william l. finley national wildlife refuge

I have been here several times, great place to go blackberry picking, a nice little pond to watch the wildlife and several historic buildings. It would make a wonderful event site. Closed for a bit during hunting season for safety's sake, call before heading out.

I enjoyed the various habitat types that were managed for the varied wildlife on the Refuge. There are informational kiosks and signs providing background behind the scenes. A lot of effort has gone into restoring native habitat types to promote endangered species.

Great place to see the caged birds, pick blackberries in season, catch disappointingly small fish and enjoy Oregon's great outdoors.

Great expansive areas as well as wooded areas and lots of water. Flat land and hills mix well. Very good for long walks or short walks. No cost.

Finley is probably not for the average sightseer but with patience, and a pair of binos you can see a lot: woodpeckers, songbirds and even a occasional bobcat.Drive slowly and talk quietlyfor best results. Don't miss the trees at the visitors center for songbirds and the oaks along the road for blue birds.

I love the hikes at FWLR - good trails and so much to see. However, I have yet to see an elk herd. What is the best season to do that? What time of day? what location (meadow, marsh..)? It's mid-June, so I'm hoping I can get some elk-sighting in before the fall.

Finley is by far my favorite place to hike in Corvallis Oregon. They have many nice trails. One which walks alongside a large pond. We've even seen fish. To name a few animals we've seen, cranes, birds, cougars (I haven't seen one but my sister has), cows, and carp. They have many fruit trees that you can eat from. Pears and plums are most abundant. :) They also have a tour oftheir REAL 19th century house.

if you like animals, wildlife, flowers and a want to be outside without many people, this is the place to go. The bathrooms are clean, the walking trails marvelous, and the animals plentiful! What I wouldn't do again is go out the backside of the park as it goes out into a very steep a winding narrow road without guardrails(!) But it is amazing spot and it's free!

We visited twice before it was open for the summer and therefore cannot offer opinions on all that was available but what we saw was tremendous. On the first occasion the goose population was spooked from the opposite side of the water and gradually all took off until several thousand geese were darkening the sky. Amazing sight, next time we visited they had almost all moved on, but there was much else to see. Easy access and a nice little visitor centre. A good day out to see some wildlife, particularly now more of the paths are open.

How lucky can we get here in the Willamette Valley to have this wonderful resource right in our own backyard?! There are plenty of trails to explore and wildlife to view the year around. Among the highlights: the raised, wooden walk out Homer Campbell Trail leading to Cabell Marsh, with plenty of honking Canada geese overhead in the fall and winter; watching for Roosevelt Elk sightings as they blend in with the native landscape; visiting with the friendly and knowledgeable rangers and staff at the headquarters building and gift shop, or bird watching from the Prairie Overlook. There's always something to see or to explore while spending time with Nature in this great national wildlife refuge.

Finley is one of our favorite places to visit to bird-watch and just relax on a sunny afternoon. Nice hiking trails and varied sections keep the refuge interesting to visit year-round.

Large number of Canada geese from mid-Oct. to Mar. Thousands. Love the sound. Some nice hiking in tuhe summer.

The wide array of waterfowl and other wildlife found on a network of trails and informative Kiosks is amazing. Your staff is very knowledgable and eager to help finding the best viewing sights on the refuge..

Except for some very nice blackberries, not much is going on in the park in August. Don't go in on Bruce road as it is rough gravel. I will give it another try in the fall.

The best times to visit here are in the spring and fall to see birds migrating through or in the winter to see huge flocks of wintering Canada geese. Best to call the HQ before going to see what's "in season". Summer an be sort of slow. They have a nice open house in the spring. Roads are dirt so don't plan on riding your road bike around. I'm not sure they're hot on folks riding mtn bikes around either, at least off the roads. They have great viewing stands and some well laid out paths through woods and fields. You can experience open fields, oak savannas, oak-conifer forests. Spring is the best time for most flower viewing. Bring binoculars and your camera.