Rice Lake
Plan Your Visit
Explore the over 18,000 acres of forest, bog, fen, river and open water habitats at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the wide variety of activities available at the refuge including the wildlife drive, hiking, wildlife watching and photography, paddling, fishing, hunting and more.
What To Do
If you have 15 minutes
- Stop at refuge headquarters and observe the purple martin colony and popular pollinator garden.
If you have one hour
- Hike a trail loop from Mandy Lake
- Picnic at Twin Lakes
- Fish at South Trail
If you have half a day or more
- Paddle Mandy Lake, Twin Lakes or Rice River
- Bike or drive the wildlife drive and stop at the Rice Lake Observation Mound
- Go hunting or fishing
Activities
More Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. National Wildlife Refuges provide many opportunities for you to help your community by doing what you love.
Services
The National Wildlife Refuge System is a series of lands and waters owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the refuge system, which uses management tools like prescribed fire, invasive species management, and conservation haying to ensure the survival of local plants and animals.
About
Established in 1935 to preserve waterfowl habitat, Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge is centered around a 3,600-acre wild rice-producing lake. It is designated as a Globally Important Bird Area and a State Important Bird Area, serving as a critical food source for migrating ring-necked ducks. The refuge has a a diverse landscape of wetlands, fens and northern hardwood forests.