A short guide to the beautiful Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
Gear
Sony A7Riii with the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens and the Sony FM Telephoto 100-400mm f/5.6 GM lens, iPhone 13 pro.
Less than an hour south of Seattle you can find this hidden wildlife sanctuary. The drive here alone is pretty when the sun lights up Mt Rainier in the distance.
At the parking lot you will need to pay a $3 cash entry fee using the envelopes near the visitor center. From there the refuge is exceptionally easy to explore with miles of boardwalks and flat gravel trails.
Twin Barns Loop trail
Lupines
An empty robin’s egg
We visited just after sunrise and were rewarded with the sounds of hundreds of songbirds and the sun peaking through the trees.
Brown Creeper
Sometimes the prettiest birds are the tiniest…
Rufous Hummingbird
We also saw deer and small mammals going about their daily routines.
Beyond the forest you can continue out onto marshland where we saw an abundance of beautiful Great Blue Herons.
Great Blue Herons
This refuge is a beautiful, serene place to explore. I will certainly be back in the winter when the raptors return.