Winter at the Ridgefield Refuge Belongs to the Carty Unit This Year

Starting tomorrow, October 5, 2026, the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge closes the River 'S' Auto Tour Route to walkers. The seasonal Carty Lake and Kiwa trails close for the season on the same day. If your summer routine was a walk down the dusty Auto Tour road or a loop on Kiwa, today is the last day for it until spring.

The refuge isn't shutting down, though. On foot, it now centres on the Carty Unit, off NW Main Avenue. This winter the Carty Unit has something it has never had in the off-season: the Community Nature Center, which opened on May 3, 2026, and now faces its first wet season. It sits at 28908 NW Main Ave. In practice, winter at the refuge is two separate experiences: a drive through River 'S' and a walk at Carty.

River 'S' Turns Into a Drive

The four-mile Auto Tour loop stays open to vehicles all year. From October through April it is vehicle-only. Under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's winter rules, you can get out of the car at just three places: the entrance kiosk, the restrooms and the viewing blind.

The two-way section runs only until the first straightaway ends at a gate. Past that, the road is one-way. The refuge asks drivers who stop to pull all the way over so staff and contractors can get by. That matters more in winter, because stopping is the whole point of the drive.

Why a Car Gets Through and a Walker Doesn't

The refuge's own explanation is simple. Migrating ducks, geese, swans and sandhill cranes rarely see a slow-moving car as a threat, and most of the time they will let one pass or even stop beside them. A human figure looks like a predator. It sends the flock into the air and burns energy the birds need for resting and refuelling. The Service calls this using your vehicle as a personal observation blind.

There are plenty of birds to see this way. The Service names September through December as the time for flocks of ducks, geese and swans, plus families of sandhill cranes resting on the refuge. Vancouver Audubon's guide to the refuge, last revised in 2024, estimates the habitat can hold up to 25,000 geese and 40,000 ducks, with tundra swans abundant from fall to mid-March. Those figures describe capacity, not a count from this season. They do show why the refuge treats its winter guests carefully.

The cranes are also why the season opens with a party. Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge holds BirdFest & Bluegrass each year to celebrate the cranes' return. This year's festival ran on Saturday, October 3, with spotting scopes set up on the River 'S' route beyond the hunt gate. It fell on the last weekend walkers were allowed on that road.

Hunt Days on the Other Side of the Gate

The River 'S' Unit also has a 760-acre spaced-blind area for waterfowl hunting. The 2026–27 calendar runs regular hunts on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Auto Tour stays open to vehicles throughout the season. The walking closure has its own reason, which is wildlife disturbance.

If you prefer quieter days for a slow drive with binoculars, the calendar shows which days have hunters on the unit. Thanksgiving is the one Thursday this season without them.

On Foot, Winter Moves North

The Oaks to Wetlands Trail at the Carty Unit stays open all year for day use. It is now the refuge's only walking trail until the seasonal trails reopen. In 2026, Kiwa reopened on July 2. The Service ties that date to nesting birds and has not posted a 2027 date yet.

The Carty Unit has its own winter birds as well. The Friends' 2026 species list says wintering Varied Thrushes are more likely on the Carty Oaks to Wetlands Trail than on the River 'S' route. So the two units offer different birds in winter: waterfowl from the car at River 'S', and woodland birds on foot at Carty.

The First Winter With a Building

Until this year, a cold, wet morning at the Carty Unit offered a trail and not much else. The Community Nature Center changes that. The Columbian's account of the May opening describes two large open rooms for classes or events, a wet lab with workstations and a sink for examining water samples, and a wide deck at the back that overlooks the refuge. The large windows are striped to prevent bird strikes.

Samantha Zeiner, operations director for the Friends, described what the building adds for visitors at the opening:

"(Visitors) have a place to sit, hang out and enjoy nature without having to get down and dirty on the path."

Zeiner also said the center will eventually add a gift shop, interpretive displays and an interactive outdoor area. For now, the building has no fixed weekly hours. The Friends' October 2026 newsletter sends visitors to the refuge's events page and says center and office hours will vary over the next few months while the refuge transitions to the new building. In practice, this winter the center opens around scheduled programs, so the calendar below is the way to get inside.

A Carty Unit Calendar Through December

1. Saturday, October 10, 8 a.m. Bird walk at the Carty Unit led by Robert Vanderkamp.
2. Thursday, October 15, 10:30 to 11 a.m. Drop-in Family Storytime at the Community Nature Center, with the building open from 10 a.m. to noon.
3. Saturday, November 7, 8 a.m. Bird walk led by Ron Escano.
4. Thursday, November 12, 10:30 to 11 a.m. Family Storytime, with the building again open from 10 a.m. to noon.
5. Saturday, November 14 The busiest Carty morning of the season. Vanderkamp leads an 8 a.m. bird walk, and from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the Friends host "Mason Bees Unwrapped," a free community workshop at the center.
6. Saturday, December 5, 8 a.m. Escano's bird walk. The same day, the Friends of the Ridgefield Community Library hold their Hometown Celebration at the Greely Building, 304 Pioneer Street, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the tree lighting at Overlook Park at 4:30 p.m.
7. Saturday, December 12, 8 a.m. Vanderkamp's final listed walk of the year.

The bird walks are free, but the refuge's daily entry fee still applies, and the Service asks participants to sign up by email. The Service has said spring 2027 field-trip dates will be posted in winter 2027, but those are school-group programs, not public walks.

Before You Go

• Gates: open sunrise to sunset. The times posted at the gate are the most reliable guide to that day's hours.
• Fees: $3 per day or $15 for the refuge annual pass. Youth 15 and under are free.
• Passes: America the Beautiful, Senior, Access, military, Veteran and Gold Star, Every Kid Outdoors and qualifying volunteer passes are accepted. State and county park passes are not valid.
• Admin office: open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as staff allow, at 360-887-4106.
• Cathlapotle Plankhouse: the Friends' most recent posted status, from December 2025, says it is not open to the public. Second Sunday and some other programming are paused while the interpretation is revisited with Tribal partners. Group inquiries go to [email protected].

If you've spent more Saturday mornings at the Carty Unit than you can count and are starting to wonder where in Ridgefield to live next, Oxford Street Partners would be glad to compare notes. Book a Consultation, and we'll talk through the streets and properties within easy reach of the refuge.