This Earth Day and beyond, head out on an auto safari. You can view Northwest mammals waking from winter hibernation, spring wildflowers, migratory birds, endangered species and other creatures amid our state’s 23 National Wildlife Refuges.
Nationally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages more than 570 refuges within the National Wildlife Refuge System, a network of public lands and waters.
Some refuges are closed to the public to preserve struggling animal populations — particularly those containing sensitive shoreline rocks and reefs — such as Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge, Washington’s oldest refuge. But here are a handful of accessible NWRs for your Earth Day excursions.
Northwest Washington Wildlife Refuges
Head to the Olympic Peninsula to visit the Dungeness NWR, to find one of the world’s longest sand spits. It’s one of six refuges in the Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, along with those along the Northwest Washington coast and San Juan Islands. Use the Dungeness NWR Watchable Wildlife Checklist to keep track of species you spy, whether harbor seals or the 240-plus bird species.
Near Olympia, visit the Nisqually River Delta of the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, including a visitor center (open Wednesday through Sunday). At least 250 species of birds and other wildlife roam the refuge, which you might spot from the viewing platform, trail and boardwalk.
In Hoquiam on the Central Washington coast, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge features one of the West Coast’s largest concentrations of shorebirds. Birds flock here for the blend of the estuary, mud flats, open saltwater and salt marsh. In spring, two dozen species of shorebirds use the refuge as a way station — primarily Western sandpipers and dunlin.
East and Central Washington Wildlife Refuges
The 42,657-acre Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge is on the Selkirk Mountains’ western edge in far Northeast Washington. In spring, find western bluebirds, great horned owls and tree frogs, chipmunks, buttercups, warblers and three species of hummingbirds.
Near Spokane, the 23,000-acre-plus Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge features a dramatic Channeled Scablands landscape scarred by an ice age flood scouring. Enjoy 10 miles of hiking trails and an accessible boardwalk amid ponderosa pine forests, grassland and exposed basalt cliffs. Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge protects migratory waterfowl, in particular redhead ducks.
And Central and South-Central Washington hosts the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, made up of seven NWRs and the Hanford Reach National Monument, a historical site/refuge larger than all the other refuges combined. The refuges near the Columbia River make for excellent destinations for photographing and enjoying wildflower shows, spring migrations and critters such as badgers and bobcats.
Comprising nearly 30,000 acres, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, grasslands and sagebrush. Some of the refuge is only open from March 1 to September 30, to protect overwintering waterfowl.
Other complex refuges include Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge — walk the two-mile loop of Willard Springs Trail for signs of spring, including wildflowers, elk and rare Oregon spotted frog breeds. In Umatilla NWR, go on a self-guided auto tour for views of spring migrations’ burrowing owls, songbirds and white pelicans.
Southwest Washington Wildlife Refuges
Just north of Vancouver, Ridgefield NWR offers three entrances. Beeline for the year-round River ‘S’ Unit Auto Tour Route, which you can drive in a slow loop as if you’re on a Northwest auto safari. Watch for hawks, bobcats, river otters and 90 bird species amid marshy grasses.
The refuge is part of the larger Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Complex in or near the Columbia River Gorge along the Southern Washington border. The complex includes Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge’s 2022-reopened, revamped and restored trail system, with a Wildlife Art Trail.
In the same area, find Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Pierce National Wildlife Refuge, established to provide a waterfowl habitat, but now also hosts endangered creatures and black bears.
The 17,000 acres of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge are scattered across and near the Long Beach Peninsula in Southwest Washington. The Refuge contains multitudes — specifically salt marsh, mud flats, freshwater wetlands and streams amid temperate and old-growth forests, grasslands, coastal dunes and beach coastline.
More than 200 bird species, along with Roosevelt elk, cougars, bears and salmon make their homes here. But this NWR offers an unusual opportunity for humans to stay overnight, too, with a handful of island-based camping sites. Among the hikes, find an art trail of student work from the University of Washington Public Arts program.
Note: Review official websites before going to a refuge. Animal activity, habitat protection and restoration work may close sensitive areas for periods of time.
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