Gray Area

Explore Gray Lodge

Honking, quacking, whistling … we're not talking about a raucous night in the city. We're talking about an absolute bonanza of bird species when you visit Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, 50 miles north of Sacramento in the heart of the Pacific Flyway. Every winter more than a million waterfowl descend on Gray Lodge's 9,100 acres of land. You should too, if you want to see what birding is really all about (aka, all the cool kids are doing it!). Set at the base of the tiny yet mighty Sutter Butte mountain range, Gray Lodge sees high concentrations of raptors (like kestrels, red-shouldered hawks, and kites), snow geese, northern pintails, coots, egrets, and great blue herons. Night herons festoon trees like garlands. Even bald eagles have been known to fly these parts. And of course, there are ducks, ducks, ducks galore! See this amazing variety of species on an easy 2-mile walk combining the Wetland Discovery Trail and Flyway Loop Trail. Get a great vantage of the feathered residence, and residents, from an elevated viewing platform and two "observation hides" (like little bunkers looking out to the wetlands). Waters here are also home to beavers, river otters, and muskrats. Along your walk you'll hear the primordial sounds of birds like you've probably never heard before. If you're lucky, you'll spy hundreds of these birds taking off all at once. Feather in your cap. TIP: Gray Lodge Wildlife Area isn't too far from Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and should be combined if you have the time.

Here's a map to the wildlife area. The recommended walk starts from Parking Lot 14. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View