Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge is a 17,848-acre national wildlife refuge in Churchill County, Nevada, established in 1931, run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is open 24 hours a day, year-round. Camping is allowed.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Fallon National Wildlife Refuge on the managing agency's own page.
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge map
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
No fire restriction recorded for this unit as of Sept. 30, 2026. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders below before you go.
Nevada Fire Info, BLM Nevada's interagency fire site, keeps the Nevada fire restrictions map and signed orders for every fire zone, and a Nevada fire map of active fires.
Common questions
- Yes. Fallon National Wildlife Refuge is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
- Yes. Camping is allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge, in designated sites only. Overnight stays while hunting only at designated sites: up to 4 consecutive nights at one location and 12 on the refuge.
- Yes. Hunting is allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge for waterfowl, upland game birds, big game, and small game. Where, per the refuge: Open under state regulations, but the refuge is dry most of the time, so opportunities are limited for most species. Seasons, limits and methods are set by the refuge regulation and Nevada Department of Wildlife rules, which change every year: read them before you go.
- No. Fishing is not allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge. 50 CFR 32.47(c) opens the refuge to hunting only; its sport fishing paragraph is reserved.
- Yes. Dogs are allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge on a leash.
Hours, fees, and visitor center
Fallon National Wildlife Refuge is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
- Stillwater NWR Complex Headquarters and Visitor Contact StationOff the refuge, in town.Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.3175 Freeman Lane, Fallon, NV 89406775-423-5128
What visitors do here: hunting, birding, wildlife viewing, photography, camping, horseback riding.
Sources: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us, checked 2026-09-27; fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities, checked 2026-09-27.
Wildlife
- BirdWaterfowl and shorebirdsGood habitat only in high-runoff years, when the Carson River floods the refuge; most years it runs dry first
Source: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities, checked 2026-09-27.
Hunting
Hunting is allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge for waterfowl, upland game birds, big game, and small game. Where, per the refuge: Open under state regulations, but the refuge is dry most of the time, so opportunities are limited for most species. Seasons, limits and methods are set by the refuge regulation and Nevada Department of Wildlife rules, which change every year: read them before you go.
Hunting rules for Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Source: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities/hunting, checked 2026-09-27.
Fishing and boating
Fishing is not allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge. 50 CFR 32.47(c) opens the refuge to hunting only; its sport fishing paragraph is reserved.
Fishing rules for Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Boats are allowed. Motorized and nonmotorized boats are allowed for hunting.
Source: ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-32/section-32.47, checked 2026-09-27.
Camping
Camping is allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge, in designated sites only. Overnight stays while hunting only at designated sites: up to 4 consecutive nights at one location and 12 on the refuge.
Campfires: Campfires are prohibited.
Sources: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities, checked 2026-09-27; fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/rules-policies, checked 2026-09-27.
Pets
Dogs are allowed on Fallon National Wildlife Refuge on a leash.
Source: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us, checked 2026-09-27.
Places on the refuge
- DunesSand dunesA system of both active and stable dunes; explore on foot
- PlaceAlkali playaOpen to explore on foot
- PlaceCarson SinkRefuge lies in the Carson Sink at the terminus of a branch of the Carson River; lowest point of the complex at 3,800 ft
Source: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/about-us, checked 2026-09-27.
Getting there
- Nearest town: Fallon, 20 miles (13 unpaved)
- 70 miles from Reno
- Main access road: four-wheel drive
- A high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
- No cell service
- Indian Lakes Road is primitive and not regularly maintained; when wet it is nearly impassable even with four-wheel drive (as of 2026-09-27)
Source: fws.gov/refuge/fallon/about-us, checked 2026-09-27.
Public lands next to Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
- National wildlife refugeStillwater National Wildlife Refuge is 1 mile away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/1392 (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon/about-us (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/rules-policies (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fallon/visit-us/activities/hunting (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-32/section-32.47 (accessed 2026-09-27)
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fallon_National_Wildlife_Refuge (accessed 2026-09-27)