ottawa national wildlife refuge

I took my daughter (in her stroller) to the Refuge and had a great time. If you are looking for long trails this is the place. Beautiful views and not many people. It had rained a day or two before we went and I didn't have any trouble getting her stroller around. There is plenty of parking and it is extremely clean. The visitors center is also very nice and there are plenty of restrooms. Will be making this a regular place for walks!

This place is set up very nicely. It even has a drive thru nature observatory. Plenty of trails plenty of Birds close to the lake. I think I prefer this above the marsh now.

This place is huge and I could easily spent the whole day. There are walking trails and car trails! The visitor center is a must first thing. Then spend the day (bring a picnic) walking the trails watching the birds, butterflies, dragonflies, frogs and other wildlife. You have water, marsh, woods and open grass areas that are filled with wild flowers. If you love being in nature then this place will be a hit with your. 2000 acres!

Love love love it here!!! many great memories growing up coming up to the lake and every weekend we came here rather to admire the sights but always heading to the beach for seashells. And looking at all the birds that migrate through and make stop.

Great marshes to walk for hours observing birds. Beautiful visitor center. This is not a place for those who wish to drive to see nature.

We did not visit this at the best of times. The road tour drive was closed and there were not as many birds migrating. Even so this is a very impressive wildlife refuge with miles of trails which are kept up very well and beautiful wildflowers in bloom. You could spend days walking around and just watching for birds. If you go on long hikes I would bring water as there is little shade and the sun was intense. There is a nice small covered picnic area by the visitors center.

Located on Rt 2, the visitor center was very nice. The 15 minute movie that they showed was dated (no HD here) but still very informative about the region, the wildlife and the natives encountered by European settlers. There is a small area in the building devoted to kids where they can feel various animal pelts and look at a make-believe muskrat home. You can also borrow books and butterfly nets from the center to take on your walk around the refuge. They also have a couple sets of binoculars on the upper observation platform, but birders probably have better ones at home. Since the refuge is located on the North American Flyway, the busiest times for this location are spring and fall. In July, our bird-viewing was pretty well confined to red-winged blackbirds, which are prolific here. With two three-year-olds in tow, we didn't venture off the wooden or paved paths, nor could we sneak up on any wildlife. We could see where other grassy trails might take you further into the wooded areas. There seemed to be benches along the paths so you could rest and watch in silence. The visitor center also had a gift shop which was a big hit for our little ones. Each got to pick one finger puppet out of all the choices that they had. They went away very happy.

We didn't get here until after the visitor center closed and the auto tour route was closed so we didn't get to see as much as I would have liked. We walked around the boardwalk behind the visitor center and drove up the road along the pools. This is where we saw the most birds. There was a trail at the end of the parking area, but we didn't have time/daylight to take a hike. Finally, we drove back to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, parked at the old beach and took a short hike to the beach. On the way back to the car I noticed a boardwalk. It looked like a loop, probably should have taken time to walk along that, but didn't know how long it was until we drove past the other end. Most of what we saw was egrets & herons. We will have to come back to see some others. They do have a nice events list and we missed an eagle tour earlier in the day. I would have loved to see that. I would recommend checking out the events calendar on their website and getting there before 4pm to take the auto tour and go to visitor center.

It was such a pretty day. The water at the beach was wavy. Relaxing on the beach with our toes in the water gave us a peaceful feeling.

This National Refuge is one of the most impressive places to visit in North Western Ohio. With it's walking trails you will see local wildlife like no other place in our area. The visitors facilities are unmatched and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. This natural bird sanctuary provides vital nesting grounds for migratory birds from around the world.

This place is impressive! The visitors center is by far one of the best facilities I have ever seen. I am glad that I checked it out because the exhibits are really cool. In terms of hiking, the refuge offers about 10 miles of hiking trails that allow you to explore different regions. They also have several observation decks that offer perfect opportunities to take really good photographs as well. Definitely prepare for the weather as the refuge is in very close proximity to Lake Erie. If you live near or are traveling through the area, this place is definitely worth a visit.

The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge offers great birding opportunities on the Western Shore of Lake Erie. Gorgeous visitors center staffed by rangers and volunteers, all of whom are friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Try to visit on one of the weekends that include self-driving tours of the back roads through the refuge, which are normally closed to the public.

We visited here on the 27th and 29th of September, 2013 as part of a transcontinental road trip. It's right next door to Magee Marsh, a famous Important Bird Area that attracts birders from around the world during peak Spring and Fall migrations when many species of warblers, shorebirds, and many other bird species make their annual trip to and from the Arctic to breed, with some coming from as far away as South America.The birding was good but not great. The facilities (visitor center, boardwalks, car tour) are stupendous -- maybe even too much so where the mission and focus should be on wildlife vice people. But who am I to criticize?There was a ridiculous, noisy car show clogging up the facilities on the morning of the 29th of September when we were there. I'm sure it's a well-intended effort to engage with the community. Hopefully, that's not a frequent problem. But we were still able to access the car tour, and the sound of the car show PA system eventually dissipated. We spotted four Bald Eagles, which is always nice. There were several Trumpeter Swans and various other birds in the outlying area as well.Be sure to leave time for the Magee Marsh State Preserve. It's another completely different experience.

I found the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge by accident as I was passing through the area on my way somewhere else. The visitor's center was educational, informative, and very impressive. I walked all through the grounds and very much enjoyed the pools and bird friendly landscaping. I saw and heard all kinds of things I need to learn about. I plan on returning during the busy seasons when the migratory birds are passing through. This is a must experience if you are into wildlife and birds.

Interesting place well-known for its migratory bird populations, but do not forget your insect repellant if you're there in the summer. Lots of standing water means lots of mosquitoes.