This was my first time here and it did not disappoint! What a treasure that has been saved for future generations. The volunteers at the visitor center were most helpful and we did not have to pay a $3 parking fee though we made a donation. We were quickly greeted by water fowl and a most impre[ssive eagle pair in their giant old cottonwood located at the old barns. Along the dike trail a blue heron was stationed right alongside the trail and seemed nonpulsed by our presence. The board walk was amazing and only the last 700 ft was closed but will be open tomorrow, Feb 4th. I had brought my spotting scope and we sat out at the end of the board walk enjoying the wildlife in the sun with a stellar view of Anderson Island and Mt rainier looming over us all. As others have said it never felt crowded though the parking lots were full.  Definitely will be going back.

What a beautiful day to visit the wildlife refuge! It seemed like a lot of people had the same idea I had. The main parking lot was nearly full when I arrived around 9:15, but it didn’t feel very crowded on the boardwalk and trails. The boardwalks were a little slippery from the recent rain, but it wasn’t a problem. In fact, I saw people using a wheelchair and power scooters! As a FYI, the end of the boardwalk and viewing platform are still seasonally closed until February 4th. 

Overall, I walked nearly 4 miles this morning and saw a variety of ducks, scoters, Canadian geese, a bald eagle, and most excitingly a ring neck pheasant! No seals or heron this morning, unfortunately. The fields are currently serving as wetlands from the rain and there are a ton of birds to check out there. If you have the time, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge!

This wildlife refuge never disappoints. I go early to avoid the crowds that inevitably fill the boardwalk. The place is well managed, lots of boardwalk and gravel trails and you just can't beat the birding and wildlife viewing. Leave for $3 (or more) at the visitor center kiosk and enjoy the PNW's best. Lots of signage to understand what you're seeing and a great place to educate youngsters about the natural world. More photos on a blog post linked below. No dogs allowed here and please don't ever feed wildlife. 

On this BEAUTIFUL sunny day, we enjoyed 4 hours of meandering at Nisqually NWR along with many, many others! Although there were not many birds to be seen as we were there at an outgoing tide and the ducks and shorebirds were mostly in the distance. It was a beautiful area to enjoy our first outing of the year!

Just a quick trip to burn some toddler energy on the way to visit family in Portland. I don’t know my birds well, but we enjoyed spotting the waterfowl, a few big raptors and listening for songbirds and a frog (toad?).

Parking lot was pretty full and a few folks/families were out strolling or birdwatching but it never felt crowded.

Nice, heated bathrooms and a lovely gift shop.

Always love a visit here. Pretty special spot.