Where to now? How about a National Wildlife Refuge
Many fulltime RVers have lists of “must sees” and “must dos” that keep them occupied 24/7. Others may not be so organized, and occasionally hit a snag of, “Well, what do we do now?” While RVers are pretty familiar with the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System is one of the country’s best kept secrets.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is considered by some to be the world’s premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife. Teddy Roosevelt kick started the system when he designated Florida’s Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903. Since then, the system has grown to more than 150 million acres, with nearly 600 wildlife refuges.
Many refuges offer interpretative car routes that cross some amazing landscapes and provide close-up views of wildlife. The government says there’s a wildlife refuge within an hour of every major US city, and the gate fees are typically very low, or free. Many refuges in the system are more than just big fish ponds with flapping birds. While you’ll see plenty of birds in most refuges, depending on your locale you may even see bison roaming the road up ahead, or experience the last untilled prairie grass in the US.
Some refuges allow RVers to camp during their visit. Others have hiking trails for those who want to get out and about on their feet. Fishing fin-attic? There are refuges where visitors are granted piscatorial privileges. To find a refuge along your trail, point your browser to http://www.fws.gov/refuges/
