Visit Us
Experience the vastness of the tundra, the force of the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, and the spectacle of wildlife migration at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge offers various recreational opportunities to visitors and residents alike, including hiking, camping, fishing, birdwatching, and hunting. Visiting this refuge requires good advance planning: like most of Alaska, access to the refuge is by boat or small airplane, as there are no roads across the landscape. Please consider seasonal variations and variable weather conditions when planning your visit.
A visitor center and administrative office are located in Bethel, AK, within a 10-minute drive from the city airport. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8 am – 4 pm, except for major Federal Holidays. Call ahead to to get more information about the refuge and how to plan your visit.
Locations
The visitor center offers a small museum that exhibits wildlife, interprets the uniqueness of tundra and includes a large relief map showcasing the expanse and ecological diversity of the refuge. A small sales outlet of Alaska Geographic offers a variety of wildlife and educational related products. Refuge staff work in a co-located administrative office.
You cannot drive to the refuge since no roads lead into Bethel, the location of the refuge headquarters. Various airlines provide regular commercial flights to and from Bethel. Upon arriving in the airport in Bethel, drive 2 miles along one of the few paved road in town, the Chief Eddie Hoffman State Highway, to the refuge office and visitor center which is located across from the hospital (a structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.
Learn more about structure known locally as the "yellow submarine"). From Bethel, most non-local visitors travel into the refuge by small aircraft.