The Tetlin Refuge is located along the Alaska-Canada boundary between the Alaska Highway and Wrangell-St Elias NP and Preserve. It is one of only two refuges in Alaska that are accessible by road.
Major terrains include broad flat river basins bisected by rolling hills, marshes, foothills, and two major glacial rivers which form the Tanana River - one of Alaska's major rivers.
The refuge has one of the highest densities of nesting waterfowl found in Alaska, annually producing 35,000 to 65,000 ducklings. It also has its own expanding population of trumpeter swans, the largest concentration of ospreys in Alaska, and habitat for 143 breeding and 47 migrating bird species. Other wildlife include moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly and black bears, wolves, wolverine, lynx, and other fur bearers.
There is a log cabin visitor center, seven interpretive pullouts, plus two lakeshore campgrounds within the refuge.