Hiking
At San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge
The Pelican Nature Trail at 2714 Dairy Road, Vernalis, California, 95385 is an approximately 4-mile long trail that is open every day from 1/2-hour before sunrise to 1/2-hour after sunset. The trail is a series of three connected loops (like the links of a chain) meandering through uplands, wetlands, and riparian woodland. The distal loop leads the hiker into an oxbow of the San Joaquin River providing good views of the river and of heron, egret, and cormorant rookeries (during nesting season) on the other side. A map of the trail is available at the information kiosk at the trailhead.
Explore our refuge complex brochures. The Auto Tour and Nature Trail brochure contains visitor maps of our auto tour routes, nature trails, and other visitor facilities.
