Exploring Remnants of the Great Central Valley's Grasslands & Wetlands - On Foot!

The Great Central Valley is a special place - once you learn where to look!  For years I have lived in the valley, and for nearly as many years believed that in order to experience the wonders of nature, one must drive up to the Sierra (or at least the foothills) or over to the coast.  As it would happen, I was entirely wrong.

Yes, the Central Valley has been paved and plowed almost beyond recognition, nearly erasing all traces of its former greatness.  But thanks to several decades of herculean efforts on the part of conservationists in both private and government organizations, a handful of critical habitats have been salvaged from the wreckage of an otherwise decimated valley.

Early spring view of the Sousa Marsh from the viewing platform at the end of a short trail, San Luis NWR.

A few of these special places are favorite haunts of mine, places I return to year after year, season after season.  They are popular with local birders and naturalists, as well as those who just long for a little piece of natural solitude in a hectic landscape.  Even so, they are hardly ever crowded. 

Most of the protected places I know best are part of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex, an area that protects around 45,000 acres of grasslands, wetlands and riparian habitat.  Located in the San Joaquin Valley, several wildlife refuges are found within an hour's drive of the greater Modesto/Turlock area.  Below I've put together a bit of a guide to help you discover these fine places for yourself.  Many have auto tour routes, short walking trails, or a combination of both - and winter and spring are the perfect time to explore them!


San Luis National Wildlife Refuge:

The San Luis Unit is home to the refuge headquarters, an informative visitor center and a herd of Tule Elk.  From the refuge headquarters, one can walk two short nature trails: the 0.8-mile Wetland Trail and the 0.5-mile Upland Trail.  From the visitor center, head off on a gravel road for one of two auto tours: the 8.5 mile Waterfowl Auto Tour Route or the 5 mile Tule Elk Auto Tour Route.  The Waterfowl Auto Tour Route provides access to three short nature trails.  The 1-mile Chester Marsh Trail is open from February 15th through September 15th, and meanders around a wetland area to the site of a historic ferry crossing on the San Joaquin River.  Farther along the one-way tour route are trail heads for the 1-mile Sousa Marsh Trail, which leads to a viewing platform and stunning views of large tracts of wetland, and the 0.5 mile Winton Marsh Trail.  Combining all of the above trails with a leisurely drive around the auto tour routes makes for a pleasant spring afternoon.

Along the Chester Marsh Trail, San Luis NWR

The West Bear Creek Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge is located north of the San Luis Unit, on Highway 165.  The gravel auto tour route here is only 2.5 miles long, but along the northern leg of the route are restrooms, a small parking area and trail heads for two short nature trails.  The 1.3 mile Raccoon Marsh Trail and the 1.75 mile Woody Pond Trail can easily be combined to get up close to a variety of habitats, including seasonal wetlands, grasslands and riparian woodlands, and a diverse array of bird species.

Along the Woody Pond Trail, West Bear Creek unit of the San Luis NWR complex

The Kesterson Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge is located west of the previous two units, along Highway 140.  Open only during the off season for waterfowl hunting, from February 15th through September 15th, the Kesterson Unit offers a unique opportunity to explore grasslands, wetlands and vernal pools on foot and, for the most part, with nothing but the wind in the grasses for company.  Though the Kesterson Unit is considered a "free-roam" area where intrepid visitors may wander where they will, there is a system of gravel and dirt tracks one may link together and follow to form a 12-mile (possibly more) looping route through otherwise wild lands.  If solitude is what you seek, this wide-open grassland is where to find it.

One may wander for many solitary miles in the grassland wilderness of the Kesterson unit of the San Luis NWR complex

Just north of the Kesterson Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge is Great Valley Grasslands State Park.  This undeveloped park along the San Joaquin River offers hiking trails through one of the few remaining intact examples of native grassland habitat found on the floor of the Central Valley.  The trail description is as follows:

"By linking a couple of levee roads (closed to vehicles), hikers can fashion a six mile tour of the great grassland, as well as the willow- and cottonwood-lined San Joaquin River that winds slowly, in a series of sloughs and oxbows, through it.
Trail Guide- Walk the levee, overlooking the San Joaquin River to the north and sweeping grassland to the south. A half mile out, observe the large (in springtime) vernal pool, frequented by ducks and migratory waterfowl. One mile from the start is an unsigned junction. Head right, continuing to parallel the San Joaquin. After another mile and a half, the levee road turns south, away from the San Joaquin, then a mile farther still, turns east. The levee gets lower, the grass gets higher, and the hiker soon feels wrapped in very special world where the silence is broken only by the rustling of the grass.
Four-and-a-half miles out, you reach a junction and bear left on a flat gravel path back toward the San Joaquin River. After walking 0.5 mile, you reach this hike's first junction; bear right and retrace your steps a mile back to the trailhead."
Once again, if solitude is what you seek, you might enjoy a springtime visit to Great Valley Grasslands.

One of the rather ambiguous trails of Great Valley Grasslands State Park.

West of Modesto, the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge's Pelican Nature Trail is a series of three connected loops which, when taken together, forms a larger 4-mile walk through seasonal wetland and riparian woodland habitat.  The Pelican Nature Trail is an excellent place to see a variety of native plants (which have been carefully planted in this restored area), raptors such as White-tailed Kites and Peregrine Falcons, songbirds, waterfowl and mammals.  Raccoon tracks are a common site along muddy portions of the trail, beaver signs are clearly evident on tree trunks and river otters are often spotted in the river and adjacent sloughs.  I highly recommend this short hike!

Walk out to the San Joaquin River on the looping 4-mile Pelican Nature Trail.

West of Merced, the Merced National Wildlife Refuge is a birder and wildlife photographer's dream.  A 5-mile gravel auto tour route winds around a large seasonal wetland, which is home to tens of thousands of geese, cranes, swans and ducks, fall through spring.  The 1.5 mile Meadowlark Trail near the refuge entrance leads visitors along a riparian corridor, across a grassland and through seasonal wetlands.  This trail can be combined with the nearby short 0.5 mile Kestrel Trail.  Along the backside of the auto loop, stretch your legs once again at the observation platform (an excellent and well-known spot to watch the Sandhill Cranes fly in as the sun goes down) and short, 0.5 mile Bittern Marsh Trail.

View over the wetlands at Merced NWR

Farther afield, try visiting the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the Jepson Prairie Reserve and the Cosumnes River Preserve for glimpses into the past glory of our Valley.  Kern and Pixley National Wildlife Refuges in the southern end of the Great Valley are also worth a visit if you're in the area.

The snow-capped southern Sierra provide a stunning backdrop for the grasslands and wetlands of Kern NWR.

And of course, for the unsurpassed, must-see, real-deal historic grassland experience, one must pay a visit to Carrizo Plain National Monument (especially during a Super Bloom!).


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