I took advantage of having a day off for MLK Day to make the quick drive to Baskett Slough NWR for a short recovery hike after Saturday’s 15-mile hike at Ellendale Creek (post). Heather did not get the day off, so this was another solo outing for me and my sixth hike at the refuge. It was however my first visit during the seasonal closure period which runs from October ER 1st through March 30th. While much of the refuge is closed to protect wintering wildlife the Rich Guadagno Memorial and Inter-Tie Trails are open year-round. I parked at the Baskett Butte Trailhead planning on hiking those two trails and then hike along Coville Road to the Taverners Marsh parking area.
I arrived shortly before sunrise and headed up the Rich Guadagno Memorial Trail and detoured to the wildlife viewing platform before starting the loop.


Seasonal closure map.

Mt. Jefferson

Geese in South Slough Pond.


Heading toward the viewing platform.



Heading back to start the loop.

Here comes the sun.
I opted to hike the loop counterclockwise due to an even earlier bird having been ahead of me doing the loop counterclockwise.

Shortly after entering the trees I noticed three deer just up the hillside above the trail.


The three deer.

First deer

Second deer. The third deer was too busy munching on grass to look up.
After watching the deer for a moment I continued on getting a glimpse of Morgan Lake through the trees.

Next I spotted a bald eagle through the trees.


I could hear a number of other birds but spotting them was another thing. I was finally able to locate an acorn woodpecker though.

And a pair of starlings.

A little further along the loop I noticed another woodpecker. It was either a hairy or downy woodpecker, I didn’t get a look at the beak or face so I’m not sure which.


I turned left onto the Inter-Tie Trail when I came to that junction and followed it to the seasonal closure boundary and a bench overlooking Morgan Lake.



The white sign ahead marks the start of the seasonally closed section of trail.

Morgan Lake from the bench.

Egret hunting in a field.

Cackling geese

More geese headed for Morgan Lake.
After watching and listening to the geese on Morgan Lake I headed back and finished the loop.


Northern flicker

There were a bunch of birds in these trees by the sounds, but I only caught glimpses of them flying from tree to tree.

The end of the loop ahead.
After completing the loop I returned to the trailhead and headed down Coville Road.

Leaving the trailhead parking area.
The road is open to vehicles but why drive when I could walk the half mile to Taveners Marsh?

South Slough Pond from Coville Road.
There were a lot of birds to see as I passed along South Slough Pond.

This looks like mostly northern pintails, northern shovelers and American wigeons.

Coville Road. Notice the seasonal closure signs on either side.

Geese and northern pintails.

Baskett Butte

A mallard and an American wigeon along with geese.

Another bald eagle

American kestral

Hawk

American wigeon

An Amrican coot, bufflehead, and northern shoveler walk into a bar…..

Barn swallows
Taveners Marsh was also full of birds. Most of the ducks there were busy eating breakfast which resulted in a lot of duck butts.

Northern pintails, a northern shoveler and an American coot.

Red-winged blackbird

American coot

Northern shovelers and Merlin says the little shore birds are dunlins.

Gadwall pair

Taveners Marsh

Northern pintail

Northern pintail

Name that duck butt.

Song sparrow
After spending a good amount of time at Taveners Marsh I headed back along Coville Road to the Baskett Butte Trailhead.

Baskett Butte from Taveners Marsh

Hawk

Western meadowlark

Mt. Jefferson and an eagle.


Juvenile bald eagle seen from the trailhead parking lot.
Another wildlife filled outing at this refuge. Today’s hike came in at just 3.6-miles and 275′ of elevation gain.

I’m waiting for the winter weather to hit, but until it does we are more than happy to take advantage and get a few extra hikes in. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Baskett Slough 2026


You can actually see some of the route I explored on the left side between Parvipes Marsh and the butte and at the bottom of the picture wrapping around the butte.
Manroot
Camas
Plectritis
Checkerbloom
Tolmie’s mariposa lilies



Morgan Lake with a bit of Moffitti Marsh to the left.
Columbine
Iris
Robin
Sparrows
Gold crowned sparrow
The grass was low enough that the lake was fairly visible. Later in Spring you’re lucky to see any water from the trail.
Not a great picture due to the distance and light, but there are a couple of ruddy ducks to the left hanging out with some ring-necked ducks.
Mallards
American coot
Gadwalls
Buffleheads
Common yellowthroat
Looking for a bittern.
American bittern. I could only see the bittern from a very short section of trail and as soon as I lost a little elevation it disappeared from sight. It never flew off, but I couldn’t see it even knowing where it was.
Following the trail next to Smithfield Road.
Lots of red-winged blackbirds near the trailhead.
Finch
Heading back toward Baskett Butte and Moffitti Marsh.
Northern flicker
Moffitti Marsh
American wigeons
Female common yellowthroat
Spotted towhee
I watched a crow chase off a hawk that had apparently gotten too close.
The official trail heads up the hill to the left. I veered right just beyond the trail sign pointing toward Moffitti Marsh.
Lilac
Parvipes Marsh ahead to the right.
The tractor turned right and drove over a dike at the end of Parvipes Marsh to a field on the other side.
Deer farther up the hillside.

