National wildlife refuge

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in Volusia County, Florida run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Entrance is $10 per vehicle. It is open from sunrise to sunset, year-round. Camping is not allowed.

Check current closures and fire restrictions for Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the managing agency's own page.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Photo: Sudhir Viswarajan;, CC BY-SA 3.0

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge map

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.

View larger map Open in Google Maps Directions

Fire restrictions

This unit's own agency alerts list no fire restriction as of Oct. 5, 2026. We do not check a statewide fire-order feed for FL, so that is not a statement that no order exists, and not a green light for a fire. Check with the land manager and your county before you light anything.

County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.

Common questions

Yes. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is open from sunrise to sunset, year-round.
Yes. Entrance to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is $10 per vehicle.
No. Camping is not allowed on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Camping at nearby Canaveral National Seashore island sites and county parks.

Hours, fees, and visitor center

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is open from sunrise to sunset, year-round.

Entrance to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is $10 per vehicle.

What visitors do here: birding, hiking, an auto tour route, hunting, fishing, boating.

Source: fws.gov, checked 2026-09-30.

Wildlife

  • BirdWaterfowl
  • BirdMigratory birds

Camping

Camping is not allowed on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Camping at nearby Canaveral National Seashore island sites and county parks.

Source: fws.gov, checked 2026-09-30.

Getting there

  • Nearest town: Scottsmoor, 2.2 miles

Source: www2.census.gov, checked 2026-09-30.

Public lands next to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

  • National Park Service unitCanaveral National Seashore, a National Park Service unit, is 0.9 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.

Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.

The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.