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Don’t let that holiday turkey be the only bird your family encounters this Thanksgiving. Go for a hike. A post-feast nature walk can be as much a family tradition as cranberry sauce and stuffing. While burning off calories, you can enjoy the fresh air and see some wildlife. There are plenty of places to go. Visit one of ÃÛèÖAPP’s laced with trails. Or choose a . The Refuge System encompasses 150 million acres, and there is at least one refuge in every state. Many of them are .ÌýThe following 16 National Wildlife Refuge hikes are family-friendly and relatively short. Each one offers a chance to see many birds and other wildlife in late November.Ìý

Alabama

Atkeson Cypress Trail,

Length: 0.5 milesÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Sandhill cranes, waterfowl, migratory songbirds

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The refuge is two miles from Decatur. Pick up a refuge map outside the visitor center.ÌýFrom this walk, go a short distance to the Observation Building Trail, which leads to a viewing area with scopes.

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Arkansas

Upland Nature Trail,

Length: 0.8 miles with optional short add-onÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Wood ducks, mallards, blue-winged teal, woodpeckers, warblers, vireos

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No entrance fee. Pick up a map and brochure from the box at the refuge entrance.ÌýThis hike can be turned into an easy 1.5-mile loop by walking along the riverbank at the trail’s end to the foot of boardwalk.

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California

Wetlands Walking Trail,

Length: 2 miles, with optional shortcut

Wildlife: Shorebirds, grebes, ducks, geese, raccoons

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This marsh trail has a viewing platform. See even larger concentrations of ducks and geese along the 6-mile auto tour route. Entrance fee: $8 per vehicle. Pick up a map and brochure at the kiosk outside the visitor center.

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North McCoy Trail,

Length: 1.12 milesÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Terns, vireos, pelicans

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Florida

Indigo Trail,

Length: 2 miles

Wildlife: Roseate spoonbills, white pelicans, egrets, herons

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Entrance fee of $5 per carload or $1 per hiker or cyclist

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Allan Cruickshank Trail,

Length: 5-mile loop

Wildlife: Bald eagles, roseate spoonbills, ducks, pintails, blue-winged teal, Ìý Ìýmigratory birds, northern harriers

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You’d like a shorter hike? The Wild Bird Trail is only .25 miles. Both trailsÌýare located off Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, the refuge’s 6-mile auto route and the best place on the refuge to see birds. Entrance fee: $5 per car. When the visitor center is open,Ìýas it is Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving week, stop by the officeÌýto borrow a Junior Birder backpack, with bird guide and binoculars.

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Louisiana

Wetland Walkway Trail,

Length: 1.5 miles

Wildlife: Egrets, great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, variety of ducks

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No entrance fee. Refuge is 7 miles south of Hackberry, LA. Visit nearby Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge to see more ducks and marsh birds.

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Maryland

Marsh Edge Trail,

Length: 0.4 miles with optional add-on

Wildlife: Woodpeckers, nuthatches, great blue herons, egrets, bald eagles, ducks

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The trail leads off of Wildlife Drive. Pay $3 to vehicle to enter Wildlife Drive. For optimum wildlife viewing and a slightly longer hike, walk down the road from the trail to an observation platform over the marsh. Add on the Woods Trail for another half mile. Pick up a map at the refuge kiosk. Ìý

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New Mexico

John P. Taylor Jr. Memorial Trail,

Length: 1 mile roundtripÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Sandhill cranes, hawks, American kestrels, northern harriers, snow geese

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To see more birds, follow your walk with a short drive to the refuge Flight Deck—a viewing platform over a managed wetland. Pick up a refuge map outside the visitor center. $5 entrance fee per vehicle. Ìý Ìý

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North Carolina

North Pond Wildlife Trail,

Length: 0.6 milesÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Waterfowl such as pintails widgeon, teal, a variety of ducks, snow geese

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No entrance fee. Trail has three viewing platforms with scopes and a viewing tower.ÌýBefore you go: ÌýCheck the website to confirm thatÌýHighway 12 has reopened, as scheduled, after Hurricane Sandy. The road goes throughÌýthe refuge.

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Oklahoma

Burford Lake Trail,

Length: 0.7 mileÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Waterfowl, plus bison, longhorn and elk. Bald and golden eagles may start arriving.

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No entrance fee. For more birds, try the Quanah Parker Trail near the environmentalÌýeducation center. Pick up a map outside the visitor center.

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Oregon

Main Trail,

Length: 1 mile roundtripÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Pintails, geese, ducks, widgeons, buffleheads, green-winged teal

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No entrance fee. You can catch a bus from downtown Portland directly to the refuge.ÌýPick up a map at the kiosk outside the refuge visitor center.ÌýThanksgiving weekend generally coincides with peak migration here. Also check out the pair of bald eagles building a nest in front of the center.

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Texas

Chachalaca Trail,

Length: 0.5 miles

Wildlife: Chachalaca, green jays, Altamira orioles, northern beardless tyrannulets, woodland birds,Ìýplus animals including armadillo, javelin, and bobcats

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Entrance fee: $3. Trail with viewing areas and scopes is wheelchair-accessible.ÌýPick up a map at visitor center kiosk. See the last remaining thorn scrub forest.

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Skillern Track Trail,

Length: 0.1 mile Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý

Wildlife: Waterfowl, mottled ducks, blue-winged teal, gadwall, wading birds including great egret and great blue herons, a variety of hawks such has the northern harrier

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No entrance fee. Pick up a map at the refuge kiosk.ÌýTrail skirts a managed wetland and a bayou. The refuge is 20 miles from Anahuac, TX. Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý

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Washington

Twin Barns Loop Trail,

Length: 1 mileÌý

Wildlife: Ducks, geese, great blue herons, bald eaglesÌý ÌýÌýÌýÌý

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Entrance fee: $3 per four adults; Age 16 and under free.ÌýPick up map and brochure at fee station.ÌýCheck out the Nature Explore Area for children ages 2-10.ÌýSee great flocks of geese, especially early in the morning.ÌýExit 114 off Interstate 5.

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Sandpiper Trail,

Length: 1.5 milesÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Wildlife: Waterfowl, dunlin, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, great blue herons,Ìýnorthern harriers, other raptors and waterfowl

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No entrance fee. Pick up map and brochure at refuge kiosk.

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Refuge trails are open to the public, from sunrise to sunset, even when refuge offices are closed for Thanksgiving Day. Trail maps and brochures are usually available outside the visitor center or at a refuge entrance kiosk. For the best wildlife viewing, combine your hike with a ride along a refuge wildlife drive. These scenic routes also remain open on Thanksgiving. Find many other trails in the National Wildlife Refuge System .

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