USFWS · Idaho

Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge

The Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in northern Idaho. It is about 20 miles (32 km) from the Canada–United States border and 5 miles (8.0 km) from the town of Bonners Ferry. It is bordered by the Selkirk Mountains to the west, the Kootenai River to the east, and state lands to the south.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge 2,774 acres USFWS ID 1 trail

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

3fires
active

Silver · 13 mi from the center · 2,593 acres

2 more within 50 miles

Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓

Designation	National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State	Idaho
Size	2,774 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS region	Region 1
Center point	48.7158, -116.4037
Night sky	About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17)

Boundary map

1 outline

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 →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Bonners Ferry, 5 miles from the center point at 2,075 feet, station USC00101079 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 54 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.

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

1 named Forest Service trail starts or ends within 1.2 miles of the center point, 0 miles in all.

Trail	Miles	Allowed uses
Myrtle Falls	0.1	hiking

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18

Wildfire
Silver
13 mi from the center point · 2,593 acres · 30% contained
Wildfire
Parker Lake
15 mi from the center point · 1,531 acres · 0% contained
Wildfire
Upper Smith
17 mi from the center point · 4,848 acres · 41% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 6 in all · Register Atlas

3.1 mi
Fry's Trading Post ↗Bonners Ferry, ID
3.2 mi
Soderling, Russell and Pearl, House ↗Bonners Ferry, ID
3.2 mi
North Side School ↗Bonners Ferry, ID
3.3 mi
Boundary County Courthouse ↗Bonners Ferry, ID
3.4 mi
Us Post Office--Bonners Ferry Main ↗Bonners Ferry, ID
14.2 mi
Snyder Guard Station Historical District ↗Eastport, ID

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge?

2,774 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 Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in?

Idaho.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.716, -116.404. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge right now?

3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Silver at 13 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 17 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 Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge?

6 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Fry's Trading Post and Soderling, Russell and Pearl, 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: Kootenai 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.
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