Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

I love hunting here! We usually always come back with limits. Nothing better than being able to get your own food. What we pay goes toward the conservation. Couldn’t be more proud.

Saving to check this out on future date

NO BIKES!
Though free, I was bummed to find that though they having a driving tour and a hiking tour, no bikes are allowed anywhere on the premises. I wouldn’t be bummed if cars were also not allowed. Sorry this review is personal.
Pros: free, highly undeveloped, great views of the Sac Skyline
Cons: highway is loud, no bikes

An Ornithologists dream ;) So breathtakingly beautiful!!!
I love coming here for a short or long ride or walk or jog. It is quite large and feels like a Sactown bird safari. I would recommend coming here any time you need to «get away from it all» and just want to go hear and watch the birds. It is so peaceful and calming here.
It is open 7 days a week sunrise to sunset and does not cost money to enter. It is great for families and has areas people can go fishing in. There is an information center that is 2 miles down from the entrance which is great because they provide free maps of the area as well as tips on where to go at which time of the year so you can see some of the migrating birds that come here.
I would recommend bringing a set of binoculars so that you can see the birds more closely.
On a side note on your way out I would recommend stopping by the Yolo fruit sand because it has amazing produce

This is easily the best and most accessible place in the Sacramento area for birdwatching. There’s a wide variety of species year round, and you don’t need to pay to get in. The only reason I didn’t give it a full five stars is that its convenience comes at a price: freeway noise. There’s no place in the entire wildlife area from which you can’t hear cars. Aside from that, it’s a great resource for nature lovers.

Looking for something to do on a sunny day and don’t want to get dressed to be seen in public? Head to the water fowl refuge at the west end of the causeway. There is an «auto tour» road that you can take around a number of ponds. Currently there are a number of ducks enjoying whatever it is they enjoy eating. We saw two egrets and one blue heron, lots of seagulls, and the ducks.
Word of warning, the road is dirt gravel and part of the roadway also goes to/​from a hunting area. Those heading to the hunting area tend to drive fast and kick up a lot of dust. That’s a problem if you have your windows down to see and hear the birds.

BEWARE!!! I love this place. I love running here. Just posted about how safe I thought it was. How naïve. Today while I was running someone busted out my window, popped my trunk, took all my stuff along with my cards and ID, and went on a spending spree!
Please be careful! If you do come here don’t leave anything in your car. Or even in your trunk apparently.

Cars make good photo blinds, but sometimes you need to get out of the car. Unlike most of the state and federal wildlife areas in CA, where if you even crack your door you have violated some law, here you can get our of your car and even walk if you want.
The ponds are close to the auto tour and it is easy to spot birds. I only saw a few as I cruised along the route midday, All the mitigatory birds were feeding someplace else. I did see them flying in when I was flying down the highway just before sunset.
I would have enjoyed my visit more if the route was marked better. I did not see signs pointing the way out of the refuge. The storm clouds looked ominous; if it rained the roads would turn to mud and I would be stuck.
Poor signage will not keep me from coming back. I want to see the bats, that hangout under the Yolo Causeway, fly out in mass at dusk in the summer when the dirt roads will be dry. Oh and wet roads or not I will come back soon to see the geese.

This is an awesome place– and definitely the best/​most convenient place in the Sacramento area to view wildlife. My boyfriend has somewhat recently gotten into bird watching, and we come here every few weeks to take in the sights. There’s fields, wetlands, and a lot of things to see! We’ve probably seen about 20+ bird species in this area. Next time you’re driving by, don’t overlook this place, stop by for a bit!

Gotta love the bats. 250,000 Mexican free-​tailed bats live under the Yolo Causeway and eat their weight in insects all summer. The Yolo Basin Foundation sponsors tours throughout the summer months to watch learn about the bats and watch them fly.

If you have any interest in nature or birding, this is a great place to go! Accessible by car, albeit a little dusty, you can drive through miles of these wetlands – birding from your car or pulling off to the side and walking for better views. A scope is a good idea for some of the wetland areas. Waterfowl and raptors were prevalent on my first visit.
Do more than «see» this area from the train on your way to Sac or passing by on the nearby highway. Take the exit and enjoy. There’s also a park ranger station in the area that’s worth a stop. Great displays, maps and the ranger I spoke to was knowledgeable about birds, pointing out areas to me that I shouldn’t miss.

I love it here!!!
So fascinating how they have the wetlands and how it is such a beautiful bird sanctuary. Although dusty, there are so many wonderful birds to see and listen to. Not to mention the views of the wetlands, you can even see the beautiful Sacramento skyline from here.
Take a drive or you can even pack a lunch and take a hike. This is something wonderful to do with everyone, all ages.

If you have a child that loves birds like my child does, you have to bring your child here!
I think one of my daughter’s first words was bird. And like most children, the bigger and dumber the birds, the better she likes them. Zoey loves her a big, dumb bird. My daughter loves this area.
I like it for the weird plants, the butterflies, and the flowers. The birds honestly just kinda freak me out. What can I say? I love my kid. It’s all about sacrifices.

I don’t normally consider myself a bird watcher, but two and a half hours went by before I realized it as our family spotted ducks, egrets, herons, a great horned owl, and over 20,000 snow geese. Easy access, an auto tour trail that winds through much of the preserve, and lots of walking trails make the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area a great day-​trip. I’m glad we checked it out.

