san luis national wildlife refuge

The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge has an amazing visitor center that educates individuals on our wetlands. The drive is barely off Hwy. 165 and is a treasure of a spot. We visit the center as it has an educational area for children as well as adults...hands on. There is a small sitting area facing the Tule Elk area. You can sit in leather chairs and just relax or look through binoculars at the birds. If you are in the area of Los Banos, make this center a stop spot. You will not be disappointed.

They are protecting elk so the herd grows, and we saw about 5 at 8am! Very attentive and watched us, slowly returning to eating. What magnificent creatures, very regal. Lots of birds around too.

I was very impressed with how well laid out and beautifully maintained the entire refuge is. There are various driving trails, walking trails, and places to observe the amazing wildlife here. The visitor's center is beautiful and has a great spot for sitting and viewing the elk. The staff was friendly and helpful. We saw several elk, coyotes, and a variety of raptors and waterfowl on the driving trails. There were also endless brightly colored dragonflies whizzing by everywhere we looked. The elk lookout on the driving trail , with the long distance viewing scope, was fantastic. We were able to spot many magnificent elk from that vantage point. We enjoyed it so much that we went out for lunch and went back to explore for a few more hours. We'll definitely go back!

We were on a bird watching trip and came to the area to visit this reserve. What a great day we had - and a Coyote and Tule elk as well.

Was a great find in the valley to see what the landscape was like years ago. Interesting visitor center and good walking trails. Also a driving trail for nonwalkers.

I have been out to this refuge twice and enjoyed myself both times. I was pleasantly surprised to find a new beautiful visitors center when I went the second time. It has great exhibits, bathrooms and a super friendly resident kitty cat who will welcome you at the door. It can be hit or miss when viewing the Tule Elk from the driving tour though. Sometimes they can be somewhat close to the fences and other times they can be far from the viewing eye. I recommend bringing binoculars and also maybe calling ahead to ask the center what the best times to view them are. There is a platform with a telescope in one area that you can view them from as well. Even seeing them from afar with binoculars was worth the trip.

Visited at the end of May but it is not the time for going to this place. As others mentioned, I am sure it is a great place to visit during the season. There is a nice visitor center with helpful staff and good bathroom facilities.

I have been to four of the national wildlife refuges now and it makes me appreciate the San Luis one even more. Just for starters, it's free, they have a nice visitor center and you can get out of your car wherever you want (but you will spook the birds more easily if you leave your car). As far as the attractions go, they have a tule elk driving loop, a wetlands driving loop, a spur road with fishing spots and several places to pull over and take a hike. So, you can spend most of the day there if you really want to slow down and investigate everything.Of course, you'll see the most wildlife if you go in the wet season. I guarantee you'll see a large amount of waterfowl and raptors. I went in August the first time and most of the wetlands were dried up and the temperatures were in the upper 90's, so I don't recommend that. But I would recommend picking up lunch in Los Banos and heading out to take in the wildlife and scenery at San Luis. If you have the time, the Merced refuge has lots of wildlife and a nice auto tour.

I visited here twice in the past month; in January with my husband and most recently with a friend earlier this week. Since I am a fairly avid birder I have been coming to this refuge for years, but had not visited for a few years prior to my recent visits. This refuge is very large and features a beautiful new visitor center which we stopped in briefly and was staffed with a ranger. There are also a few auto tour routes including the tule elk tour route, a few nature trails, boardwalks and platforms for wildlife viewing. At times there can be a great number of birds to see but you need to come at the right time. The best times to visit are late fall through winter (November through February). During November - January there are large flocks of geese, swans and ducks. During my January visit we saw a number of tule elk, a coyote and a number of waterfowl including snow geese, greater white-fronted geese, American white pelican, tundra swan, seven different ducks, three kinds of hawks, a few shorebirds, white faced ibis, the most beautiful meadowlarks with bright orange/yellow chests and such melodious song and a great-horned owl which I got to watch hooting in a nearby tree. This is just some of what we saw as we drove the auto tour route passing by ponds, marshes, fields and sloughs. Central Valley wildlife refuges have a peaceful beauty that must be seen to be appreciated. Coupled with the sound of waterfowl and tree birds, it is a lovely experience. You should plan to come in the morning or late afternoon. My favorite time is late afternoon when the lighting and shadows are so great and the sun is setting. There is no fee to enter the refuge. I would recommend spending from one to two hours to drive the auto tour route(s) and perhaps do a little strolling and bird observation. Be sure to bring a pair of binoculars or scope and a bird book for identification purposes. You can pick up a bird list at the visitor center or at a kiosk near the entrance. This is a great place and not to be missed if you are a lover of nature!

I have found the SL section nice to drive and walk. I found the Merced portion of their reserve just East of Los Banos really good viewing, and very few people. Wonderful Winter photo experience.

Wildlife plentiful, views spectacular, even in August. Sunset was amazing, with everything mirrored in ponds that gave off as much light as the sky. Amazing.

The brand new visitor Center is pretty impressive. Lots of neat exhibits... especially for kids. Interactive stuff. Window for viewing in inclemenet weather.Trail all around. It is away from food and Gas. Bring your own food. There is no visitor bookstore and there should be. No visitors there when we were there even though it was a nice day. I would think that even if busy, you could get away from a crowd on one of the trails.

We have a group that camps here every year during this time, usually around 85 people who just kick back and relax for the weekend we camp at the group campsite

Check to make sure there is WATER in the area you're visiting, as this preserve is tightly managed. Note that in season you will encounter hunting, though it does not impact birders.

We loved the serenity and the large numbers of birds seen that day. We took a picnic lunch and sat on one of the look out areas. The incredible different kinds of birds were mind boggling.