Most people who haven’t been to Klamath Falls picture a dusty high-desert town somewhere between out there and nowhere. I get it. The name doesn’t exactly conjure mountain lakes and bald eagles.
But after more than two decades living and working here, I can tell you: the people who actually move here are the ones who feel like they found a secret. The ones who stay enjoy the departure from city life, the natural beauty of the area and they do not require a steady supply of festivals, concerts, galleries, and events to attend. The happy Klamath Falls resident enjoys the outdoor pursuits: fishing, hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, kayaking and camping.
In this post, I want to share my top three favorite bird watching spots around Klamath Falls — the ones I point out to every client who asks me, “okay, but what do people actually do here on weekends?” One favorite activity of Klamath County residents is bird watching and bird photography.
Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge
Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge Website
The Tule Lake Refuge is a large wetlands area that offers a visitors center, auto tour route, canoe routes, numerous hiking trails and routinely has a wide variety of bird visitors, especially during the migration seasons during spring and fall. Located right along the Pacific FlyWay, migrating birds stop in the refuge along their route to their next seasonal home.
The refuge is open every day from dawn until dusk and there is no fee to visit. One the vast majority of days, the visitor center is manned and the staff are available to answer questions, supply maps and information about the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge.
Lower Klamath national Wildlife Refuge
Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Website
Not far from the Tule Lake Refuge is the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge was the first waterfowl refuge established in the United States, under President Teddy Roosevelt in 1908.
The Lower Klamath Refuge is a large wetlands area that offers a visitors center, auto tour route, canoe routes, numerous hiking trails and routinely has a wide variety of bird visitors, especially during the migration seasons during spring and fall. Located right along the Pacific FlyWay, migrating birds stop in the refuge along their route to their next seasonal home.
This refuge is also open from dawn to dusk and there is no fee to visit. The visitor center is open the vast majority of days, and staff are available to provide maps, answer questions and provide information about the refuge.
Miller Island Refuge
Klamath Wildlife Area Miller Island Refuge is off of Highway 39 in Klamath Falls. There are roads through the refuge, 3 hunting units, boat ramps, dog training area, birding trail heads and vault toilets in some of the parking areas. Truly one of the hidden gems of the area, the locals know this spot that is not far off the beaten path to be one of premier bird watching areas in Klamath Falls. In spring and fall during the migration season, this refuge is brimming with a wide variety of ducks and geese.
Those are my three spots in the area for getting out to soak in the glorious view of a flock of snow geese taking flight off the water, a bald eagle perched on a pole or a mother duck with her ducklings paddling on the water. I hope you get out to these special natural resources soon and take advantage of all the beauty available to us in the area
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