I visited the refuge in early January of 2011, to see the sandhill cranes. They have about 17,500…read morethis year according to their website, but I only saw a few hundred from a distance. We hiked across Pauls Lake, one of the salty and pretty much entirely dry (at this point) playa lakes. There are 3 main playa lakes, Goose, White, and Pauls. Bring binoculars. I also saw some Western Meadowlarks, a large raptor of some kind (about 2 feet long), American Kestrels, and prairie dogs. You can hike on pretty much the entire preserve, but there is cactus and rattlesnakes, although we didn't see any snakes. They have a picnic and tent camping area, and there are no fees to get into the park. They have a sign-in point at the headquarters, but there weren't any people there. There are chemical toilets at the picnic area and near Pauls Lake, which is a little farther down the highway. There also was another scenic overlook/picnic area on the very end of the preserve, which you can enter off the highway. Scattered around the property are signs that talk about points of interest with visitors.
Overall I enjoyed the wild and lonely scenery but didn't see too much wildlife. Maybe because it was kind of cold out. The premises appeared well cared-for by the refuge staff, we saw them repairing a bridge on the picnic area trail. There also were various burned areas of grass which they do to remove undesirable plants and to maintain the prairie ecosystem.
If you visit I recommend sturdy shoes, binoculars, a picnic lunch (there are no nearby eateries), and to print a map beforehand. There was one available online but I didn't see any in the lobby area.
