Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge (CVNWR) in Tucker County, West Virginia, was the 500th National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to be established in the United States. The refuge preserves a moist valley with unique wetlands and uplands at a relatively high elevation in the Allegheny Mountains. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | West Virginia |
| Size | 19,024 acres (computed from the boundary polygon) |
| FWS region | Region 5 |
| Center point | 39.1035, -79.3862 |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
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.
Where to camp
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. 1 is within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.
Trails
2 named Forest Service trails start or end within 3.1 miles of the center point, 6 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Ridge Trail | 3 | |
| Raven Ridge Trail | 2.8 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet. The radius is the one a circle of this unit’s acreage would have, measured from the center point, so a trail listed here can fall outside the boundary.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 2.4 miMeyer, Herman August, House ↗Davis, WV
- 4.7 miCottrill Opera House ↗Thomas, WV
- 5.2 miBuxton and Landstreet Company Store ↗Thomas, WV
- 5.3 mi
- 5.8 miFairfax Stone Site ↗William, WV
- 7.5 miDay--Vandevander Mill ↗Harmon, WV
- 8 miGormania Presbyterian Church ↗Gormania, WV
- 9.4 miRohrbaugh Cabin ↗Petersburg, WV
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
19,024 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 Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in?
West Virginia.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
No federal campground sits inside the boundary. The nearest is Red Creek Campground, 3.8 miles out. 1 in all are within ten miles. Most refuges do not allow camping inside the refuge, so the campgrounds listed are outside it.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 39.103, -79.386. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
How dark is the night sky at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 13 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Are there historic places near Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge?
22 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Meyer, Herman August, House and Cottrill Opera 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: Canaan Valley 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.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by trail endpoints falling inside a circle of this unit’s acreage around the center point.
- 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.