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: