Very flat. Easy for kids. No dogs allowed. Very populated. Good viewing of wildlife. Muskrat, seals, river otters, frogs, birds etc.

Our son, Dave, who lives in the Boston area, is visiting and today on my 86th birthday we went to Nisqually NWR. There was an outgoing tide and there were not many birds seen. Bob and I did the Twin Barns Loop and Overlook and walked to the start of the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail and Dave walked to the Puget Sound Viewing Platform. White fronted geese, mallards, a hooded merganser pair, golden crown kinglet, song sparrow, eagles, heron, common mergansers, pintail pair, widgeon and harrier were seen! There is a California sea lion carcass on the surge plain. 

We’d heard migration season would be late February and early March so we came back for a visit, but it seems we’re still a little early! Other than our toddler, who was much fussier than usual, today was quieter than our last visit a couple months back. That may have been due to the drizzle and tide being mostly out. Still, we saw herons, eagles, ducks, frogs, and a huge group of seals hanging out on the mudflats, plus various other gulls and such. I’d love to come out here someday at sunrise, without a toddler, and just spend a day watching the animals follow the tides in and out. 

What a beautiful day to get outside! Parking was pretty tight, but there were enough people coming and going that I was to get a spot after circling the parking lot a couple of times. Although the trails were fairy busy, it never felt crowded. The boardwalk through the woods was less slippery than I expected despite still having frost in shaded areas. The wetland areas were mostly frozen over, but the geese and ducks were still out on the ice. As a note, the last 700ft of the estuary boardwalk is still closed for hunting season, but it opening up again on February 2nd! 

I saw quite a few ducks and geese, plus two herons, and at least 8 harbor seals playing in the water! The seals were very lively! They were jumping up and splashing and snorting at each other. It was definitely the highlight of the trip!  

I adore this place, especially in the winter. The waterfowl watching is unparalleled! And the trails and boardwalk are in great shape.

We arrived around 4pm and the main lot had clearly been full earlier (with some folks parking on the grass) but by that time, there were spots available. Bathrooms at the visitor center were open and heated.

We saw widgeons, pintails, mallards, shovelers, greater white fronted geese, greater yellowlegs, bald eagles, an osprey, a golden crowned kinglet (I think?) and more! Rainier was peeking over the hill with beautiful alpenglow.