National wildlife refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in Dorchester County, Maryland run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Current notices posted by the managing agency. Checked Oct. 5, 2026.

Closure: 2026-27 Hunt Closures Please note that the majority of Wildlife Drive will be CLOSED on the following dates for deer management hunts: Thursday, October 22, 2026 Friday, October 23, 2026 Friday, December 4, 2026 Friday, January 8, 2027 On these dates, the Pool 5 loop on the west end of the Wildlife Drive will remain open free-of-charge. Visitors can enter the Drive about ¼ mile west of the Visitor Center and exit at Ro

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

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge map

Blackwater 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 MD, 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.

Hours, fees, and visitor center

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

Wildlife

BirdWaterfowl
BirdBald eagle
BirdMigratory birds

Getting there

Nearest town: Church Creek, 7 miles

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

Public lands next to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

National Park Service unitBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge borders Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.
State parkHarriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park is 0.3 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
State parkSusquehanna State Park (Maryland) is 2.8 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.

Photos

Photo of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge — USFWS, Public domain (US federal government work, 17 U.S.C. 105)

Data source: Recreation.gov

fws.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
recreation.gov (accessed 2026-09-29)
www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)

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