San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge

Gem of the Central Valley. Shows you how beautiful this whole place used to be before the white man destroyed it all.

It’s very quiet at this location. It has potential. But be know it’s not maintained. The pathways are full of weeds and dog waste. But it’s a very quiet walk. Bring a hat and sunscreen because there is no shade and no water. Just a public bathroom.

The park trails were closed despite the gate being open. I drove all the way from Modesto only to find this out. The website did not have any information about season closures. At least they had restrooms.

The refuge might be great for very dedicated bird lovers with binoculars snd great cameras, but for the general population, the trails are not that interesting.. just long stretches of flat trails, mostly quite far from the water and birds.. (FYI, we were there on 1/1/22 when perhaps the water level was low)

A really beautiful and peaceful place for birdwatching and hiking, family-friendly (kid-friendly), easy walk, the trail is basically all flat!!! There is a 30-40 mins natural loop trail, starting from the parking lot! My two-years-old can finish this loop by himself! If you want more walking and hiking, there are other trails too! Highly recommend this place!!! This is my favorite hiking place ever since we moved to Tracy in 2020! Only about 20 mins drive from our place!