This appears to be balsamroot. There were just a couple of patches on the SW side of the butte.
Cottonwood Pond
Buttercups and miniature lupine
Meadow checker-mallow
Lomatium and plectritis
South Slough Pond
I was a bit surprised to find a bench along this route given it isn’t shown as an official trail.
Grass pea
More checkerbloom
Golden paintbrush
If I hadn’t been looking for the tread I don’t think I would have noticed it.
Lupine
Another Tolmie’s mariposa lily
Western meadowlark
The overlook ahead.
The obligatory photo from the overlook.
Lots of patches of plectritis on the butte.
Ground squirrel
Swallow
Baskett Butte from the Cottonwood Pond parking area.
Mallards
Northern pintails
Northern shovelers
Lesser scaup. They look a lot like ring-necked ducks only without the ring.
Ring-necked ducks
Nap Time.

The best of the color was while I was still at the trailhead.
Checkerbloom
Common madia
Meadow checker-mallow and vetch
The platform
Too late for any color.
There always seems to a western meadowlark or two on Mt. Baldy.
Spotted towhee
I went left to hike the loop clockwise.
Moffitti Marsh in the distance.
Geese flying over.
Snake in the grass.
Pied-billed grebes
Common yellowthroats
Gadwalls
Moffitti Marsh
Dove


House finch
Swallow
Sparrow

Crow
Goose family
Common yellow-throat (female)
Roses
Columbine
White-crowned sparrow
Ookow
Tolmie’s mariposa lily
Waxwing



Cottonwood Pond is in the lower left corner.


There were a few buttercups blooming in the grass and not much else along this side of the Memorial Trail.
A lone strawberry blossom.
The Inter-Tie Trail was a wet and muddy affair. I could hear a lot of birds in the surrounding trees but couldn’t make any of them out unless they flew right in front of me.
I went left here which got me out of the slick mud but onto even wetter grass.
Coming up on the marsh which is just on the other side of the dip in the road.
Two rabbits trying to decide if they were going to keep eating grass or race off into the blackberry bushes.

Ring-necked ducks
I think this is a marsh wren.

I think the 2nd goose in from the right is a cackling goose while the others are Canada geese. It’s a bit smaller and the white patch is shaped differently.
Swallows
California quail
Cinnamon teals
Northern shoveler drake
Northern shoveler females
Signs at the Smithfield Road Trailhead.
Buffleheads
Ring-necked duck
Possibly a lesser scaup.
Mallards


The only bull I could pick out.

Robin
Bench overlooking Morgan Lake
Morgan Lake from the bench.
Spotted towhees
A lot of geese way below the trail.
I started seeing a lot of toothwort on this side of the loop.
More fawn lilies too.
The viewing platform on Baskett Butte to the right.
One of several western meadowlarks (Oregon’s state bird) on the butte.
American kestral
A better look at the yellow on the meadowlarks.
View from the platform.
Sign along the path.
More fawn lilies.
The path leading down toward Coville Road. The outhouse at the Baskett Butte Trailhead is on the left below.
Baskett Butte from below.
The trail is simply a dike road that leads to the refuge HQs.
The headquarters is to the left of the road on the far side of South Slough.
Also a bunch of American coots.
Northern shovelers
Buffleheads
Red-winged blackbird
Yellowlegs (probably lesser)
Baskett Butte (left) from my turn around point.
The ruddy duck woke up after all the American coots headed off.
Savannah sparrow
One more American kestral

Mt. Jefferson from the trailhead.
A few lupine and buttercups
Camas
Castilleja levisecta – Golden Paintbrush
A few little flowers starting to open up.
View from the deck.
Western meadowlark








Camas pretending to be part of a lupine plant.
White crowned sparrow
Hawk
Lesser scaup
American wigeons
Pied billed grebe
Yellowlegs

Savannah sparrow
Swallows
A robin, a western bluebird and swallows
A green winged teal and a cinnamon teal in a small marsh.
This scrub jay wasn’t shy.
Neither was this serious looking spotted towhee
Norther shovelers heading to the opposite side of the lake.
A bufflehead and some lesser scaups
Canada goose flyover
Mallard pair
Old out building below Baskett Butte.
Not only was this uphill but we didn’t know for sure where it might lead.
Along the field we went.

Looking uphill along the row of brush.
An extremely small portion of the geese.
Baskett Butte from the field.




