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Visit the Trail > Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

[Image of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge]
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Location

Cambridge, MD (Weather Report)

Hours

Refuge open Mon.-Fri. 8-4, Sat.-Sun. 9-5. Wildlife Drive open daily dawn-dusk. Visitor center open Mon.-Fri. 8-4, Sat.-Sun. 9-5

Fees

$3 per private vehicle, $1 per pedestrian or bicyclist, under 16 free. Annual passes for those over 61 and free lifetime passes for the permanently physically and visually impaired are available at the visitor center; passes cover all vehicle occupants.

About Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located in the Blackwater and Nanticoke River watersheds on Maryland's Eastern Shore, preserves over 26,000 acres as a wintering area for vast numbers of migratory birds. It also serves as a haven for several threatened or endangered species, including one of the largest concentrations of nesting bald eagles along the Atlantic Coast. While primarily a tidal marsh, the refuge also includes a mature pine forest.

Before its designation as a Refuge, the marshland along Blackwater River was managed as a fur farm. Muskrats were the primary species trapped. Most of the wood-lands, including islands, had been timbered. Remains of old drainage ditches and furrows which crisscross in some existing woods indicate past agricultural use.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Websites

User Submitted Reviews

The following are opinions given by individuals who have visited the park. They are not the opinions of the National Park Service.
Lisa |
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
11/7/2009
Blackwater NWR is one of the most scenic national wildlife refuges in the nation and hosts one of the largest populations of breeding bald eagles in the lower 48 states. It's also home to the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel. Be sure to visit the popular Wildlife Drive, which runs along the beautiful Blackwater River. And also check out the Refuge Visitor Center, which features a live Bald Eagle Cam and Osprey Cam, along with waterfowl and raptor exhibits, as well as a gift store.
Lisa | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Lisa | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
BayTraveler |
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
7/7/2009
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is one of the Bay's very special places. If you want to go back and see what John Smith might have seen as he ventured up the creeks and rivers of the Bay, visit this place. You'll see miles and miles of wetlands, bald eagles and more. I highly recommend it.
BayTraveler | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge BayTraveler | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge BayTraveler | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

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