Beautiful hike in the estuary. Lots of birds and sunny waters. Great, easy and interesting hike for all ages. Parking could be limited during the weekend.

Beautiful sunny December hike on a marshy estuary. It’s flat (duh) and on a boardwalk for a mile but tons of shorebirds and great views of Mt. Rainier. Parking lot completely full though. Parted a half mile away under the freeway and walked in.

Beautiful walk today around the refuge with lots of blue herons, geese, ducks, and gulls. Parking lot was very crowded but the crowds thinned while walking around the marsh. Really loved seeing all of the wildlife and Mount Rainier on such a perfectly sunny fall day! 

Arrived at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge around 1:30 this afternoon, parking was already limited, but I was able to find a space. Even with the buildings closed, I did walk up onto the deck to get a nice view of the water and also grabbed a few of their brochures.

I did both the “Brown Farm Dike Trail” and the “Twin Barns Loop Trail” adding up to right around 5 miles round trips. There were a lot of families, bird watches and photographers along the way, but everyone spaced out well so it didn’t feel crowded, and almost everyone worse masks. 

It was a beautiful clear day with a stunning view of Rainier. The animals seem very comfortable around people, especially the bids, which often let people walk up very close to them.  I was able to spot a hawk today, and heard others say they saw 2 eagles. 

Lots of people were enjoying the amazing refuge.  Most were masked.  The trails are fairly wide.  The parking lot was nearly full.  Porta potties are available.

It's always a delight to watch the birds in the intertidal zone.  The sounds of the tide rising and bubbling up in clam holes was really cool.