If you make a special trip to take this walk, make sure the tide is in. We happened to be in the area visiting our daughter, so we stopped in as we had drivin by it so many times. The tide was out and it was basically mud flats. OK but not as pretty as the water would have been. The marsh area at the beginning was beautifully green and we saw a river otter or weasil not sure which. Even in low tide the boardwalk and viewing areas were fun. We saw lots of herons, a marsh hawk (I think) and another bird I don't know. It was about the size of a small hawk, but the beak was straight. Bright yellow daisy flowers in the higher areas of the flats. Biden or Ore. sunshine, not sure, couldn't get close enough. This will be fun to do again in the spring. There are no dogs allowed on the trails here.

Another nice day for walk. Tide was in... saw a couple of seals, exciting.

Adding up the miles for the hike a thon. Abeautiful day, we come here often.

We last visited the NWR in December 2011 and left wanting to return during the spring months and today was a great day to do so! We were a little pressed for time today so we decided to try the Twin Barns Loop Trail (about 1 mile) and we ended up walking a bit of the Nisqually Estuary Trail as well. The Twin Barns Loop Trail is largely boardwalk and features side trails to a couple of viewpoints, including a nice view of the Nisqually River as it churns out to Puget Sound. There are some benches along the route that provide places to stop, snack, and observe everything that is going on around you. We saw a large variety of birds today, including some swallows near the visitor center, quite a few Canadian geese, and a large hawk near the Twin Barns viewing platform. We also saw some field mice and a couple of large racoons foraging through the park. A pair of binoculars is helpful to have here and I believe they are available to rent in the visitors center. Brochures with a trail map are available at the park but in case you want to see one before you go, here is the link: http://www.fws.gov/Nisqually/pdf/Nisqually%20Brochure%204.12.11.pdf

On a beautiful sunny spring day, I thought I would catch a very informative wildlife photography class and then take a few pictures of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. This was a wonderfull and insightfull class and I had a very enjoyable time out on the Nisqually Reach. Many other families joined me on this hike, with plenty of room for everyone. A very enjoyable hike and one I would highly recomend.