USFWS · New Mexico

Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area of New Mexico managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is located in the far northern fringes of the Chihuahuan Desert, 20 miles (30 km) north of Socorro, New Mexico. The Rio Salado and the Rio Grande flow through the refuge.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew Mexico
Size227,792 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point34.3199, -106.8140
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 28)

Boundary map

2 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 Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.42 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.44 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.39 inches of precipitationApril: 0.37 inches of precipitationMay: 0.38 inches of precipitationJune: 0.49 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.88 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.05 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.02 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.02 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.43 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.66 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 36.8°F averageFebruary: 42.4°F averageMarch: 50.4°F averageApril: 57.9°F averageMay: 67.1°F averageJune: 76.9°F averageJuly: 79.6°F averageAugust: 77.0°F averageSeptember: 70.2°F averageOctober: 58.4°F averageNovember: 45.4°F averageDecember: 36.4°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Socorro 20 N, 5 miles from the center point at 4,847 feet, station USW00003048 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 9 inches a year.

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    Whiskey

    33 mi from the center point · 542 acres · 48% 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 · 35 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge?

227,792 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 Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.320, -106.814. Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is 18 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Whiskey at 33 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

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

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 28 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge?

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (18 mi) and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (27 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge?

35 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Abo and Sagrada Familia de Lemitar Church, Los Dulces Nombres.

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: Sevilleta 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.