William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge: Cabell Marsh and Homer Carpenter Boardwalk Trails (Blog Hike #866)

Trails: Cabell Marsh and Homer Carpenter Boardwalk Trails
Hike Location: William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge
Geographic Location: south of Corvallis, OR (44.41908, -123.32559)
Length: 2.3 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2021
Overview: A semiloop with good bird-viewing opportunities in Cabell Marsh.
Refuge Information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/william_l_finley/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=880662
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From Corvallis, take SR 99W south 9 miles to Finley Road and turn right on Finley Rd.  Drive gravel Finley Rd. west 1.3 miles to Finley Refuge Road and turn left on Finley Refuge Rd.  Drive Finley Refuge Rd. another 1.5 miles to the refuge's administrative headquarters on the left.  Park in the parking lot beside the headquarters.

The hike: Sprawling for 5325 acres of wetlands and old farm fields, William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is a major birding destination in the Willamette River valley south of Corvallis.  The refuge is an important wintering site for the dusky Canada goose, large numbers of which fly down here every winter from the Copper River delta in Alaska.  I only saw a few Canada geese when I came here on a warm summer morning in mid-July, but I saw a large number of other birds.  Thus, I can easily see this refuge's appeal to birders.

            Unlike most national wildlife refuges that offer only short wildlife viewing trails, William L. Finley also offers over 12 miles of trails for hikers.  While most of the land is fairly flat, some of the trails are quite hilly, including the 2.5 mile Mill Hill Loop in the western part of the refuge.  Having done a long hike at Silver Falls State Park the previous day, I was looking for something flat and easy, and the semiloop described here fits that description.  Even better, this hike takes you past the refuge's best wetlands, thus allowing you to maximize your bird viewing while minimizing your difficulty.

Trailhead at headquarters parking lot

            From the back of the headquarters parking lot, pick up the signed gravel Cabell Marsh Trail as it heads across the grassy headquarters' back yard and into the woods.  Quickly the trail passes through a wooden shelter with interpretive signs and benches.  Signs warn you that this trail is closed between November 1 and March 31 to protect wintering wildlife.

Wooden interpretive shelter

            At 0.1 miles, the entrance trail ends at a T-intersection with an old gravel road.  This intersection forms the loop portion of this hike.  Turn right to take a direct route to the best wetlands.  The trail curves left to head east with the open waters of Cabell Marsh on the right.  Although I came here in the middle of summer, I saw a large number of birds and insects here including a bald eagle, Canada geese, herons, goldfinches, sparrows, dragonflies, and bumblebees.

Birds in Cabell Marsh

            Too soon the open waters are left behind.  The two-track gravel road now curves right and becomes bordered on either side by a shallower marsh filled with cattails.  Numerous prairie wildflowers bloom in this sunny wet meadow, and nice views of Mill Hill can be had across Cabell Marsh to the west.  Some blackberries a little too early for picking grew beside the trail when I hiked here.

View west across Cabell Marsh

            A rabbit greeted me just before I reached a trail intersection at 0.9 miles, where the Cabell Marsh Trail ends.  Directional signs point left to Pigeon Butte and right to Mill Hill, and those are good destinations if you wish to extend your hike.  I wanted to keep my hike short and easy, so I turned around and headed back on the Cabell Marsh Trail.  To add a little variety to your return route, when you get back to the open water portion of Cabell Marsh, look to the right for a boardwalk that is the start of the Homer Carpenter Boardwalk Trail.  Turn right to begin hiking the wooden boardwalk.

Boardwalk through swamp forest

            The boardwalk soon reaches a wooden bird blind that offers a view of Cabell Marsh that is inferior to the ones you had from the other trail.  Continue to follow the boardwalk as it heads north to carry you over a swamp forest that features trees draped in Spanish moss, a sight more common in Louisiana than in Oregon.  The shady forest provides welcome relief from the sun but not from the humidity on hot summer days.

Hiking on the old gravel road

            At 1.9 miles, you reach the parking lot that serves the Homer Carpenter Boardwalk.  To get back to the parking lot that contains your car, walk out toward the main refuge road, but just before you reach the road look to the left to find a gated gravel road that is the unsigned start of the Cabell Marsh Trail.  Turn left to begin the gravel road, and after a few hundred feet you reach an intersection with the entrance trail to close the loop.  Turn right to walk back up the entrance trail to return to the headquarters parking lot and complete the hike.