Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Admin Building And Visitor Contact Station

An absolute gem, especially for living in Nampa or Caldwell. So much peace and quiet and unique nature sights to see/hear. As others have said, the visitors center with the free museum and outdoor garden/picnic area is a must visit! The staff are kind and welcoming. The space has a lot for children but curious adults will enjoy learning new facts here too. There’s a lot of animal displays in particular that were intriguing.
Not to mention the multiple access parking points and various kinds of trails!

The below photos feature visits from Winter, Summer, and Fall that show its beautiful to visit any time of year.

My visit to the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge was an absolutely enriching experience, especially noteworthy for its fantastic free activities and educational opportunities for children. It's a rare gem where families can engage with nature without any cost, making it accessible to everyone. The kids' learning areas are particularly impressive. They are well-designed, interactive, and offer a wealth of information and fun, making learning about nature an adventure for the little ones. This aspect of the refuge is comparable in quality and engagement to the esteemed Birds of Prey kids' area. The refuge not only provides a sanctuary for wildlife but also a wonderful, educational playground for children. The effort put into these educational areas is truly commendable, and I'm grateful for the opportunity it presents for kids to learn about and appreciate our natural world. Thank you to everyone involved in maintaining and enriching the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. It's a fantastic resource for the community!

So beautiful here! Great trails for walking and seeing the mountains

Ten minutes Minutes from downtown Caldwell, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge is one of few hilly hikes in the Treasure Valley, beyond the foothills above Boise 25 miles away. The west end of the valley is far less congested, with farmland surrounding the Caldwell area. This morning we photographed a coyote as well as Ospreys, that nest in the refuge. The free museum is a must, as well as the garden behind it that overlooks Lake Lowell. Benches under shaded grass areas are ideal for a picnic.

Beautiful trails, great water views on the first day of spring, last bit of snow on the southern side of mountains almost gone, can't wait until the trees have leaves and everything is a glorious green!

Stopped in to ask some questions and I was treated with respect and a smile. My questions were answered in a professional manner. This is also a great educational experience with the viewpoint of the refuge and the fish and wildlife displays. Well worth the time to visit just for the fun of it. Hiking trails are on sight with informative signs.

Really Wonderful place and Very Informative Visitors center,Love it and go often just to walk the Beautiful trails

An educational experience that has info about several wildlife, several taxidermy animals to look at. Friendly staff that are very helpful. Also has several activities for children to do. My kids enjoyed it very much.

Great place for young children. Very informative and they have great activities for children of all ages, especially the younger ones.

Excellent walking loop trail and viewing area for birds.

Quite and serene other than the birds we could see and hear.

We absolutely LOVE the trails out here!!
There are several different routes that's you can take.
They are all pretty easy to walk on as well.
No ankle twisters that I've noticed!
The wildlife is wonderful.
There's are many different types of birds all over the place.
I highly recommend coming here with your kids too. You can push a stroller over the dirt trails if u have a good stroller.
Also u can take the paths that are paved if u chose to have flatness under your feet.
We walk about 3 or 4 miles when we come on Sundays.
It's absolutely beautiful to walk over the upper damn & down by the docks.
Who knew that walking could be so fun?

The visitor center has so many neat activities for learning about wildlife. The trails are great for enjoying the outdoors also.

Beautiful lake, teaming with wildlife.

Really neat little place. You can and will learn so much about ALL the creatures that live in & around Lake Lowell. The volunteers & staff are SUPER knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Definitely one of the best class field trips I've chaperoned.

It's gorgeous here. It's peaceful and lovely and I enjoy it immensely.

Fantastic place to take children, or even adult who wish to learn more about the refuge. The visitors center has a list of approximately 30 short films about the nature and wildlife surrounding the area, which includes a number of kid related videos that teach them about all kinds of wildlife and their lives. All in all, it's a wonderful place to take children!

They appear to be totally back to their normal hours of operation evenduringwinter. Take your family--its a great time to see wild birds migrating.

Great Natures Explorers program for preschool age kids once a month. My daughter loved it and wanted to go back the next day. My kids also really enjoy inside the visitor center.

Very knowledgeable and ready to share that knowledge.