Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge includes 800 offshore rocks, reefs, and islands extending over 100 miles along Washington's Olympic Peninsula coastline from Cape Flattery to Copalis Beach.

President Theodore Roosevelt established the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge in 1907, making it one of the earliest protected areas for seabird populations in the United States.

The refuge boundaries respect Native American reservations and traditional territories while maintaining protection for over 70 percent of Washington state's seabird nesting sites.

Visitors can observe the islands and wildlife from designated coastal viewpoints, as the refuge itself remains closed to protect sensitive nesting areas and marine mammals.

The refuge provides nesting grounds for 14 seabird species, including tufted puffins that create burrows in the island bluffs and common murres that nest on rock ledges.

Location: Jefferson County

Website: https://fws.gov/refuge/Quillayute_Needles

GPS coordinates: 47.99705,-124.69538

Latest update: March 3, 2025 02:43