Visit the Refuge
Twin Cities residents can connect with nature on the Refuge while hiking, birding, fishing, hunting, paddling and even snowshoeing along wild stretches of the Minnesota River.
Trails, Visitor Centers & Activities — all free!
Find information about the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge visitor centers in Bloomington and Carver, free activities and programs, trail maps and more.
Explore the current hunting and fishing brochure for the Refuge. For more information about hunting on the Refuge and Wetland Management District, visit the Refuge’s website.
Learn what you can do and how to find Waterfowl Production Areas in the Minnesota Valley Wetland Management District.
About the Refuge
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located within a corridor of land and water stretching nearly 70 miles along the Minnesota River from Bloomington (near the airport) to Henderson.
It was established in 1976 by motivated residents to preserve wildlife resources threatened by commercial and industrial development. This video provides a glimpse into the Refuge’s founding and history.
Today, the 14,000 acres of the Refuge provide valuable habitat for a diversity of waterfowl, birds, fish, wildlife and pollinators. And, because of its unique urban location, Twin Cities residents can connect with nature on the Refuge while hiking, birding, fishing, hunting, paddling and even snowshoeing along wild stretches of the Minnesota River.
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge also manages a 14-county Wetland Management District with more than 8,000 acres of land dedicated to wildlife and wildlife-dependent recreation. The District includes more than 25 waterfowl production areas and 50 easements. Each of these relatively small areas is critically important to migrating, breeding and nesting waterfowl. They also provide habitat for grassland birds, such as meadowlark and bobolink, and a variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and other creatures.
To learn more about the Refuge, watch this video and visit the website.
Our Partners
The Minnesota Valley Trust thanks the funding partners that help us acquire and restore land for the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge & Wetland Management District.
