Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Toledo

Wonderful place right in the backyard. Lucky to live so close. Great staff!

Very nice, and diversified experience. Lots of different types of birds...make sure you understand what path to take, and which marse to visit before leaving home. Really beautiful and fun.

Watch out for deer crossing. Lots of aviary wild life. The eagles can be seen daily and the pelicans and swans

We visited the Nature Center and walked on some of the trails. Saw a variety of wildflowers and birds. The Nature Center is interesting. The trails are well maintained. A very pleasant and peaceful experience.

Wish I knew when doors are actually open seems everytime I try to go its not open open. Kids enjoy fishing pond though and I really appreciated a worker helping us with map and letting my baby use restroom despite being closed.

Visitors Center is currently only open Thursday-Sunday 12-4. Driving trial was closed and several walking trails were closed. Trails that were open were somewhat unkept. With all the wonderful reviews we made the drive to spend the day only to be disappointed. Talked with several other visitors that were just as disappointed as we were. Restrooms are located in a building behind visitors center. Restrooms were open and well maintained. We visited on a Monday. Call ahead before making your trip, as they seem to change times and days open.

Absolute must visit and walk for any birder, bird watcher or wildlife photographer. Every person I met while briefly there was very nice. The Refuge is well maintained and beautiful.Side note: Two other amazing places, that are not but minutes up the road (Magee Marsh & Black Swamp Bird Observatory).

A great place to go birding at. When their driving trails are open, you can see a lot of water fowl. From ducks to swans, geese to pelicans. Also, their walking paths are very nice and their visitors center is amazing! Nice little gift shop with clean restrooms. If you visit Magee Marsh/BSBO, definitely add Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to your itinerary.

I worked there back in 1978. Found a turtle burial site, took samples of everything, tagged deer, ripp-rapped in December, drank blackberry brandy in January and more amazing stuff!

Attended for a teacher workshop. Presenters were well informed. Had a great time on the driving tour. Cant wait for another visit.

Great place for shore bird watching, along with wading birds & prairie species also. Eagles can always be seen there too

This place is a must see for eagles, blue herons,egrets,ducks all kinds of wildlife. I saw 6 eagles tonight, 2 flew over my car! The improvements the park made on the back half of the refuge very nice. The wild life drive is a must. This is a gem of a park. Glad we have this marshland saved. Please donate at the blue box if you can at the gate for the wild life drive.also baby owls on back half of wild life drive spotted.

First time Ive been really enjoyed the trails

Great place to see and learn about warblers and other migratory birds. Beautiful setting.

The driving tour was awesome. We drive over 8 miles at the Refuge. Incredible.

The refuge is a excellent location for migrating water fowl and a wide variety of trails are available. The visitor center is open and has a gift shop.

One of my favorite places to take pictures. If you have never been there before get ready for some walking and wildlife.

Great nature Center & lots to do surrounding it. The wildlife drive is a must see!

It was a great place to see lots of wildlife! We saw so many birds and that was just doing the driving portion! We plan to revisit and walk some the of the trails!

Great place. Saw eagles, Loons, egrets, swallows. Great birding place.

Found this without even trying, and Im thankful I did! If your a birder, this place is amazing! Saw more Tundra Swans in one spot than Ive seen in my whole life! Unbelievable! Saw lots of other birds too

A fantastic place for an off the road stop that is not just a rest area. Free entry, free car charging from solar, clean restroom, great trails especially for birders or just to stretch legs. We had relaxing time to eat our sandwiches. Picnic tables & water in summer. Only hassel is main doors of visitor center arent often open (could be from limitedCovid staffingAmazing place to benefit from our federal tax dollars at work!

Decide to take the wildlife drive and if you can, I highly recommend it! Make sure you bring some binoculars & a camera because theres so much to see & many great sights for beautiful pictures! We seen so many different species of birds, swans, turtles, bald eagles, & more! Such a beautiful place to drive through too. Plan to go back soon to hike the trails next time!

My wife and I came to the area to kayak in a nearby location and stopped here on our way out of town. So glad we did. This is fantastic, peaceful, and enjoyable spot to walk quietly and enjoy nature. My wife is an amateur photographer and we found several opportunities for amazing shots. I took these on my phone. Bring your walking shoes and enjoy this amazing location.

Wery nice bird watching area. A lot of various birds all sizes and shapes. Also spotted an otter, a raccoon and a few bunnies.

This is an excellent area for birding with a very extensive boardwalk. There are several wooded trails and wooden bridges. There are Purple Martin bird houses. There is plenty of parking and a very impressive visitor center.

