![Two children looking at a herd of elk from the bed of a carriage in a snowy landscape with mountains in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_width_600/public/2021-02/winter-sleigh-ride-on-national-elk-refuge-natalie-fath-usfws.jpg?itok=V3h6XPlX)
Two foot trails through the refuge’s varied habitats provided excellent opportunities for wildlife observation. The Forest Habitat Trail winds through a hardwood forest and scrub/shrub habitat around a pond. The best time to walk this trail is in spring when you are likely to hear choruses of spring peepers and Southern leopard frogs.
The Grassland Trail winds through a small portion of upland forest overlooking the finger of a tidal marsh at an observation platform then extends through a grassland area. In the winter you are likely to see a northern harriers and American kestrels foraging over the grassland. Songbirds are present throughout the summer.