Shiawassee
Plan Your Visit
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge provides fantastic opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. The 7-mile wildlife drive is a popular way to see the refuge's various habitats and wildlife. The wildlife drive is open June 1 - September 30 from sunrise to sunset daily. Over 12 miles of trails are available to explore. Please note that the wildlife drive and trails may experience seasonal flooding or be closed during hunting periods. The mixture of bottomland forests and wetlands creates waterways for canoeing and kayaking while also being great areas for wildlife observation, hunting and fishing.
For detailed information about hunting opportunities in the refuge, check out the hunting activities page.
No entrance fee or parking permit are required to visit the refuge.
There are no America the Beautiful passes available for purchase at the refuge. For information about passes available online, visit the U.S. Geological Survey Online Store. You can find more information about these passes and fee areas, order online, or plan your trip to federal public lands at Recreation.gov.
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. National wildlife refuges partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of urban and coastal communities to make a lasting difference. Find out how you can help make American lands healthier and communities stronger while doing something personally satisfying.
Curious to see if we have volunteer positions available?
For further information, contact the refuge at 989-777-5930 for questions about volunteering.
Our Partners
Nature does not recognize human-made boundaries. In order to conserve our natural and cultural resources effectively, we must work with others to bridge these boundaries. Partnerships foster creative solutions to challenging situations and often the results are greater than the sum of the parts.
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge partners with local universities to perform research.
We also have local conservation partners to help work on projects to accomplish management goals.
We extend our reach through the work of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
Outreach
Visitors are encouraged to contribute to citizens science projects like found on ebird and iNatualist.
Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Services
Some commercial, recreational, and research activities are allowed on national wildlife refuges only with a special use permit issued by the local office and are subject to specific conditions and fees. This permit requirement is meant to ensure that all activities at the federal site are compatible with the refuge mission.
About
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1953 and contains 10,000 acres of marsh, bottomland hardwood forest, and grasslands. Its mission is to preserve and manage an undeveloped expanse of floodplain forest and associated habitat within an agricultural and urban landscape through habitat management and educational programs. As an Important Bird Area of global significance, the refuge supports more than 280 species of migratory birds and is home to nesting eagles, white-tailed deer, and American white pelicans.
