Image Details Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota is about 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 55 miles east of Fargo, North Dakota. “It takes about three hours of paddling on small lakes and portaging between them to reach this beautiful lake that has a grand view of the Kenai Mountains. I have always been treated to, at a minimum, watching loons and grebes and have also seen moose and occasionally land otters and trumpeter swans.”īald eagles, beavers and black bears are common, too. “My favorite place for a day canoe trip is into Swan Lake,” says retired supervisory ranger Candace Ward. Water trails cover more than 100 miles on the almost -2-million-acre refuge. Paddling on any of the smaller lakes offers a great way to see wildlife that is harder to see from the roadside.” “The coolest thing about paddling on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is that there are so many high-quality options,” says refuge ranger Leah Eskelin. “Visitors can find easily accessible roadside lakes to explore for a couple hours, or spend a week or more on backcountry wilderness trips within the Kenai Refuge Canoe System. Image Details Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is headquartered in Soldotna, Alaska, about 150 miles from Anchorage. “Relax, take your time, and enjoy the ride.”Īt least nine commercial outfitters in or near Valentine, Nebraska, provide canoe, kayak or float trips on the river. “Let the river take you on an easy float,” says Hicks. Dawn and dusk typically offer the best wildlife-viewing opportunities. Spring, summer or fall all are all great times to float the river. “If you are quiet and look closely, you might see very large spiny softshell turtles sunning themselves along the shore.” “One can easily see American redstart, common yellowthroat, belted kingfisher and yellow warblers,” says refuge manager Steve Hicks. Learn more about wilderness area and a nationally designated scenic river and recreation trail. Wilderness areas can be part of national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness areas for protection to ensure that America's pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The river flows through Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in a deep canyon that encompasses a national wilderness area wilderness area “The Niobrara River in Nebraska is that place for me.” People need a place that makes them feel “inspired anew with the wonder and pure majestic beauty of Mother Nature,” wrote blogger Bruce Tomes. Image Details Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge is in Nebraska, about 310 miles northwest of Omaha and 210 miles southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota. It’s still warm out, tidal waters are calm, and fall colors cover the mountains and hills.Īt least two businesses in Lincoln City rent kayaks and canoes. Autumn is a great time to be on the water, says visitor service manager Dawn Harris. “The wildlife are also in constant flux, from amphibians metamorphosing in bogs and resident birds donning breeding plumage in spring to spawning salmon – born in freshwater and raised in saline depths – forming rivers of flesh that pour upstream from the sea.” Learn more about salt marsh, mudflats, sea grass beds and sheltered channels that form a complex tapestry of habitats characteristic of estuaries where rivers meet the sea,” wrote former intern Peter Pearsall. Salt marshes are found in tidal areas near the coast, where freshwater mixes with saltwater. “During the paddle, you pass along salt marsh salt marsh Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge is along the coast, but the bay protects paddlers from Pacific Ocean waves and winds. Image Details Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge is on the Oregon coast, just south of Lincoln City and about 60 miles west of Salem.
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