One of the most amazing drives I have ever seen. This was my first visit, you need to check the website before you got the drive is only open couple times a year. Creatures you can find are eagles, owlets, egret, swans, American Pelicans, frogs, tree swallows, geese ...Free parking lot, many hiking trails, and board walk to enjoy other trails. Bathroom is available but it could take you a while if the place is crowded. Enjoy the wildlife, amazing sunsets and sunrises.

Beautiful natural park with easy access and great view! Beautiful birds especially beautiful swans 🦢 are amazing! Plan to go back during summer and falls!

Driving through was mostly not permitted as this point, but it has been wet and muddy this year. We opted to hike instead, 3 miles each way. We were generously rewarded with photo ops of 5 eagles. For January 18, weather was pretty good and only a dusting of snow. If you opt to go right now, wear good boots and outer pants that you wont be upset if they become muddy, as every trail is wet and squishy.

Loved the park, it was great the weather was accommodating and nature was perfect. Highly recommend

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PARK!! Well maintained trails. Most trails are open air with little shade circling the pools but there are a couple forest routes. Lots of wildlife. Herons, egrets, water snakes, frogs, garter snakes, turtles, and more. We could see a bald eagle too but not close enough for my phone camera.

It was majestic with Lily Pads , Lotus flowers , gorgeous birds and well kept trails.

Always a peaceful experience with plenty of trails for walking or biking and scenic roads for driving

Great place to view birds and other wildlife

Beautiful gem of the northwest Ohio lake shore area. You never know what you might see at this place definitely check it out.

This beautiful park has wonderful, well-kept walking trails. You will see so much wildlife! Keep an eye out for Bald Eagle nests in the winter when the leaves are sparse.

Very well kept park. Lots of trails and photo opportunities even in winter!

Beautiful State Park located right across from Put-in-Bay. You can even see Perrys monument from the shore. My speech for swimming. Accommodating outside showers. Restrooms or will maintain while we were there plenty of parking. And also handicap parking available. Numerous picnic areas throughout the park. Camping sites are available. Easy to spot from road. Plenty of shopping within a short distance.

Great refuge for wildlife specifically for birds. Quiet and safe for wildlife photographers. Clean restrooms. Make sure to check their website/fb page before going. Wildlife drive is open only certain days.

A lovely natural reserve where you can take your time on a stroll thru the paths or drive the circuit and watch native birds. The building has exhibits and interactive activities to do. This stop is fun for ages. Will go back any times.

Lots of good trails and birds to see. We saw several eagle nests while walking and driving around. Make sure to take the nature drive where you can see many other birds and mammals. Make sure to visit the Visitor Center for good information from the rangers.

A beautiful park full of scenic trails where one can experience nature up close (well as close as wildlife will allow)! The Nature Center is full of wonderful exhibits and theres always expert help available if you have questions.

Fished out of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Monday July 9, it was a decent day.Two of us fished for four hours and got a two man limit in about 4.5 hours. The actual Wildlife Refuge is a bird sanctuary, attracts a lot of bird watchers in the spring.

It was a beautiful ride through the marsh land! Was able to capture sight of some duck, swan and other birds

You can catch just about anything you would want to out here. You cant keep it though. Its just catch and release. Days worth of trails out here... swamps, forests, ponds, beaches... It has it all. I saw so much wildlife out here it makes your head spin. You can borrow dip nets, kids back packs(adventure packs with fun stuff inside), and field guides in the main building. They have to be turned in by 4pm. You love nature? Well youve got to come here.

This place was amazing! Has a great short boardwalk trail near the visitors center, that takes you into the woods and above a wetland. Great place to see an Egret up close! Miles of additional walking paths in and out of the separate basins. Topping all of this off is a slow drive around the entire grounds, with multiple eagles nest, as well as nearly any other bird native to the area!

The visitors center contains many nice displays. I really liked the Sportsmans club re-creation. There are many hiking trails with many birds to see and photograph.

I went on the "Eagle Tour" and wow, saw SO many bald eagles, both adult and sub-adult. There are 7 active bald eagle nests in the Refuge, and more in the general vicinity. Our volunteer tour guide said that this area has the greatest concentration of eagle nests outside of Alaska. Impressive! We saw dozens of eagles, flying and perched -- so beautiful! We also saw a great horned owl sitting in its nest, trumpeter swans, sand hill cranes, downy woodpeckers, rough-legged hawk, great blue herons, snowy egrets, bufflehead ducks, pied-billed grebes. muskrats, and a beaver dam. The eagle tour was free, but did require pre-registration; we left a donation in the very nice visitor center.

Great access to local wildlife, often from your car or via their van tours. Eagle tour is amazing. Best way to view eagles in the wild.

Excellent natural area for easy (flathiking in forests and marshes. Prime spot of youre a birder too :-)