Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer — Monday, Mar. 27, 2017

Southwest Washington > Long Beach Area

I used to come here as a kid all the time, so when I heard flooding had closed the refuge and made the bike ride into Skamokawa impossible, I was sad for the little town. Luckily, you can still do the full trip, thanks to the White Tail Trail! This short little graveled trail goes around the flooded area, connecting the two ends of Steamboat Slough Road and makes a great outing for families with strollers or little ones who need to get outside and explore. The weather was being finicky, but of course as soon as I got all my rain gear on it stopped spitting so I ended up doing the whole thing with rain pants and a coat on. Canada geese were honking and the sun even came out for a little bit. I was sad I couldn’t stay longer to enjoy it, but I was happy to revisit it, and I’m thrilled that I could come down and make a full day of it again sometime.