Facility Activities
Things to Do
If you have 15-minutes...
- Stop by the visitor contact station for some information followed by a quick walk on the Headquarters Trail.
If you have one hour...
- Go birding! Turnbull is one of the best spots in eastern Washington to see migratory birds, especially in Spring and Fall.
If you have half a day or more...
- Go for a drive on the scenic auto tour and explore additional trails.
Blue Goose Passport Stamp
Visitors to Turnbull NWR can collect their free Blue Goose Passport stamp. The passport books are available for purchase through the Friends of Turnbull nature store. Much like the National Park Service's Passport To Your National Parks program, the Blue Goose Passport allows visitors to collect ink stamps in a collectible book to commemorate each of their explorations. Stamps feature the Blue Goose logo designed by J.N "Ding" Darling, a cartoonist turned conservationist and first director of the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as the date and location of the refuge.
Recreational Opportunities
With the passage of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act in 1997, six wildlife-dependent recreational activities are often managed on refuges as long as they are determined to be compatible, legitimate and appropriate public uses of the refuge. Hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and interpretation are often referred to as the "big six". Turnbull offers five of the big six, including environmental education and interpretation programs, great wildlife viewing and photography opportunities, and limited annual hunts for elk, turkey, and waterfowl.