Patuxent Research Refuge

Patuxent Research Refuge, in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties between Washington DC and Baltimore, is the nation’s only national wildlife refuge created specifically to support wildlife research — 12,800 acres of Piedmont forest, wetland, meadow and impoundment on the Patuxent River, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a research campus and public refuge. The refuge’s forests and wetlands are some of the best accessible wildlife-watching terrain in the DC-Baltimore corridor.

The National Wildlife Visitor Center (one of the finest wildlife visitor centers in the federal system, with interactive exhibits, live animals, tram rides, and exceptional educational programs) anchors the public side of the refuge. The refuge’s trails, ponds and observation decks offer outstanding birding, wildlife watching and a nature experience just 15 miles from both Washington DC and Baltimore. Patuxent Research Refuge is a treasured natural icon of Maryland.

Patuxent Research Refuge offers wildlife watching from the National Wildlife Visitor Center (free; open daily — interactive exhibits, life-size wildlife dioramas, live native animals, and the refuge tram tour), hiking on the refuge trails (the Cash Lake Trail loop, the Goose Pond Trail, and others through forest, meadow and wetland), birding (the refuge is an excellent DC-Baltimore birding site, with over 200 species recorded — shorebirds at Cash Lake in fall, prothonotary warblers at the flooded impoundments in spring, raptors year-round), wildlife watching (white-tailed deer, red and gray foxes, great blue herons, osprey, river otters and occasional bald eagles), photography, and the tram tour (a narrated open-air tram through the refuge, excellent for wildlife viewing). The visitor center, the Cash Lake loop and the birding are the signature draws.

Spring (April through June) is the finest season for birding — the prothonotary warblers, yellow warblers and other neotropical migrants arrive, the osprey return to nest, and the wildflowers bloom on the forest floor. Fall brings shorebirds to Cash Lake (dunlin, yellowlegs, sandpipers when the lake is drawn down), migrant raptors, and the forest color. Summer is hot but the wildlife is active and the visitor center programs are at their fullest. Any season rewards visitors; spring for the warblers and osprey, and fall for the shorebirds and color, are the highlights.

Patuxent Research Refuge was established in 1936, making it one of the first national wildlife refuges in the US, specifically to support the research mission of the USFWS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (located within the refuge). The Research Center has been a leader in wildlife biology and conservation science for decades, including the landmark work on pesticide impacts on birds (Rachel Carson worked nearby and drew on the region’s pesticide research for ‘Silent Spring’). The refuge has supported whooping crane recovery (the whooping crane captive-breeding program was formerly located here). Patuxent Research Refuge is a historic icon of American wildlife science.

Patuxent Research Refuge occupies the Maryland Piedmont, underlain by Precambrian and Cambrian metamorphic rocks (schists and gneisses) typical of the Piedmont province — the rolling, moderate-relief landscape of the eastern Appalachian foothills. The Patuxent River, which flows through the refuge, has cut a broad, forested valley through the Piedmont terrain. The refuge’s wetlands and ponds are managed impoundments on the Patuxent floodplain. The Piedmont bedrock, the Patuxent River valley and the managed impoundments created the diverse habitat mosaic of the refuge.

Patuxent Research Refuge supports one of the finest wildlife communities accessible from the DC-Baltimore corridor — bald eagles (nesting in the refuge forest), osprey (nesting on platforms in the ponds), great blue and green herons, the brilliant prothonotary warbler (nesting in the flooded impoundments in spring — the refuge is one of the finest accessible prothonotary sites near DC), shorebirds at Cash Lake in fall, white-tailed deer, red and gray foxes, river otters, and over 200 bird species recorded. The visitor center live-animal displays and the wildlife-watching trails together make Patuxent one of the finest accessible wildlife refuges in the mid-Atlantic.

Patuxent Research Refuge protects 12,800 acres of Piedmont forest, wetland and meadow between two of the largest cities in the eastern US — an exceptional block of natural habitat in one of the most developed regions of the country. The managed impoundments support shorebirds and waterfowl; the flooded bottomland attracts prothonotary warblers; the upland forest supports raptors and woodland species. The refuge’s research mission sustains cutting-edge wildlife science. Protecting the forest, the wetlands and the water quality of the Patuxent River sustains the ecological character of this irreplaceable mid-Atlantic refuge.

Patuxent Research Refuge holds a treasured place among the natural icons of Maryland and the mid-Atlantic — the nation’s only national wildlife refuge created for wildlife research, home of the National Wildlife Visitor Center (one of the finest in the federal system), a birthplace of American wildlife science (including the early work on pesticides and birds that informed Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring), and an outstanding wildlife-watching resource just 15 miles from Washington DC and Baltimore. Patuxent is a cherished natural icon and a premier accessible nature destination of the region.

Patuxent Research Refuge is in Prince George’s County, Maryland, off U.S. Route 1 (Baltimore-Washington Boulevard) in Laurel, between Washington DC and Baltimore. The National Wildlife Visitor Center entrance is off Scarlet Tanager Loop Road (well-signed from Route 1). The visitor center is free and open daily (check current hours — closes late afternoon). The refuge trails are open during daylight hours; the tram tour requires a fee (check USFWS for current tram schedule and fees). Laurel (nearby) has full services; Washington DC is about 15 miles south. Check the USFWS for current visitor center hours, tram schedules and trail conditions before visiting.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages Patuxent Research Refuge and the Research Center. Visitors help by staying on designated trails, respecting the research areas (some are closed to public access), not feeding wildlife, following all leave-no-trace principles, and supporting the refuge’s conservation mission through Friends of Patuxent. Protecting the forest habitat, the Patuxent River water quality and the managed impoundment wildlife habitat sustains this exceptional mid-Atlantic refuge.

Patuxent Research Refuge is a well-maintained, family-friendly facility. The main outdoor cautions are ticks (check thoroughly after hiking — lyme disease is endemic in the Maryland Piedmont), the occasional copperhead or timber rattlesnake on the trails in warm weather (watch where you step), and the deer ticks that are active year-round (wear long sleeves and use repellent). The Cash Lake area can have muddy trail edges after rain. Respect the ticks, the occasional venomous snakes and the muddy trail edges.

National Wildlife Visitor Center and refuge trails are free. Tram tours have a fee (check USFWS for current rates and schedule). Stay on designated trails. No hunting. No dogs allowed in the visitor center; leashed dogs are permitted on some but not all trails (check the refuge map for current dog-permitted trails). No removing plants or animals. Photography for personal use is welcomed. Check the USFWS for current visitor center hours, tram schedules, trail rules and conditions before visiting.

The city of Laurel (nearby, with services), the city of College Park (with the University of Maryland and the College Park Aviation Museum), Washington DC (about 15 miles south — the Mall, the Smithsonian and the national monuments), Baltimore (about 15 miles north — the Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium), the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP (accessible from DC), and the Maryland Piedmont corridor define the region. Patuxent Research Refuge is the finest accessible wildlife-watching destination between DC and Baltimore, a perfect half-day nature destination in the heart of the mid-Atlantic megalopolis.

Walk the Cash Lake Trail loop (3 miles, easy) for the best all-around wildlife experience — the lake, the flooded impoundments, the forest and the open meadow sections all offer different wildlife in a single loop. Come in late April or May for the prothonotary warblers — watch the flooded bottomland sections near the water for the brilliant golden-yellow male singing from a willow snag, one of the finest birding experiences accessible from Washington DC. Visit the National Wildlife Visitor Center first for the exhibits and the tram ride orientation. Carry tick repellent and check thoroughly after hiking (the Patuxent forest has an active tick population year-round).