Nice easy hike for family, when you live local. If not local, would not be worth the drive.

Fun and easy little day hike. Entire system is basically a wood boardwalk and is easily accessible for those with mobility issues. The 1 mi loop around the nature center is handicapped accessible as well. 

Recommend using the tide tracker:

https://www.tides.net/washington/773/

To figure out when the high tide hits. You will see different wildlife depending on time of day.  When the tides are in you'll have a vista of water with plenty of seafaring birds. As the tides recede and ocean floor life is exposed, birds will come in for an easy meal. At low tide you can see crabs, clams and shrimp. Fun little hike. 

If I was going to do this again I'd go at sunrise on a sunny day and time it so that I hike in at hi tide and hike out during low tide. Probably need a couple of trips to enjoy all of it because of all the biodiversity. 

The refuge boardwalk and dike trails opened this week so we decided to check them out. The walk was lovely as always - full of birds and other wildlife. The boardwalk is slippery in the rain; we saw a child running and fall on her face, though she was mostly unhurt.

The visitor center and bathrooms are still closed, but there are several port-o-pots available for use. Entrance fees are currently waived. Several signs remind visitors to stay 6’ (or 2 red tailed hawks, or 1 harbor seal, or many chorus frogs) apart.

The parking lot had 16 cars in it when we arrived at 8:45. By the time we left at 10:45 there were at least 40 cars. Might be a good idea to pick a different trail if the parking lots are full - lots of signs about not parking along the narrow road to the refuge.

The refuge website states that they are open to the public.  Their facebook page listed the refuge as open.  The refuge, in fact, is closed...

Free entry for now during the virus breakout. If you are trying to go on the weekend but want to avoid crowds then choose a different hike. 

I love boardwalks, wild animals and marshes. This is an awesome boardwalk trail. High tide is more interesting than low tide. You can google Lacey tide charts. There are a few trails here to choose from. The Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail seems to be the most interesting. If you enjoy bird watching then this is the place to go. I saw plenty of species of birds here including cranes not just ducks. 

Sunset was stunning yesterday and the crowds had all left by then. The area near the barns are great for viewing the sunset. 
IG: @Brittanywanderlust