A Hike at Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

On Sunday afternoon I managed to squeeze in about three and a half hours of hiking at Don Edwards NWR. I seem to end up there a few times a year, but it’s not someplace that is on my normal hiking rotation. Perhaps that’s because it’s totally flat, so it hardly seems like hiking.

It was very overcast, so despite the mild temperatures the place was practically deserted. There were a few groups of 2-3 people here and there around the visitors center, but once I was a short distance away from there I almost had the trails to myself. In over three hours, I saw just 2 or 3 joggers and one mountain biker.

There were birds everywhere, which you’d expect from an National Wildlife Refuge. There were a lot of ducks (the smart ones I guess, avoiding the hunters which were allowed in some parts of the preserve this time of year), pelicans, egrets, Black-necked Stilts, and more.

It was a nice, peaceful hike. I spent a lot of time taking photos for the first part of the hike. Later, after eating a sandwich and with the sun falling closer to the horizon, I increased my pace for the walk back. I made it to the parking lot around 4:20pm, wrapping up a pleasant and therapeutic hike.

Don Edwards Hike Gallery