Take the auto drive... Dont forget to get out at the viewing platforms to see the elk and wild birds great place especially in covid not many people around

The animal sightings were awesome, sad that the visitors center was closed.

It is easy to get lost there. Good museumTule elk

Great place for a quick visit, especially if you like seeing and experiencing native wildlife. It is free to enter and park, and there is a nice visitor center that has an impressive display of local birds, as well as information on the Tule Elk, and several brochures you can take on the go. The staff was helpful, and they pointed us in the direction of a picnic table for our lunch we brought.We hiked the 0.8 mile trail near the visitor center and were fascinated with the bird activity, especially along the boardwalk that extends out into the marsh. We also did the auto tour of the Tule Elk enclosure and were able to see this amazing species native to California and once thought extinct. We easily spent 2 hours here, and will most likely return sometime to take the birding auto tour.We went in the spring, and it was beautiful and green. But being in the Central Valley, I imagine it can get hot in the summers. We encountered some mosquitoes on our hike, but only in one section. And keep in mind that the auto tour roads are dirt - well maintained, flat, free of obstacles, but obviously a little dusty.

2019 actually stuck in traffic, because of road work. So I decided to take a phew pictures. Wild life is beautiful. Actually seen a big bird cary a snake threw the air pass my car. Would have liked to got that picture.

I really loved my visit here. I went in early August which is not really the prime season so I practically had the whole place to myself. The exibits at the visitor center are informative, well done and interesting to look at. The two people working there were both friendly and helpful and set me in the direction of the car tours.I know there are a few different access points. The one I visited was the main entrance with auto tours, Tule Elk and Waterfowl. In the summer all of the marshes and wetlands are drained, but I did find water on the Waterfowl tour by taking a spur off the Chester Marsh trail. Theres much more water off of the Tule Elk route and lots of little parking areas for fishing access and nice little spots to sit by the river.If you take any of the car tours, its great to be prepared to spend some time. It was so quiet I could have stopped anywhere I wanted for an hour or two and had a picnic. I really enjoyed the half day I spent, and no charge for any of it. Next time I go Ill bring enough food and water to make a whole day of it. So peaceful.

We love this place, and that we can go up on the lookout with the huge scope to see the animals up close. Thank everyone who made this amazing place :)

Awesome place for wildlife and great for nature people that want to get out and take a drive to tour the area. Small hiking trails also at the park.The museum on site is a great place to learn about birds and animals that live underground.

We decided to stop on the way home from a Spartan race. There was so much to see and do. My daughter had fun exploring and learning about area and the wildlife here. There hiking trails and autocar tours. We got to spy on the rare California Tule Elk. At one point there number was 27. Thanks to protection and conservation they are a couple thousand strong but far from previous numbers at one time.

Awesome place to got see lots of birds watching and Elk and some coyotes and raccoons.Great place for kids and families.

This place is nice, lots of wildlife. In evenings and dusk into the night lots of owls, coyote, rabbits, and beware thousands of vicious mosquitos so bring proper clothing and lots of mosquito spray. These mosquitos will attach u everywhere. If u miss a spot with mosquito spray they WILL find it. If u have ur car window cracked open theyll get in hand fills at a time. I recommend hot shot flying insect spray it will kill mosquitos on contact. They are everywhere. As soon as u open ur vehicle door theyre waiting like they know. No one is exempt. If u dont have spray u will get almost eaten alive no exaggeration. I also have seen some wild and mysterious creatures in the night. For example one night my ex wife and I were driving on Wolfson rd towards the wild life reserve on San Luis wild life refuge. I saw a dark creature on left side past the road and a ditch that was about 4 ft wide off the shoulder about 4 ft also. It jumped about 6-7ft in the air and it jumped across the front and higher than my fort areo star mini van and cleared the ditch on left side past 4ft off shoulder, the whole width of road and shoulder and another 4ft past shoulder a 4ft ditch on passengers side of rd. It landed about 20-25ft from the right side shoulder. I gotta say it looked like a kangaroo but half its size. But at same time it landed in field of passengers side as I turned my van to see it with high beams it disapeaered on the air into the thick darkness and was gone. I never seen or heard of any animal that free jumps that far without a running start. Plus Im not sure if it glided in the air or actually flew. To the date it looked like it did both. Jumped then landed and sprang back in the air or it hit the ground and launched its self into the air and flew off. It happened so fast it was weird. My ex also seen it so I know I didnt hallucinate. Never seen it again. Another time I heard loud giant splashes in a creek that runs under the only bridge next to my friends house on the refuge. This was about 2-4 Am it sounded like giant steps like of a person chasing something in the water. This went on for like 10-15mins. I could hear a much smaller and lighter splashes followed by some heavy fast splashing like when anyone tries running in water from the knee down like when playing tag in shallowish water. Exactly like that except it sounded large and heavy. It went further from the area I was at and upstream. It would pause every so often and then us hear the lighter splashes then the heavy ones. I dont know of any big animals there that be the cause of these human like running in water splashes. Idk what it was and I sure wasnt gonna get out my car and try to check to see what it was. It sounded way bigger than my 510.5 height. So it remains mysterious in my mind for sure. I know it wasnt no bear or human. No bears exist there. But other than that a good place to visit.

