Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in Washington County, Nebraska run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Desoto National Wildlife Refuge on the managing agency's own page.
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge map
Desoto National Wildlife Refuge boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
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 NE, 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.
Hours, fees, and visitor center
What visitors do here: hiking, an auto tour route, hunting, fishing, boating.
Wildlife
- BirdWaterfowl
- BirdBald eagle
- BirdMigratory birds
Getting there
- Nearest town: Fort Calhoun, 3.5 miles
Source: www2.census.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Public lands next to Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
- National wildlife refugeBoyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge is 1.2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
- State parkFort Atkinson State Historical Park, a state park, is 1.6 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.
- fws.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)