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. Meet at the start of the Wildlife Drive if the shutdown is still happening. 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 |
|---|---|
| 1/17/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 1/25/26: | Free birding walk with Ron Ketter, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 2/1/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 2/15/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 2/16/26: | No fee on Wildlife Drive, Presidents Day |
| 2/22/26: | Free birding walk with Ron Ketter, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 3/1/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 3/14/26: | Annual Eagle Festival, 9am – 4pm. Experience live eagle and other birds of prey programs, kid’s programs and activities, Eagle Prowls and Wildlife Drive tours, nature and conservation exhibits, and food all day! No fee for Wildlife Drive! |
| 3/22/26: | Free birding walk with Ron Ketter, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 3/29/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 4/4/26: | Free birding walk with Ron Ketter, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 4/19/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 5/3/26: | Free birding walk with Terry Allen, meet at Visitor Center at 8am |
| 5/25/26: | No fee on Wildlife Drive, Memorial Day |
| 6/6/26: | Blackwater’s Annual Youth Fishing Fun Day. Details TBA. |
| 6/14/26: | No fee on Wildlife Drive, Flag Day |
| 7/3-5/26: | No fee on Wildlife Drive, Independence Day weekend |
| 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