This is a very special place. This refuge has played such an important role in preserving the tule elk population which a few years ago had started to decline rapidly. We drove along the auto tour to view the wildlife and the birds. Got to see sandhill crane, hawks, riparians, yellow little birds. Please be respectful of this beautiful place and dont ever forget that the birds choose this their home and that mandates us to behave in a way that supports them and not scare them away. Great effort San Luis refuge!

Beautiful big place to walk or drive. Lots of birds to see and sand hill cranes. And there are some magnificent Elk there to.

Amazing place, about an hour from Stockton. We saw Tule Elk, raptors, riparian bunnies, quail, egrets, great herons, ducks, and so many birds!

Its great place totally worth visiting on your travel. I highly recommend to visit center and take all paths that they have. You can drive your car there and see so amazing animals. I loved it.

Self drive bird safari and walking trails. Was here on a very clear day between rains and could see the foothills to west. Storm clouds working their way up the Sierras to the east. So many birds.

Cool trails to walk, lots of wildlife, and a neat little visitor center.

This is a great place to see lots of wildlife.

This is the best wildlife in the Los Banos vicinity. You can do a drive to check out the birds, Tule Elk, and other wildlife. The wildlife center is a must stop, there’s a a lot of good info.

Subpar experience, barely any wild life to be seen and very close to the road. I came here because the weather was poor in Yosemite.

Good time out of school trip

Totally gorgeous views of disappearing habitat in the Central Valley. Easy views of water fowl and Elk from your car, and super friendly rangers (and cat). Its totally worth the side trip for a peek back in time.

Small place and you can’t spend too much time here. Not too many place to park to explore.

I arrived early in the morning the fog was coming off the waters. A great place to visit lots of birds

I spent hours walking the trails and bird watching. Great coons, red-winged blackbirds, mallards, egrets, pin-tailed geese, and more.

Loved this place, amazing opportunities to spot wildlife both on the trail or on an auto tour!

Definitely coming back lots to see elk coyotes sheep,all kinds of birds, fishing had a good time viewing and driving around

Lots of different birds. We saw 80 tundra swans. We also saw a pair of does.

️ this preserve- Blue Heron alone is worth going to see

Lots of places to fish. Its free. People are nice. No trash everwhere. Dont get bothered by fish and game very often.

Lots of mosquitoes this time of year bring your spray or opt out for the car ride tour instead.

We had an awesome drive around the refuge, looking for Elk. Managed to see some hiding in the bush using a telescope. The staff was extremely friendly. The facility was clean and chilled, which was nice.

What we like about this refuge is its isolation and the opportunity to find peace and quiet. In the visitor center, there are very comfortable chairs and a sofa in front of a picture window, great on hot or cold days. Its usually a challenge to actually see the elk, but worth it. Lots of birds and bunny rabbits.

It was fun finding the Tule Elk and all the different animals. Take BUG spray. Nice place for a science and picnic trip.

Very nice rec park. Has a lot of different kinds of spots. Some in a more lake area, some spots with rapids and more rough terrain. It also has a river right next to it that you can camp and an actual campground.

