Top Ten Scenic Drives in National Wildlife Refuges - Page 2

Alberta's Icefields Parkway Photos: Side Trip to Lake Louise

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5. DES LACS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NORTH DAKOTA 
The 19-mile Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge Backway, in the state's northwest corner, follows the gently rolling hills of upland prairie, offering excellent views of these and the wooded draws of the Des Lacs Valley, with great scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities.  More than 250 species of birds, including waterfowl, raptors, and many other migrants, have been seen there, along with deer, moose, and other mammals.  Also along the Backway lies the trailhead for Munch's Coullee National Recreation Trail, a mile-long loop with a universally accessible section; the trailway provides panoramic views and opportunities to see wildlife close-up.
Look For: Mergansers and snow geese in the spring and fall, several species of grebes in summer, as well as wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and moose.
Fee: None.                         
Know Before You Go: The refuge and the auto tour route are open daily, weather permitting, from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the road is unplowed and may be impassable in winter.  The refuge visitor center is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; it's closed weekends, but a kiosk and restrooms remain open. The north end of the auto tour route has a public picnic area.
Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, 701.385.4046

4. SENEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, MICHIGAN
In Michigan's rugged Upper Peninsula, a seven-mile, one-way auto tour route on Seney Refuge takes visitors past wetlands and open water and through deciduous and coniferous forests in a former lumbering area known as the Great Manistique Swamp.  Three wheelchair-accessible observation decks with viewing scopes make a ride along Marshland Wildlife Drive a great wildlife watching opportunity.  Bicycles are also welcome on the auto tour route.
Look For: Beaver, river otters, bald eagles, osprey, common loons, Canada geese, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, black bear, turtles, and songbirds.
Fee: None.
Know Before You Go: The tour route is open during daylight hours from May 15 through Oct. 15. The route does not accommodate large recreational vehicles.  The refuge visitor center is open daily from May 15 to October 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including holidays.  Peak waterfowl migration occurs from the end of September through October.
Seney National Wildlife Refuge, 906.586.9851 

3. KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA
Skilak Loop Wildlife Drive, an 18.5-mile gravel loop off the Sterling Highway, leads you through a black spruce forest and along Skilak Lake and Engineer Lake, passing several scenic overlooks.  Hunting is restricted along the loop to better your chances of seeing moose and brown and black bear. Several hiking trails are accessible from the loop.

Look For: moose, bear, spruce grouse, snowshoe hares, beaver, lynx, eagles, and peregrine falcons.
Fee: None.                
Know Before You Go: Skilak Loop Wildlife Drive is open year-round, 24 hours a day, weather permitting.  The east entrance to the drive is at Mile 58 of the Sterling Highway; the west entrance is at Mile 75.  The refuge visitor center in Soldotna is about 21 miles from the west loop entrance, and is generally open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.  Those who prefer paved roads can stay on Sterling Highway between Mile 55 and 75, the portion that passes through the refuge; it is designated a national scenic highway here.  If you stop along the highway to admire the Kenai River (visible for the first three miles) or look at bear, do so at a pullout.
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, 907.262.7021

2. BOSQUEDEL APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NEW MEXICO
Bosque del Apache Refuge, which sits just an hour from Albuquerque, is arguably the archetypical refuge experience, and a 12-mile auto loop through desert and southwestern riparian landscape with stunning vista of the Chupadera Mountains to the west and the San Pascual Mountains to the east.  From late October through early March, massive flocks of sandhill cranes and snow geese fly out at dawn and return at dusk to roost.  During the day, hundreds of cranes forage in the refuge marshes and fields, easily visible from the road. In November the annual Festival of the Cranes is a premier birding event.  For an added treat, enter or leave the refuge via the El Camino Real National Scenic Byway, the "Royal Road" that's connected Mexico City and Santa Fe for hundreds of years.
Look For: Thousands of sandhill cranes, snow geese, Ross's geese, and ducks.
Fee: $5 per car.
Know Before You Go: The refuge tour route is open daily year-round from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.  The Seasonal Tour Road is open April through September.  The visitor center is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 575.835.1828

1. LOWER KLAMATH AND TULE LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES, CALIFORNIA
Lower Klamath and nearby Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges—15 miles apart in northern California—have separate auto tour routes that let visitors see some of the many birds for which they are famous. On both drives, Mt. Shasta looms large and out of proportion, as if drawn by a child. The Lower Klamath tour is a 10.2-mile loop accessed from Stateline Highway 161, 12 miles from the refuge visitor center.  The Tule Lake Refuge tour begins five miles south of the visitor center. Both refuges are major attractions along the Volcanic Legacy All-American Road, a national scenic byway that runs between Crater Lake in Oregon and Mt. Lassen in California.
Look For:  Large flocks of ducks and geese (spring/fall), white pelicans and western grebes (summer), and bald eagles and other raptors (winter).  Also, sandhill cranes, tundra swans, and many other species.
Fee:  None.                            
Know Before You Go:  Visitors to the Tule Lake Refuge auto tour may pick up a self-guided map/booklet at the route entrance.  The points of interest in this booklet correspond to numbered posts along the route. The interpretive guide assists visitors in identifying common species, and describes refuge management history and practices.  A visitor center is located on the Tule Lake Refuge and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends.
Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges, 530.667.2231