We had a great time walking out on the flats. We saw seals on the edge of the beach, which is a first for many people we also saw on this walk! Having done this walk a few times, I will say it is a little bit shorter than 5 miles, but there are quite a few trails you can choose from at the beginning that all lead you to the walkway out over the water. 

easy, clean, level. there's a boardwalk and a wide road like path. very accessible. Shady spots and sunny areas. lots of wildlife. several families of geese and some deer. bird watching is amazing here!

The weather could not make up its mind, is the theme for today. We arrived around noon to 3/4 full parking lot and a mix of sun and clouds. We walked the loop counter clockwise and then took the Nisqually Dike Trail out to the long boardwalk. While we were out there, it got windy and then the sun came back out and then it poured. It rained the whole way back to the twin barns and then the rain stopped and the sun tried to come back out. The trail was lovely with so many shades of green that were so bright and cheerful after a spring rain. We saw some flowers blooming. Our favorite was the lupine that is blooming on the dike trail. Lots of birds singing in the trees, ducks swimming and eagles soaring. The boardwalks are really fun and my kids have always loved coming here.  The visitors center was open and has a nice exhibit,too.

Happy Earth Day! I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and head out to the wildlife refuge after work for high tide. I was surprised that there weren't that many people there - I expected it to be busy, but the parking lot was maybe a third full. I can't complain, though, because it meant not having to dodge a ton of people on the boardwalks!

It's a nice, flat trail and, as usual, the paths and boardwalks were in good condition. I saw quite a few salmon berry flowers, but not much beyond that flower-wise. Everything is coming in so green and lush right now! This may have been the first time I've been at the refuge and not seen a heron, which was odd. I did see plenty of ducks, some seals lounging, and what I thought was a juvenile bald eagle! The bugs, though! On the boardwalk over the water was fine, but coming back to the car I was swamped by midges on the gravel path to the point I put on sunglasses and pulled up my hood to stop them from hitting my face and getting in my hair. I'm just thankful it wasn't mosquitos!  

Overall, I was there for an hour and half. I walked about 3.5 miles and took lots of stops for pics. It might not have been the best day for wildlife spotting, but it was a gorgeous evening to be outside! 

Trails were well groomed and easy to walk.