Gray Lodge Wildlife Area 🦆 – Gridley, California

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area hosts the Snow Goose Festival each year. Migrating waterfowl of various kinds like to use the area for a pit stop during their journey. The preserve has a driving tour and several walking paths in its 9,100 acres. We enjoyed a 2-mile loop hike with some friends (Returning to Paradise) today. It was cloudy and chilly (48°F) but not pouring rain so we decided to go for it.

It was a pretty gray day, which was fitting because it is Gray Lodge after all. All the gray made for a nice contrast with the cool red barn on the drive there, the kiddos Santa hats (knit by my mom) and the wild rose hips we found along the path.

My friend, L.R. is lots of fun to hike with because she’s a hobby naturalist. She knows so much about biology, botany, and all things nature-related. She helped us identify birds and edible plants. I didn’t even know that roses produced fruit! These rose hips tasted tart and are full of vitamin C.

Hiking here during hunting season is not my favorite thing in the world. Though the hunting sections and the wildlife viewing sections are very safely spaced apart it was still very unnerving for me to hear multiple gunshots while walking outdoors with my kiddos!

The California Department of Fish and Game puts out nesting boxes for the waterfowl.

It looks like dragons or the Loch Ness Monster’s California cousin might appear out from the mist at any second.

Here are some local resident waterfowl that we saw on the way back home.

And another couple of cool photos of the Sutter Buttes.

We hope you are able to enjoy something nature-related this Christmas season!

If you’re ever near Gridley, California be sure to plan a trip to visit Gray Lodge to see some waterfowl.

Thank you for following us or just stopping by for a visit!