We did the drive tour, it is my 1st and only drive tour ever done. Seen a lot of ducks. We were late in the evening, my son said it sounded like monkeys in a jungle with all the animal noises we heard. We seen lots of rabbits, and it was a nice additional detour to our ride back home from our main trip. It is worth a detour.

This is a wonderful refuge with an interesting visitor center open every day. The fall waterfowl migration is not yet in full swing. We saw an amazing number of pintail ducks, deer and a coyote. There were a few Sandhill cranes. By midNovember it will be worth another visit when the light geese arrive. Nice auto tour.

Love coming out here I can always find a quiet spot

This place could be so much more, if the local people set up a friends of San Luis group. You dont know what you have in your own back yard.

Its a beautiful place to go for a walk in one of natures most spectacular open parks. It is so full of animals and bird of all types. It is also the home of some beautiful red tail Hawks. It is also the place of an old native American village.

Oh the herds of tule elk. So beautiful!

I dont know how people are saying they saw any wildlife. There were nothing but mosquitoes. No birds, bats, lizards or frogs to control the insect population. The visitors center was overgrown with weeds and abandoned. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes so badly that they even got all over the inside of my car. Should have taken pictures of the place from my car.

We only spent a couple of hours here, but got some pretty pictures. It had more water than usual, so that helped. We plan to go back, especially in the spring when there is suppose to be a lot of wild flowers. So much more to see!

The Auto tour was pretty interesting there was lots of wild life deer, sheep, elk and a wide variety of birds. The day we went it was clear and sunny. Overall it was a good trip if youre someone who wants to see some wildlife.

Relaxing trails and great fishing holes

Great presentations, we learned a lot, got to view wildlife and help plant.

I love going to this place. It is so peaceful. A beautiful spot to get away and enjoy nature

The new Visitor Center is a fabulous learning experience for all ages. I highly recommend taking the Tule Elk Auto Tour and during waterfowl migration... There is also a Waterfowl Auto Tour. Pack a lunch, there are a few hiking trails to take and enjoy bird watching along with spotting a deer or a few.

Auto tour (self drive tour) was great, saw lots of raptors and other birds. We visited this refuge last month on the way to Yosemite. So glad we did.

An amazing experience and a perfect visitor center for kids - everything is interactive and can be touched. Lots of fun and lots of info!

Ive been going out here for years. Really nice place if you just wanna go for a drive & be outside. Be in the open & the quiet. Watch the birds. I find a lot of peace and connection out here. Theres a couple different auto routes. One goes by the river, one goes through marshland. The river one to the left at the fork is shorter. A few little walking trails. Flat of course. There is a public restroom.

I needed a little time just to enjoy nature. You can just drive through sit in your car quietly or listen to music and Center yourself. Theres tent camping and around the corner theres a little RV and tent camping the little Lake. If you forget something when theres an emergency getting to the city its just a few minutes. The Rangers are open to give you any advice and assist you at any time.

Went hunting then they arrested me. Worst place ever, next time I go Im going to have to be more sneaky

Beautiful place to visit many species of birds and animals to see.

Timing is everything in order to see large migrations. If you drive slowly around the Tule Elk vehicle tour, youll be able to see the elk.

Just like last season the birds just arent down here yet.Drew low #s for San Luis 2 weeks in a row and hunted Blue Goose. The pit blinds are nice to hunt in for a change just wish there was more to shoot at.

This spot is exquisite and the docents are amazing! Well worth visiting as a family, school group or a quiet excursion!

Excellent place to learn the natural history of the Great Valley. Excellent visitor center, several auto tour routes and nice hiking trails.

Best place for family time and relaxation

Love this place! My kids always have tons of fun!

Great place for birdwatching! No facilities that I saw, but a perfect spot for being in nature and seeing wildlife.

Really nice place. Elk and birds all over. Id go when its partly cloudy and mild temps due to lack of shade. The mini house panther in the visitors center is a real charmer.

