Took advantage of a beautiful autumn evening with sky full of cirrus, perfect for sunset photos. Even saw a full parhelion and a sundog!

Excellent little day hike for a Sunday afternoon. The refuge was a little crowded in some areas but to me it was still worth it. Very interesting bit of history involved along the hike regarding early agriculture in the area. Plan to take a crew hours out of your day to fully absorb the hike.

It was a fun hike. Both my wife and daughter enjoyed it. Most of the time you are walking on a board walk about 5 feet above the ground. Area is swampy and it is not hard to observe numberous tiny brabs trying to make a living in the mud, little birds weaving nests at the roofs of little structures along the way. This place is very attractive during summer time, there are many many people out next to you. And if you are afraid of being lost or have little kids, this is a perfect hike for you. One way in and one way out.

I've hiked here many times over the past few weeks and I love every chance I get to come visit. There's always an abundance of wildlife and it's so serene and peaceful. The trails are all well maintained and in great condition. All in all, a wonderful place to hike. For a more in depth report, check out the link provided to my blog post about my hikes here ^_^

The 1 mile loop trail is very interesting; we saw a turtle, frogs and an animal we believed to be a mink or otter. We enjoyed the boardwalk, but when the tide is out it is all tide flats. The water was flowing upstream into McAllister Creek as the tide came in. We saw lots of herons and gulls, as well as a couple of Kingfishers. The distance of hike is 2 miles each direction, so the total is four miles rather than five. I look forward to returning to the refuge in the late winter (after hunting season) and in early spring, when the birds are more plentiful.