Event Calendar for Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in Dorchester County near the town of Cambridge, Maryland. Local events in town can impact the traffic on roads around and in Blackwater NWR (such as the Ironman Maryland triathlon). If you're planning a visit and you'd like to learn more about local events, see Visit Dorchester: Upcoming Events.
If you need directions to Blackwater NWR, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
During certain times of the year, Night Sky Tours might be offered to the public. Visit our Night Sky Tours page for details.
Guided birding tours meet at 8:00 am at the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center, 2145 Key Wallace Drive, Cambridge, MD, 21613. Tours may last 3-4 hours. Bring your binoculars and dress appropriately for the weather. The birding party will caravan via car to birding hotspots around the Wildlife Drive. Call 410-228-2677 for more information.
Visitor Center hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm; closed Mondays and federal holidays. Wildlife Drive and trails are open daily, dawn to dusk.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 01/15/24: | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Wildlife Drive is free |
| 02/04/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 02/18/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 02/25/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 03/03/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 03/16/24: | Eagle Festival |
| 04/07/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 04/28/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 05/05/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 06/01/24: | Youth Fishing Fun Day - learn more |
| 06/19/24: | Juneteenth - Wildlife Drive is free |
| 08/19/24: | Annual Volunteer Update - learn more |
| 09/15/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 09/28/24: | National Public Lands Day - Wildlife Drive is free. Also Litter Pickup event 9am – 12pm. Volunteers are needed to help pick up litter on Refuge roadsides. Call 410-221-8157 to register. |
| 09/29/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 10/13/24: | First Day of National Wildlife Refuge Week - Wildlife Drive is free |
| 10/13/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 10/20/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 11/11/24: | Veterans Day - Wildlife Drive is free |
| 11/17/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 11/24/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 12/15/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 12/28/24: | Free birding walk, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| All December | 10% off your entire purchase at the Eagle's Nest Book and Gift Shop at the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center! Friends members get 20% off! |
For schedules of events at Mid-Atlantic national wildlife refuges, you may visit:
- Eastern Neck - Rock Hall, MD
- Patuxent - Laurel, MD
- Bombay Hook - Smyrna, DE
- Prime Hook - Milton, DE
- Chincoteague - Assateague Island, VA
- Back Bay - Virginia Beach, VA
- Eastern Shore - Cape Charles, VA
- Rappahannock River Valley - Warsaw, VA
- Great Dismal Swamp - Suffolk, VA
- Mason Neck NWR - Loron, VA
- Canaan Valley - Davis, WV
- Edwin Forsythe - Oceanville, NJ
- Wallkill River - Sussex, NJ
- Supawna Meadows - Pennsville, NJ
- Great Swamp - Basking Ridge, NJ
- John Heinz - Philadelphia, PA