USFWS · Virginia

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Virginia is located in the independent city of Virginia Beach. Established in 1938 in an isolated portion of the former Princess Anne County, it is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The administrative office is located on Sandbridge Road at Sigma between Lago Mar and Sandbridge Beach. The Visitor Contact Center is accessed via Sandpiper Road from the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach, which is the southernmost area of development on the Atlantic Coast of Virginia.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge8,788 acresUSFWSVA
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateVirginia
Size8,788 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point36.7540, -75.9637
Night skyNoticeable light pollution (Black Marble reading 129)

Boundary map

37 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.17 inches of precipitation, 2.2 inches of snowFebruary: 2.84 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowMarch: 3.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowApril: 3.37 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 3.65 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.15 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 5.76 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 5.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.15 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.06 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.26 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 40.9°F averageFebruary: 42.9°F averageMarch: 48.8°F averageApril: 58.2°F averageMay: 65.9°F averageJune: 74.4°F averageJuly: 78.9°F averageAugust: 77.2°F averageSeptember: 71.9°F averageOctober: 61.9°F averageNovember: 51.4°F averageDecember: 44.7°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Oceana Nas, 6 miles from the center point at 23 feet, station USW00013769 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 3 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
Part of Colonial National Historical Park · 12 mi
Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park
National Monument · 25 mi
Fort Monroe National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 25 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

8,788 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in?

Virginia.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.754, -75.964. Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park is 12 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 129 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, noticeable light pollution.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park (12 mi) and Fort Monroe National Monument (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge?

25 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Cape Henry Lighthouse and Woodhouse House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.