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Minnesota

When to catch Litchfield Wetland Districtat its best

Litchfield Wetland District through the year: spring migration (local timing: spring (March-May)) and winter wildlife (2 separate phases, from fall (July-November)). 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 chance rain showers, 61°F · Sun sunny, 59°F
  • Park alertsCheck the managing agency before you go

When are you going?

Fall at Litchfield Wetland District

Good in fall

  • Grassland birds (meadowlarks, godwits, sedge wrens, grasshopper sparrows, harriers) on district lands, March to November

From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.

Nearby in fall

Where to go at Litchfield Wetland District

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

  • Office boardwalkA 300-yard paved and wooden boardwalk beside the district office parking lot, three miles south of Litchfield on 615th Avenue, with two viewing stops (one with a bench) over a prairie wetland and a native prairie pollinator plot; open all year dawn to dusk, not cleared of snow in winterU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Winter wildlife

  • Office boardwalkA 300-yard paved and wooden boardwalk beside the district office parking lot, three miles south of Litchfield on 615th Avenue, with two viewing stops (one with a bench) over a prairie wetland and a native prairie pollinator plot; open all year dawn to dusk, not cleared of snow in winterU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Next 7 days at Litchfield Wetland District

Forecast: National Weather Service
  • TodayPartly Sunny75° / 54°2% rain
  • ThuMostly Sunny63° / 43°–
  • FriSunny60° / 45°2% rain
  • SatChance Rain Showers61° / 45°32% rain
  • SunSunny59° / 40°2% rain
  • MonSunny58° / 48°2% rain
  • TueMostly Sunny65° / 51°9% rain

Today: sunrise 7:16 a.m., sunset 7:02 p.m., light until 7:31 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

Litchfield Wetland District in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions
A wooden boardwalk with railings leading out over golden-brown wetland grasses under a pale evening sky
The office boardwalk at Litchfield Wetland Management District, over golden prairie wetland grasses (item dated November 18, 2015). Photo: Beverly Meyer/USFWS · public domain · resized

Questions people ask

Is there a fee?

No, it's free to visit.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Litchfield Wetland Management District: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Where else can I go?

All 156 of the district's waterfowl production areas and its four Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge tracts, spread across Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties, are open to the public. Check the district map first (it's being improved).Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Litchfield Wetland Management District: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Are there facilities out on the units?

Mostly not: several waterfowl production areas have parking and interpretive signs, but most are natural land with no facilities, so bring what you need and take your trash home. Restrooms are inside the district office.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Litchfield Wetland Management District: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

When is the office open?

Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., except federal holidays.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Litchfield Wetland Management District: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How we know

Every timing above, from these pages; checked Sep 30