Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge

About Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge

Located in South Dakota, these lands and waters are vitally important to the nation’s migratory bird populations – aquatic birds and songbirds nest here in great numbers. Lake Andes is a natural, shallow prairie lake whose water supply depends entirely on natural runoff. Lake levels periodically rise and fall, with the entire lake going dry about once every twenty years.Two dikes separate Lake Andes into three separate units, but the lack of a permanent water supply allows very little manipulation of water levels to encourage growth of aquatic foods or assure duck broods of adequate water in drier years. Only the Owen's Bay marsh, fed primarily by the waters from a free-flowing well, permits effective manipulation of water levels to maximize the bay's benefit to wildlife.

How to Get There

The Lake Andes NWR Complex headquarters is located on the east shore of Lake Andes. From Ravinia, South Dakota, travel 2 miles north on the county gravel road and 1.5 east to reach the Refuge headquarters. From the community of Lake Andes, travel north .5 mile then east 3.5 miles on a hard-surfaced county road, crossing the Lake from west to east before reaching the office and visitor center nestled under the cottonwoods.

Plan Your Visit to Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge

Heading to Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)