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Camas National Wildlife Refuge |
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If you would like to make this trip, do so in
February through early April -- weather permitting. We've
crossed it twice this spring, and the well-graveled road was
easily navigable in a two-wheel drive vehicle but may not
be plowed after a storm. Some of the roads in the Camas Wildlife
Refuge were plowed, and those that weren't were easily navigable
in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Later in the spring, the Camas
National Wildlife Refuge is a great place for ducks and geese
and is one of the great staging areas in the west for snow
geese. If you are driving on I-15 instead of coming from St.
Anthony, there is signage that will direct you to the exit
at Hamer for the wildlife refuge.
To make the trip from St. Anthony to Hamer, exit
Highway 20 at the only St. Anthony exit and go left across
the Henry's Fork Bridge and into town. Continue to 600 North
and go west. As you head west on this secondary road, it will
jog left twice until you are on 400 North. Stay on this road
heading due west as it leaves the farmland and heads through
the sage brush hills. To the north, you will see the St.
Anthony Sand Dunes. As you enter the sage, watch for moose
feeding in the draws. As you approach the highlands on the
Hamer end of the road, watch for antelope and elk around the
grain fields. When you reach the frontage road along I-15,
turn right to reach Camas National Wildlife Refuge or left
to Hamer and highway access.
There are other places in the area worth visiting.
The St. Anthony Sand Dunes are interesting. The Sand
Creek Wildlife Management Area north of St. Anthony is
a great place to find wildlife and waterfowl but is not likely
to be accessible until mid-April. Market Lake Wildlife Management
Area and Mud Lake Wildlife Area are only a short drive from
Camas National Wildlife Refuge and all three can easily be
visited in an afternoon. In late spring, you will find thousands
of ducks in geese in all three of these refuges. An hour and
half west of Camas is Craters of the Moon National Monument.
Late spring and early fall are the best times to visit Craters
of the Moon -- before the desert heat bears down. And of course,
West Yellowstone is just an hour up the road from St. Anthony.
Don't wait till summer; get out and enjoy the
West now.
