Battle of Midway National Memorial in USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-26. Check linked official notices before travel.

Battle of Midway National Memorial commemorates the World War II battle at Midway Atoll, also known as Kuaihelani, in the North Pacific. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the memorial together with Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Both are closed to public visitation. Explore the site through the agency’s online resources rather than planning an island visit.

History and wildlife at Midway

• A wartime landscape: The memorial connects the atoll with the June 1942 battle and the military structures and underwater remains associated with it.
• A living seabird refuge: Albatrosses, Bonin petrels and Laysan ducks share the atoll with an active conservation program.
• Virtual exploration: The Fish and Wildlife Service provides several ways to examine the islands remotely.

Understand the access restrictions

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Airfield access is operational

Henderson Field supports emergency aircraft operations across the Pacific. Its existence does not provide a public arrival service for visiting the memorial. Do not treat aviation operating information as a visitor timetable.

Respect the protected historic landscape

Midway combines wildlife habitat with wartime cultural resources. NOAA identifies underwater aircraft crash sites as war graves. These remains belong to the memorial’s history, rather than to a recreational itinerary.

Public travel and reservations

The current closure rules out an ordinary sightseeing visit. A proposed private flight or boat trip does not change the Fish and Wildlife Service’s restriction on public visitation.

Where the memorial is located

The memorial shares Midway Atoll with the national wildlife refuge inside Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Sand Island, Eastern Island and Spit Island lie within a coral reef and lagoon. This is a remote ocean location; a map marker does not identify a visitor entrance.

Explore Midway online

Start with the agency’s virtual exploration resources. They include a 360-degree tour, a virtual-reality presentation and Street View links. These provide different views of the atoll without implying that on-site tours are operating.

For the battle’s geographic context, read NOAA’s Midway maritime history. Much of the naval battle took place north of the atoll, while aircraft combat also occurred over and around it. The memorial’s island setting tells only part of that larger story.

Operational facilities and visitor access

Conservation staff, volunteers and contractors live on Midway to protect habitats and historic resources. Their accommodation and the working airfield do not establish public lodging or visitor services. Use the online interpretation while the site remains closed.

A memorial within a wildlife refuge

From naval base to national memorial

An overlay wildlife refuge was established in 1988 while the Navy retained primary jurisdiction. Full jurisdiction transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1996. The Battle of Midway National Memorial designation followed on September 13, 2000.

The June 4–7, 1942 battle marked a major shift in the Pacific war. Preserving its physical remains alongside natural habitats gives Midway both a commemorative purpose and a conservation role.

Seabirds and lagoon habitats

The atoll supports nesting albatrosses, Bonin petrels and endangered Laysan ducks. Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles and spinner dolphins use the lagoon. These are protected wildlife populations, not encounters available through a current public tour program.

Contact the refuge administration

The Fish and Wildlife Service lists (808) 954-4818 for Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Its mailing address is 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Suite 5-231, Honolulu, HI 96850-5000. This is an administrative address, not a mainland entrance to the memorial.