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Alabama

When to catch Wheeler Refugeat its best

Wheeler Refuge through the year: spring migration (usually: April: Teal migration is at its peak.), wildflowers (usually: April) and winter wildlife (3 separate phases, from September). Each has its own page with spots, sources and the latest reports.

RIGHT NOW · SEP 30

  • Latest reportNo dated report this season; the posters below show each usual window.
  • This weekend (NWS)Sat showers and thunderstorms likely, 84°F · Sun showers and thunderstorms likely, 78°F
  • Park alertsCheck the managing agency before you go

When are you going?

Where to go at Wheeler Refuge

Spots, visitor points and places nearby
  • Fall
  • Winter
Places on this map, as a list
Map: approximate positions; state lines US Census.

Best spots

Where each event's source says to go

Spring migration

  • Flint Creek TrailA 1.28-mile double loop of boardwalk and dirt through oak-hickory forest, where warblers are sometimes seen and heard in spring and fall migration; from the Flint Creek Day Use Area on the north side of Hwy 67, less than a quarter mile west of the visitor center entrance; no bikesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
  • Beaver Dam BoardwalkA 1-mile out-and-back gravel and boardwalk walk into the Beaverdam Creek Swamp National Natural Landmark, where songbirds often sing from the canopy (Site #25 on the North Alabama Birding Trail); from I-565 Exit 7 via County Line Rd and Old Hwy 20, which dead-ends at the trailhead; no bikesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Wildflowers

  • Flint Creek TrailA 1.28-mile double loop of boardwalk and dirt through oak-hickory forest with dogwood and red maple, from the Flint Creek Day Use Area on the north side of Hwy 67, less than a quarter mile west of the visitor center entrance; no bikesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
  • Atkeson Cypress TrailA half-mile, wheelchair-accessible boardwalk loop through a cypress swamp from the south side of the visitor center, back to its parking lot; open only during visitor center hoursU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Winter wildlife

  • Wildlife Observation BuildingReached by a 200-yard trail behind the visitor center, it overlooks a waterfowl pond where hundreds of ducks and geese and thousands of sandhill cranes feed in winter; the trail and the building's first floor are wheelchair accessibleU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
  • Flint Creek TrailA 1.28-mile double loop of boardwalk and dirt through oak-hickory forest, where warblers are sometimes seen and heard in spring and fall migration; from the Flint Creek Day Use Area on the north side of Hwy 67, less than a quarter mile west of the visitor center entrance; no bikesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Next 7 days at Wheeler Refuge

Forecast: National Weather Service
  • TodaySunny90° / 64°–
  • ThuSunny92° / 67°3% rain
  • FriMostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms90° / 67°45% rain
  • SatShowers And Thunderstorms Likely84° / 65°73% rain
  • SunShowers And Thunderstorms Likely78° / 59°73% rain
  • MonSlight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny78° / 53°15% rain
  • TueSunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers77° / 54°15% rain

Today: sunrise 6:42 a.m., sunset 6:35 p.m., light until 7:00 p.m. · moon waning gibbous, 78% lit (our calculation)

Nearby, and when they peak

Straight-line miles; roads are longer

Towns nearby

Straight-line miles; each town page has frost dates and its nature year

Wheeler Refuge in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions
The visitor center building at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge visitor center building (circa 2024). Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · public domain · resized

Questions people ask

When can I walk the trails?

The refuge is open in daylight. The Atkeson Cypress Trail by the visitor center keeps the visitor center's hours.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheeler NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheeler NWR: Trails ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How do I get to the Beaver Dam Boardwalk?

From I-565 take Exit 7 (County Line Rd), go south over the interstate, then turn right within 0.1 mile onto Old Hwy 20, which dead-ends at the trailhead in about 2 miles.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheeler NWR: Trails ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Can I bike to see birds?

Not on the Flint Creek Trail or the Beaver Dam Boardwalk. The Hiking & Bicycling Trail near the visitor center road is 2.5 miles each way, open in daylight only.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheeler NWR: Trails ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Which spring migrants start moving in March?

Blue-winged teal and shorebirds, in the refuge's March calendar.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheeler NWR: Species (Seasons of Wildlife) ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How we know

Every timing above, from these pages; checked Sep 28