Finley Wildlife Refuge

  • Easy (Cabell Marsh)
  • 1.2-mile loop
  • 50 feet elevation gain
  • Open April 1 to October 30


  • Easy (Woodpecker Loop)
  • 1.2-mile loop
  • 100 feet elevation gain


  • Easy (Mill Hill Loop)
  • 2.8-mile loop
  • 100 feet elevation gain

When the draining of Willamette Valley wetlands led to a decline of dusky Canada goose populations in the 1960s, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service used money from the sale of duck hunter stamps to convert this 8-square-mile farm into a bird-friendly patchwork of ponds, woodlands, and farmfields.

Several easy loop trails allow hikers to enjoy this rural birdland. Here too is the 1855 farmhouse of John Fiechter, a German whose success in the California gold rush financed a Greek Revival clapboard classic. Opposite the refuge headquarters, the restored home is open periodically for special events.

Drive Highway …

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range.