Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge provides numerous recreation opportunities to thousands of visitors every year. People enjoy viewing the unique geology and diverse wildlife, whether boating, driving or hiking. Regulation of recreation activities allow for public enjoyment of the refuge while still protecting the wildlife and habitats. 

The Refuge is not accessible by road. Typically visitors take commercial flights to villages within the refuge or charter aircraft to remote landing sites. Water-based transportation is the next most common means of moving through the area. Floaters enjoy river access provided by the Yukon, Porcupine, Sheenjek, and other rivers. Some floaters drive the Nome Creek Road northeast of Fairbanks to put in on upper Beaver Creek (White Mountains National Recreation Area) and either float to a pick-up spot at the refuge boundary or continue to the Dalton Highway Bridge. In summer, boaters can power upstream on the Yukon River from the Dalton Highway Bridge while others go downstream from the village of Circle.