The elk were beautifulWas a good and fun auto tour. Seen new waterfowl and some deer

Although it seems a little out of the way, I highly recommend starting a visit to the refuge at the visitor center. Its a great exhibit hall that explains the history and natural history of the wildlife complex. Theres a boardwalk right there at the center, and I managed to get a few good pictures even in the time of year when most of the birds are not here. There are also auto tour roads as well. The best time to visit would probably be in the Fall and Winter seasons.

Kids love to go for a drive to see what kind of wildlife we will find

Unique experience visiting the santuary and able to see the Elkhorns in the enclosure

Never knew such a magnificent place existed in my own backyard.

Mmm Nikki bbq hi 8 z7ii

I grew up here, I love this place! Just be careful right now, the river is overflowing from the recent huge storms

Love the beauty out there.

Its a nice little ride in the Wildlife. Lots of water now. Roads a little muddy !

I love this place. It is very peaceful.

Great place to walk your dog and see wildlife. Lots of animals to see, especially birds! Very well maintained trails and lots to explore.

A wonderful place to visit, but I might recommend going in the Spring or fall. The highlight of the trip was watching an American Kestrel hovering over the marshes!

Cant bicycle on the automobile road. 2 mile loop thru the ponds & grasses. Lots of bird view spots,

This is a real hidden gem, a few miles north of Los Banks, and only about an hour or so away from the SF Bay Area. Theres a large herd of Tule Elk, along with a wide variety of waterfowl that change with the seasons. Theres also a large collection of raptor, including the most kestrels Ive ever seen in one afternoon.

Good place for photos and to get away...

I did not know all of this was back here. Did you see all of the elk back here. Very nice a surprise

The place is good for meditation. But today has some rain showers so we didnt see many animals. Though there are still lots of birds.

I only stop here to use the portable potty

Great place to learn about the local wildlife. Be sure to follow the signs on highway 165 and Wolfsen Road to the visitor center. Google maps directions will not take you to the correct location as of this review. Google notified.

The visitor center is very kid friendly. The auto tour routes are fun. The elk are always there. The water fowl route depends a little on the water and luck. Either way, dont forget to bring your binoculars!

Place is huge and ghe rangers so helpful

Went for the fishing. NOTHING. The scenery was nice

Im not sure when or if you can visit here, but for the wildlifes sake i hope this place stays unpopular. Its existence is vital to a healthy local watershed so support it financially, economically and by visiting sporadically. if my visitation advice is inaccurate feel free to correct me and ill alter my post upon verification

Seen alot of elk and did some fishing

We came on a rainy day in the late afternoon. We saw all the elk and a few coyotes. At dusk we saw a bunch of deer, rabbits more coyotes, ducks, and a ton of other birds. I cant believe this place isnt more popular. Very cool.

Did some waterfowl hunting from the Feather-Raft on Salt Slough.

Once again we were fortunate to see the Tile elk! This is a must visit place- put it on your calendar.

Great place to go for a walk, bicycle ride or a slow drive and observe the wildlife. Many different birds, including waterfowl, raptors & migrating birds, squirrels, rabbits, coyote, frogs, turtles, fish, etc. Plus the Tule Elk, which you can watch from the viewing platforms through telescopes.

Its a nice place for walking your dogs

This is a great reserve! Thousands of birds, an amazing elk sanctuary, nice driving and walking trails. This is a great place to take the whole family to learn about the wildlife that is native to the area.

A great place to have lunch

Beautiful place, especially for picture taking.

Come out and watch the wild life

Amazing spot to take the kids and family for a nice long drive out in the country, I highly recommend it for fishing and for sightseeing

You can interact with some of the wildlife, its kid friendly and they have a cat they rescued named Lucky!

A fantastic family experience, you can travel in your own vehicle across miles of full dirt roads and explore. Dont expect to see to much animals besides hundreds of small birds and rabbits, there are areas to park and fish and lots of open fields. The visitors center is great and informative, the mini museum is bult in is very interesting but short, lota to do if your a nature lover, dont forget your long lense camera or binoculars.

First time fishing in years. Took my wife and kids. Caught our first fish. It was truly fun after the first fish. Gave us a new belief. We will go back to San Luis National Wildlife again. Thanks!

Enjoying a nice afternoon