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Oregon's South Coast is your destination. Check out these wonderful Bay Area activities.

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12 Visit a wildlife refuge

Visitors to the South Coast have the unique opportunity to view an abundance of wildlife in its natural habitat at the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and the Oregon Islands NWR.

Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bandon Marsh NWR was established in 1983. It includes approximately 900 acres that were set aside to provide habitat for diverse wildlife, including shorebirds, waterfowl, salmon and other estuarine-dependent species.

The refuge is divided into two units. The Bandon Marsh Unit includes approximately 300 acres of tidally influenced estuary west of U.S. Highway 101 near the mouth of the Coquille River. Access and parking are available at an overlook on the west side of Riverside Drive. It includes an accessible boardwalk and deck, a bench and a stairway leading to the marsh.
Public uses at the marsh include photography, hunting, fishing, clamming, birdwatching, educational activities and more. Marsh visitors will find a unique year-round opportunity to observe diverse bird species.

An accessible observation deck allows the public to view the north end of the refuge. To visit the overlook, turn east onto North Bank Lane just north of Bullards Bridge, which is located about two miles north of Bandon on U.S. Highway 101.

Coquille Point and its associated rocks, reefs and islands, located at the west end of 11th Street Southwest in the city, is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses nearly 2,000 rocky islands along the coast. Birders watch rocks in spring and early summer for breeding puffins, gulls, cormorants and murres.

Planning a trip?

12 Visit a wildlife refuge

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