Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

About

Entrance / day-use fee applies.

When is the best time to visit Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge?

By typical weather, the best months for a day outdoors here are April, October, and November.

The weather works against it in June, July, August, and September.

The warmest month is August, with average highs near 86°F (30°C); the coolest is January, near 62°F (17°C).

August is the wettest month, with about 12.9 in (328 mm) of precipitation in a typical August.

Typical weather, 25-year Meteorological and Solar Monthly & Annual Climatologies (January 2001 - December 2025). Data from NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project (CC BY 4.0)

Official facts

The Forest Service rates the wildfire hazard potential at Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge's mapped point low (2023 map); the map describes the land rather than any day's fire danger.

Adjacent protected waters: Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve. Aquatic Preserve, Uniform Multiple Use, 2,755 km².

Protected waters: 209 km². None of it is no-take.

Fishing: Commercial Fishing Prohibited and Recreational Fishing Restricted.

Conservation focus: Natural Heritage and Sustainable Production. Protects the whole ecosystem. Site-Specific Management Plan.

IUCN category: IV (Habitat or species management area).

Protection level: Uniform Multiple Use.

Marine protection: National Wildlife Refuge. Listed as "Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge" in NOAA's Marine Protected Areas Inventory, managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, established 1979.

Public access: Restricted access.

Protected area: 51,295 acres (20,758 ha).

Designation: NWR. Listed as "Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge" in the Protected Areas Database of the United States. Protection: managed for biodiversity (GAP 2). IUCN category IV.

Managed by: Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.

Critical habitat: Gulf sturgeon (threatened). Acipenser oxyrinchus (=oxyrhynchus) desotoi. Endangered Species Act critical habitat (final rule published 2003-03-19, 68 FR 13370), mapped at or near this park.

Marsh or swamp: Black Point Swamp. 13 km² of water, mapped at or near this park in the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.

NOAA Marine Protected Areas Center (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) with the US Department of the Interior, MPA Inventory 2023 · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2025, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 4.1 · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Act critical habitat (FWS HQ ES Critical Habitat) · U.S. Geological Survey, National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) · Dillon, Gregory K. 2023. Wildfire Hazard Potential for the United States (270-m), version 2023. 4th Edition. Forest Service Research Data Archive

At the park

• Hunting activity
• Fishing water
• Paddling (kayak/canoe) water

Before you go

Limits

Children ages 15 or under are admitted free

History

Opened

1979

• Park opened

Parks nearby

• Magic Kingdom Theme park · 105 mi
• EPCOT Theme park · 108 mi
• Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme park · 109 mi
• Universal Islands of Adventure Theme park · 109 mi
• Universal Epic Universe Theme park · 111 mi
• SeaWorld Orlando Theme park · 112 mi

Distances are in a straight line.