Visit

Welcome to Wild

• The Refuge units at Hutchinson, Wilna, Wellford, Laurel Grove and Port Royal are open to the public from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year.
• Cat Point Creek and Fones Cliffs are not yet open to the public.
• The outdoor recreational activities welcome on the Refuge include: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretation.
• The Wilna and Laurel Grove units have fishing ponds that are accessible from the banks or by canoe, kayak, or hand launchable boat. Anglers regularly catch brim, crappie, bass and catfish in the ponds.
• The Hutchinson Unit has a fishing pier and canoe/kayak launch on Mt. Landing Creek and Belle Mount has a pier canoe/kayak launch on Cat Point Creek.

Wilna

Wilna, a 19th Century farmhouse housing the Refuge headquarters, overlooks restored warm season grasslands and mature hardwood forest. Walking trails in the woods above the freshwater pond contain a wildlife observation blind and an elevated platform for bird and wildlife watching. The pond has a fishing pier and canoe/kayak launch. Brim, crappie, largemouth bass and occasional catfish can be caught in the pond.

Hutchinson

Just West of Tappahannock and fronting on Mt. Landing Creek, Hutchinson offers several different walking trails. One of the trails crosses a wooded stream on an elevated walkway and another trail has a raised observation platform to view wildlife over the grasslands. The fishing pier and canoe/kayak launch on Mt Landing Creek provide access to tidal creek and marshlands. A water trail starting at the pier is described in a waterproof brochure that also identifies representative plants and animals found along the trail.

Laurel Grove

Laurel Grove combines a ten acre freshwater pond with over 240 acres of mature hardwood forest. A well-shaded 1.5 mile loop trail borders the pond and a secondary, more rustic trail marked with a mix of white blazes and brown wayfinding signs leads down through the woodland to provide closer views of the pond. A sheltered photo blind along the trail provides views of Farnham Creek.

Wellford

Wellford’s close-in location just outside the Town of Warsaw is a perfect family-friendly place for a walk in nature. A portion of the loop tail trail overlooks Little Carter Creek before passing through replanted woodlands.

Port Royal

Located in Caroline County with frontage on the Rappahannock River, Port Royal is noted for its water trail that starts at the Port Royal Town Canoe/Kayak Launch. The water trail has paths for novice, intermediate and advanced paddlers. There is a waterproof brochure and a free app for the water trail. Walking trails identified in a printed brochure available at the kiosk on site cut through grassland and hardwood forest.

Cat Point Creek

Cat Point Creek has a 100-foot ADA accessible fishing pier and a canoe/kayak launch on pristine Menokin Bay of Cat Point Creek. Sited on a former winery and campground, the tract is being prepared for opening to the public later this year.

Fones Cliffs

The newest tract in the Refuge, Fones Cliffs has spectacular views from its 100-foot cliffs overlooking the Rappahannock River and the marshland where Capt. John Smith first encountered the Rappahannock Tribe in 1608. Plans for use of the tract are being developed and an assessment of its rich cultural and historical heritage must be completed before it can be opened to the public.