Recreation
Driving tour. The Harold F. Miller Auto tour also begins near the nature center. It is 2.5 miles (4 km) long and ends at Highway 11. The dirt road passes by ponds and fields where crops for wildlife are cultivated. White-tailed deer and other wildlife are common. A trail of 0.25 miles (400 m) leads to Casey Marsh Tower where waterfowl is abundant and Bald Eagles can be seen in fall and winter.
Hiking. The Sandpiper Trail begins near the Nature Center and Refuge Office and leads 0.35 miles (600 m) to the edge of the salt flats and a birding observation platform. The Eagle Roost Nature Trail is a 1.25-mile (2.0 km) loop also beginning near the nature center. The trail goes through wooded and open areas, beneath towering Cottonwood trees, past marshes and ponds, and to a shore and water bird watching area on Sand Creek Bay.
Selenite crystals. A designated area of the 11,000 acres (45 km2) of salt flats at the refuge has gypsum concentrations high enough to grow selenite, a crystalline form of gypsum. The selenite crystals found there have an hourglass-shaped sand inclusion that is not known to occur in selenite crystals found elsewhere in the world. Digging for crystals is allowed from April 1 through October 15 and visitors come from all over the world to find them.
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View of the crystal-digging areas from the observation tower
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Washing sand off the crystals
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Many selenite crystals found in a single day
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Blade / Penetration Twins type of selenite crystal
Hunting. 1,250 acres (5 km2) of the refuge north of Highway 11 are open for hunting. State laws apply, except for deer which may be hunted by permit only. Hunting is permitted for pheasant, Northern bobwhite quail, Mourning Dove, ducks, geese, and Sandhill Cranes.
Fishing. Fishing is permitted from April 1 to October 15 on most of the refuge. Closed areas are marked by buoys or signs. Fishing in Bonham Pond is permitted only for children under 14 and mobility handicapped persons and is catch and release. Salt Plains Lake is noted for large Channel and other catfish. Other game fish include Striped bass, Largemouth bass, crappie, White bass, panfish, and walleye. State laws apply for bag limits and seasons and the use of boats in the river and creeks is prohibited.
Read more about this topic: Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
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