Yet another gem fostered between various private/​public entities out to preserve and restore wetlands to their native state so that several hundred species of waterfowl and the others that share these lands and waterways that form an important ecosystem.
For the avid birder, this is the perfect spot to view a large number of ducks settling in for the evening in addition to songbirds dancing in and out of the rushes. Keep an eye out for the thousands of Snow Geese that obliterate the holding ponds into a brilliant show of white accents, as seen if driving by on the Yolo Causeway. 16,000+ acres of wetlands open to the public and free to expand the knowledge of novice to the professional.
For the less mobile and short on time, take advantage of the auto tour. You may drive along a designated route that meanders around the border of the wetlands but stay in the car in order to avoid startling/​scaring off the waterfowl. There is also another route that leads out from the freeway and this is where hunters checkin. What I don’t appreciate is the various times I have stopped by to view the birds, most of the SUVs and trucks heading to the hunter checkin post zip by on the roads, throwing up dirt and kicking back stones, disrupting the quiet and blatantly ignoring the 15 mph posting. Otherwise this is one of the best kept secrets in the county… I encourage everyone to visit, at least once.

So how many times have you driven to Tahoe and passed on the Yolo Causeway between Davis and Sacramento and not given this pretty reserve a second thought or even an extended look? For me, it took a recent Earthwatch Expedition at the nearby Consumnes River Preserve and the perspective of some knowledgeable UC Davis scientists to really catch my attention.
The Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area is a large wetland restoration and wildlife habitat project constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Ducks Unlimited within the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. The Yolo Causeway, part of Interstate 80, runs through it. The restoration was named for Congressman Vic Fazio, who lobbied for the project and was instrumental in appropriating funds for the initial construction. he facility is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game while the educational programs and public tours are administered by the Yolo Basin Foundation, which works to educate and inform.
The floodplain that makes up the Yolo Bypass receives water from the Sacramento River and provides an Important Bird Area of the Pacific Flyway for a wide variety of waterfowl. Unless the area is impassable due to normal seasonal flooding, a dirt and gravel road is open to the public for driving and walking tours, and a docent-​led tour is available.

Excellent place to view migrating waterfowl such as ducks, geese and Tundra swans. The area is open 7 days a week from sunrise until sunset. No entry fee. Picnic tables at parking lot B & C, porta-​potties too. Laminated bird identification cards can be purchased at the Wildlife Area Headquarters building 45 211 County Road 32B (2 miles west) during the week 8 — 4:30 for $ 5. Maps are also available at no charge.

Went here for a guided field trip with my son’s third grade class. Well presented information and arts/​crafts. I don’t think it would be quite as exciting on your own so go with a group as a field trip and enjoy. Lots of great native crafts from the Patwin peoples (thule bracelets and acorn grinding etc.). My son really loved learning about the wildlife and natural plants/​trees.

What else can I add about this area? When you need a change of pace and just want to get away from «civilization,» this place can make you feel like you are worlds away. It’s peaceful, gorgeous, awe-​inspiring and, since I’m a bird lover myself, I’ll say that it’s perfect for people who love watching birds. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the area is expansive… so expansive that it was easy for my boyfriend and me to lose our way. I’m the one with the terrible sense of direction but, since he was driving, I’ll say that trying to find your way out when you’ve driven so far inside can be a little confusing with all the dead ends, especially as dusk approaches. Catching the sunset here was well worth the momentary confusion however. Finally, as they do have at least one staff member who drives around checking to see how visitors are doing and informing them when they should start making their exit, you can be rest assured that you’ll eventually find help if you ever find yourself in our predicament. Put this on your list of «must see» places!

Hundreds of thousands of people cross the Yolo Bypass daily on I-​80 between Davis and West Sacramento without thinking much about what lies below the causeway. At 70 mph, it must pass for most commuters like a blur of reeds and cattails, but when you drive over the west levee and into the bypass, it really is a lot more fascinating than you’d expect.
As soon as you enter the wildlife area, a sign points to two choices: south to the Hunter Creek Station, or straight ahead for the «auto tour». So, if the only way you might enjoy nature is to NOT break a sweat while chilling in your climate-​controlled automobile, viewing wildlife safely behind your windshield, RELAX… you needn’t feel the least bit of shame to treat this beautiful piece of the great outdoors like a drive-​thru (just don’t litter!). In fact, it really is the only way since the place is too expansive to explore much by foot, and the three-​panel kiosk has a notice posted which discourages bikes (!!!).
Once you’re on the floor of the bypass, it’s surprising how far below the I-​80 roadway you are, and it’s all the more mindboggling to imagine how much water is coursing through the entire bypass during those rare occasions when Sacramento River is threatening to approach historic flood levels, and the excess flow is diverted into the three-​mile-​wide channel. Although much of the bypass on this day was dry as a bone, I left with a greater sense of awe for the expertise of the professionals who manage the delta and the entire Sacramento River watershed.
With its location in the path of the Pacific Flyway, this place is particularly special for local birdwatchers. I’m not such a bird fancier that I know dozens of species, but I can tell herons from egrets. It was only egrets today, but it was awesome to see several of these take off as they were spooked by the crunching sound of gravel under my tires. Their wingspans were so immense, but I never considered until today how much energy it must take for egrets to flap those wings and get airborne. Until they achieve a graceful glide, the first few strokes look quite laborious.
The auto tour route heads further toward the center of the bypass than I had expected. The gravel is well-​groomed with minimal washboarding, and all but the most egregiously customized passenger cars can travel easily at the posted 15 mph speed limit. No dubbed-​out donks or lowered rice rockets, but any stock automobile will do fine on a dry summer day. The beginning of the auto route winds through some working rice fields before fallow rice fields which sometimes fill up as ponds to provide habitat areas. Parking lots appear every few minutes so that you can get out on foot and have a closer look at the flora and fauna. The southernmost parking lot had one lonesome picnic table. So, I presume that you can bring your lunch so long as you pack out the trash.
Closures due to flood management are actually rare even in the late winter and spring, so I’m curious now to see how the bypass looks different from season to season. It’s so easy to access, and it’s free.