Open hours at the visitor center may vary due to limited staffing. Please call 575-375-2331 ext 200 before you visit if you have questions.
Visit Us
National Wildlife Refuges offer us all a chance to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with our natural surroundings. Visit Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge with the who family to enjoy! Enjoy a variety of activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, photography, and fishing. Soak in the sights all around you with mountains on almost every horizon as you move about the refuges.
Location and Contact Information
You can now enjoy Lake 13's boat ramp from sunrise to sunset. Stay tuned for more information on stocking the lake. Please be respectful of wildlife and follow all Refuge rules & regulations.
Have fun, stay safe, and happy boating!
About Us
Seasons, weather, and water levels will influence what species of wildlife you will encounter on your visit. Over 278 species of bird have been recorded - 70 of which nest and raise their young here. Spring and fall are the best times to see unusual migrants and other migratory birds as they migrate North and South. Exposed shorelines attract many shorebirds such as Wilson's phalarope, American avocet, yellowlegs, long-billed dowitcher, and spotted sandpiper. Several thousand ducks, geese, and cranes occupy the refuge in late fall and winter. In the summer, grasshopper, savanna, vesper, lark, and Cassin's sparrows are numerous. The colorful plumage and call of the Western meadowlarks can be enjoyed year-round. Raptors soaring overhead are plentiful. Watch for bald and golden eagles, ferruginous hawks, red-tailed hawks, Swainson's hawks, prairie and peregrine falcons. Elk, pronghorn, mule deer, and white-tailed deer can often be seen browsing in the fields.
What We Do
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. It drives everything we do from the purpose a refuge is established, to the recreational activities offered there, to the resource management tools we use. Selecting the right tools helps us ensure the survival of local plants and animals and helps fulfill the purpose of the Refuge.
Providing optimal habitat for wildlife on the refuge is a management priority. Refuge management practices such as browse or grain crop production, prescribed burning, invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species control, and water manipulation enhance species diversity by ensuring a variety of habitat types.
Get Involved
The National Wildlife Refuge System offers visitors to National Wildlife Refuges the opportunity to become volunteers on site. For more information on volunteering opportunities please visit the Get Involved tab.
Projects and Research
National Wildlife Refuges are a place for wildlife and a place for everyone to learn and discover more about wildlife and the outdoors. We offer the ability to use our refuge as a place of research for grad students, college labs, and more from local colleges, universities, and state and federal organizations. If interested in performing research or utilizing the refuge for a project, please contact: [email protected].