Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge

Overview

Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge is managed by Fish and Wildlife Service and is located near Alcova, Wyoming.

Located in central Wyoming in a high plains basin near the headwaters of the “Platte–Kansas Rivers” ecosystem, the Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge lies approximately 47 miles southwest of the city of Casper. Pathfinder Dam construction was completed in 1909, creating the first reservoir on the North Platte River. At the same time, the Pathfinder Wildlife Refuge (later renamed “Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge”) was established as an overlay refuge on Bureau of Reclamation lands on the reservoir. This large body of water was very attractive to waterbirds, and where the refuge once offered a unique environment in this semiarid region of Wyoming, the reservoir on which it is situated is now part of a larger system of reservoirs including Alcova to the north and Seminoe to the south. Major habitat types of the Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge include open water wetlands, sagebrush uplands, and alkali flats.  Average precipitation for the area is 10" annually, with summer highs near 100 and winter lows around -40 degrees Fahrenheit. High winds often create ground blizzard conditions in the winter with drifted snow.