Skip to content
Byway
Nature reserve · Wisconsin

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge from directly overhead

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a nature reserve in Wisconsin, at a recorded elevation of 180 m. Bunker Hill stands 394 m to the east-northeast, 19 miles off. Great River Road passes 0.6 miles off. 14 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 240,000-acre, 261-mile long 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.

The record

What the record says

Built
1924-06-24
Elevation
180 m
Visiting

What to expect

Operated by
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Official site

Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates43.65172, -91.26201

Overlooks nearby

Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Stoddard Park: 2.3 mi
  • Bergen Bluff State Natural Area: 2.7 mi
  • Bennett Park: 3.3 mi
  • Old Settler's Overlook: 3.4 mi
  • City Park: 5.5 mi
Nature reserves: 48
Historic sites: 20
Peaks: 14
  • Fairy Rock: 2.0 mi
  • Bunker Hill: 7.5 mi
  • Hedgehog Bluff: 10.1 mi
  • Cliffwood Bluff: 10.7 mi
  • Grandad Bluff: 11.4 mi
Museums: 10
  • Dahl Auto Museum: 10.7 mi
  • Children's Museum of La Crosse: 11.0 mi
  • Swarthout Museum: 11.0 mi
  • Historic Hixon House Museum: 11.4 mi
  • Riverside Museum: 11.5 mi
Artworks: 9
Attractions: 8
  • World's Largest Six-Pack: 10.5 mi
  • Explore La Crosse: 11.0 mi
  • La Crosse Queen: 11.5 mi
  • Schechs Mill: 16.0 mi
  • Hidden Trails Corn Maze: 18.2 mi
Beaches: 4
Springs: 4
  • Highway 76 Spring: 14.3 mi
  • Big Spring: 15.7 mi
  • Little Spring: 16.1 mi
  • Whispering Hills Spring: 23.3 mi
Cliffs: 3
Gardens: 2
  • Riverside International Friendship Garden: 11.5 mi
  • Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare Community Garden: 16.1 mi
Rest areas: 2
Picnic sites: 2
Ghost towns: 1
On the horizon

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Bunker HillENE 62°394 m18.6 mi
Bunker HillE 88°356 m7.5 mi
Lawrence HillSSE 165°353 m16.8 mi
Link HillNE 54°352 m24.6 mi
Miller BluffNNE 11°343 m12.4 mi
SugarloafNNE 11°343 m16.6 mi
Mount HosmerS 174°320 m19.8 mi
Hedgehog BluffNNE 16°309 m10.1 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0918:4019:17
June solstice05:2420:0720:51
September equinox06:5318:2619:04
December solstice07:3615:4516:32

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F192336496170747264523825
Precip in1.31.22.13.94.75.94.34.84.22.61.91.5

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Genoa DAM 8, 6 mi away.

Wildlife nearby
  • Bald Eagle31 obs
  • Tundra Swan30 obs
  • European Starling10 obs
  • Red-tailed Hawk9 obs
  • Northern Pintail9 obs
  • Ring-necked Duck9 obs
  • Hooded Merganser9 obs
  • American Wigeon9 obs

Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/1117902628

More nature reserves in Wisconsin

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Plan a driveMore nature reserves
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens