8 places where you can see winter wildlife in Eastern Washington

You may not realize that Eastern Washington is a winter wildlife wonderland, but the number of viewing opportunities is remarkable.

There are places to go in every direction, and an amazing array of wildlife that can be seen. Wildlife is diverse: elk, deer, bighorn sheep, forest grouse, turkey, quail and myriad small mammals, upland birds, shoreline birds, migratory fowl, raptors and reptiles.

If you see signs along the roads that say WDFW Fishing Access, you can get access to the water. Bald eagles, osprey and great blue heron can be found at any of the parks along the Columbia River: Two Rivers Park, Columbia Park, Sacajawea Park, Hood Park, Fishhook, Charbonneau and the Yakima River.

Here are some amazing places to go and have a winter wildlife adventure:

Bateman Island, Kennewick and Hood Park, Burbank

The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society offers bird walks of Bateman Island (which is closed to normal public access due to fire rehabilitation) on the first Saturday of every month, starting at 8 a.m.(except July and August). The two- to three-hour tours are led by experts who explain about the birds, habitat and fire recovery. Information: lowercolumbiabasinaudubon.org.

McNary Wildlife Refuge, Burbank

Known as a bird lover’s paradise, you can walk along the Burbank Slough Wildlife Trail (flat, 1.9 miles) and likely encounter virtual clouds of ducks, geese and swans. Open water can hold huge numbers of birds, but when it is frozen they are elsewhere. The ducks include mallards, Goldeneye, Northern Shoveler, wigeons, scaups and more. The Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges is hosting a special birding event 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 10.

McNary Dam National Wildlife Refuge

Take Highway 720 east to McNary Dam. There are several ponds in the McNary Wildlife Nature Area downstream of the dam, on the Oregon side. There are also over six miles of riverfront trail along the Columbia River upstream of the dam, Oregon side. Or go west past Irrigon and make a right to go north on Patterson Ferry Road and enter the McCormack Unit of the refuge. There is an auto tour road and several short walking trails that give access to wildlife viewing.

Hanford Reach National Monument, north of Pasco and Richland

Ringold Springs Area: Take Road 68 north of Pasco and head west on Taylor Flats Road, then take Ringold Road north of Pasco and take any number of access roads to get to the river. If you drive the 9 miles to the gate at the end of the road, there are many miles of hiking trails along the river and the cliffs.

White Bluffs Ferry Landing: The turnoff to the White Bluffs Boat Launch is 16 miles south and west of Othello on Highway 24. The gravel road goes 3.9 miles south to a junction and then 1.3 miles west and to a parking area in a locust grove on the river. There are trails to the White Bluffs to the north and along the river to the south.

Elk and bighorn sheep feeding stations, west of Naches

Here is an opportunity to see elk and bighorn sheep at two locations west of Yakima not three miles away from each other.

Oak Creek Elk: West on US-12 from SR-410 2 miles to headquarters for this wildlife area. A huge Rocky Mountain Elk herd is fed daily here in winter, usually at 1:30 pm.

Bighorn Sheep: From the junction at Highway 12 and State Road 410, go north on Old Naches Road six-tenths of a mile to the WDFW parking area on the left. Scan the slopes of Cleman Mountain for a band of bighorn sheep and keep a watch for golden and bald eagles, chukar, and rock wren. The sheep will likely to be hanging out on the hillside behind the fence. They are usually there from December to early March, when the natural grasses start to grow.

Yakima River Canyon, north of Selah: For viewing opportunities in a more natural setting, take the Canyon Road, State Road 821, north of Selah towards Ellensburg. You can see Bald eagles just about anywhere along the river, but there is a highly visible nest mid-way between MP13 and MP 14. Bighorn sheep tend to congregate in the area near Milepost 19, but can be spotted throughout the canyon (which is approximately 25 miles long).

This story was originally published January 14, 2018 at 1:53 PM with the headline "8 places where you can see winter wildlife in Eastern Washington."