96%
  50. Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 96%
  51. Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery Visitor And Environmental Education CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Kentucky, United States · 96%
  52. Wells National Estuarine Research ReserveNational Wildlife Refuge · Maine, United States · 96%
  53. Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Rhode Island, United States · 96%
  54. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Illinois, United States · 96%
  55. Maxwell Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Kansas, United States · 96%
  56. East Point Audubon SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Maine, United States · 96%
  57. Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 96%
  58. Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern UtahNational Wildlife Refuge · Washington, United States · 96%
  59. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Colorado, United States · 94%
  60. Global Wildlife CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Louisiana, United States · 94%
  61. The Wild Animal SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Colorado, United States · 94%
  62. Colorado Wolf and Wildlife CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Colorado, United States · 94%
  63. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at TinicumNational Wildlife Refuge · Pennsylvania, United States · 94%
  64. Bay Beach Wildlife SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Wisconsin, United States · 94%
  65. Maine Wildlife ParkNational Wildlife Refuge · Maine, United States · 94%
  66. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Alabama, United States · 94%
  67. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 94%
  68. Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Illinois, United States · 94%
  69. Oatland Island Wildlife CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Georgia, United States · 94%
  70. Rachel Carson National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Maine, United States · 94%
  71. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge & Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 94%
  72. National Elk Refuge & Greater Yellowstone Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Wyoming, United States · 94%
  73. Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Oregon, United States · 94%
  74. Santa Ana National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Texas, United States · 94%
  75. Ridgefield National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Washington, United States · 94%
  76. Dungeness National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Washington, United States · 94%
  77. National Elk RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Wyoming, United States · 94%
  78. Great Swamp National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New Jersey, United States · 94%
  79. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Utah, United States · 94%
  80. Havasu National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Arizona, United States · 94%
  81. Kilauea Point National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Hawaii, United States · 94%
  82. Okefenokee National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Georgia, United States · 94%
  83. Eastern Shore Of Virginia National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Virginia, United States · 94%
  84. Aransas National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Texas, United States · 94%
  85. Woodlands Nature StationNational Wildlife Refuge · Kentucky, United States · 94%
  86. Salt Plains National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Oklahoma, United States · 94%
  87. Kofa National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Arizona, United States · 94%
  88. Red River National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Louisiana, United States · 94%
  89. Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Delaware, United States · 94%
  90. Prime Hook National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Delaware, United States · 94%
  91. Russell Peterson Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Delaware, United States · 94%
  92. Wertheim National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New York, United States · 94%
  93. Gilcrease Nature SanctuaryNational Wildlife Refuge · Nevada, United States · 94%
  94. Iroquois National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · New York, United States · 94%
  95. Keepers of the Wild Nature ParkNational Wildlife Refuge · Arizona, United States · 94%
  96. Sherburne National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Minnesota, United States · 94%
  97. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · California, United States · 94%
  98. Forks of the River Wildlife Management AreaNational Wildlife Refuge · Tennessee, United States · 94%
  99. Pelican Island National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge · Florida, United States · 94%
  100. Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterNational Wildlife Refuge · Louisiana, United States · 94%

Showing the top 100 of 120.

Common questions

How many places are on this list?
120 places, 120 of them rated by visitors.
What is the top pick for national wildlife refuge visits?
Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary leads with 98% approval from 1,168 reviews.
How does ParksRanked decide the order?
By real visitor approval only. Membership reflects our curated selections from the directory; no advertising or partnership ever influences the ranking, and sparse-data places are clearly marked.