Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Oregon

Ankeny NWR is my refuge. My fortress of solitude. It is a priceless wetland ecosystem, seasonal and year-round home to hundreds of animal species. I go there almost every day to walk and snap photos and during the spring and summer, I will see the following: Roosevelt elk, coyotes, pelicans, bald eagles, multiple species of owls, raptors and water fowl, snakes, frogs, turtles, and dozens of species of flowering plants. What I love the most about Ankeny is that every day you see something different—something you’ve never seen before. For example, three days ago, a pair of bald eagles landed right in front of me at pintail marsh. The next day, a small bird called a killdeer put on a performance and pretended to have injured its wing—its way to of distracting me away from his nest. And the next day? Hundreds of baby tree frogs crossed my path, each one no bigger than a penny.

Anyone who gives Ankeny less than five stars clearly doesn’t understand the point of wildlife refuges. The trails and landscape are beautifully maintained by the federal government and there are many miles of secluded trails for hiking and surrounding yourself in nature. Check it out but please, treat the land and animals with the love and respect...

Ankeny is part of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex and it offers opportunities to observe nature both from your car or from the trails (some of which are closed seasonally to protect wintering waterfowl)… Ankeny is also a great place for photographers! During the winter thousands of geese, ducks and a lesser number of swans can seen on the water or in the fields. Many of the ducks and geese also breed on the refuge, and in the spring you often see the parents with their little ducklings and goslings… Bald Eagles, hawks and falcons are also frequent visitors to the refuge. Other birds often spotted at the refuge are songbirds, shorebirds, swallows, Scrub Jays, Meadow Larks, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Red-winged Blackbirds… During the summer months there have been a few White Pelicans that visit every year… There are too many species to list here! A variety of frogs can be seen while walking the trails… and I have spotted River Otters there in the past (however, you are much more likely to see Nutria which is an introduced species that is sometimes confused...

This is a decent wildlife refuge for being so close to cities. It has a diverse population of plant and animal species living there in prairie, wetland and riparian ecosystems. The

Rail Trail is probably the best part of the park and features a long boardwalk bridge to a viewing area and other side of the refuge. It’s a nice walk. The bridge is a bit rickety, however. Technically it is handicap friendly, but the bridge isn’t immediately off the parking area, so you have to walk down a long area of gravel, which could be difficult for wheelchair access. Similarly the bridge is a little on the narrow side—you can’t really walk next to a friend because it’s so narrow. This could be a problem for wheelchairs and walkers especially because there aren’t any “pullouts” like at similar bridges. For those of us who can walk the bridge is also something you won’t want to lean on without inspecting the section you’re on. It was in a state of disrepair.

The bird viewing hut at the end is also kind of lame as you can’t really see...