julia butler hansen refuge

We enjoyed a peaceful walk through the refuge. We would have preferred walking on a trail (it's a paved road), but the bird songs and pretty scenery were certainly worth the trip.

This is a wonderful place to walk and think take in the beautiful area,birds and deer.It is so peaceful you will want to come back again and again.

You can stop along the road and read an informational plaque or two. You can use your binoculars to search the fields for deer. But you probably won't see much wildlife at this refuge. We parked on the river side of the refuge and walked in along the graveled access road. Our crunching feet probably scared off most wild critters. A great blue heron stayed on the path until we were close enough for a photo, but other than an egret, a hawk, one elusive nutria and a number of species of small birds, we didn't see other wildlife. A large part of the refuge is rented as fields for cattle. That is apparently part of an effort to improve habitat for the Columbia White-Tail Deer. However, many of the deer have been moved - to Ridgefield, and to one of the islands in the Columbia River. There is a headquarters building that we did not visit which might have more information and perhaps a restful bench. I would rate this 2 1/2 if that were an option.