Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
What We Do
Facility Services
Laws & Regulations
Visit Us
Activities
Tours
Trails
Rules & Policies
Get Involved
Events
News
Library
Species
Map
Education
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Public Comment Opportunity: Draft Rights‑of‑Way Compatibility Determination
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public review and comment on the
Draft Programmatic Compatibility Determination for Rights‑of‑Way and Rights to Access for Temporary Disturbances and Minor Impacts on Conservation Easements in the Mountain‑Prairie Region
. This draft document evaluates the compatibility of proposed activities that may cause temporary, minor disturbances while supporting necessary public infrastructure needs across conservation easements in the Mountain-Prairie Region. The draft Compatibility Determination will be available for a 30‑day public comment period from April 1 to May 1, 2026. Comments, questions, concerns, or a request for a hard copy can be sent to:
MountainPrairieNWRS@fws.gov
We are also seeking public review and comment on the
Draft Compatibility Determination (CD) for Fishing at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
. This draft document re-evaluates and replaces the 1994 CD for fishing. Fishing has occurred on the refuge since 1994. The draft Compatibility Determination will be available for a 14‑day public comment period from April 24 to May 8, 2026. Comments, questions, concerns, or a request for a hard copy can be sent to:
MountainPrairieNWRS@fws.gov
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge lies in Northern Utah, where the Bear River flows into the Northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake. On the ancestral homelands of the Shoshone, Paiute, Bannock, and Ute people, known as the Newe or Meme (the People), the Refuge protects the marshes found at the mouth of the Bear River. Surrounded by arid desert lands, these marshes are the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and are an oasis for waterbirds and wildlife.
Auto Tour Route Closure & Temporary Alternate Route
The Refuge's regular Auto Tour Route will be closed starting on Saturday, April 4 through mid-September due to a planned maintenance project. During this time period, an alternate route will be available for the public to drive. More information about the closure, alternate route, and project can be found below under "Location and Contact Information" and in the "Library." These documents are also available at the Visitor Center and in Refuge kiosks.
Freedom 250 & Refuge Celebration
In honor of the 250 anniversary of the United States, the Refuge celebrated with the local community and remembers its roots.
Live Trapping
The Refuge uses live, non-lethal, trapping to manage beavers and ensure the flow of water through management structures continues.
Alternate Auto Tour Route
The Refuge will be opening an alternate Auto Tour Route during the closure of the regular route.
Visit Us
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, located in Brigham City, Utah, offers a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities.  On our 12-mile Auto Tour Route, view a great diversity of birds without ever leaving your vehicle.  Want to stretch your legs?  Walk the 1.5 miles of trails around our world-class Visitor Center located just 1/4 mile from I-15, exit 363.
The Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The Auto Tour Route, Wetland Wonders, Bulrush Bridge, and Marsh Meander trails continue to be open sunrise to sunset Monday through Sunday.
Enjoy photography, wildlife watching, birding, hiking, cycling, running, hunting, fishing, and painting on the Refuge.  Check our page often for special events and environmental education opportunities.
Learn More About Visiting
Location and Contact Information
Regular Auto Tour Route Closure & New Alternate Route
Starting on Saturday, April 4 and lasting through mid-September, the regular Auto Tour Route at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge will temporarily close. An alternate Auto Tour Route will be available to visitors while water control structures along the regular route are improved and replaced. Similar to the regular Auto Tour Route, this alternate route is a 12-mile, one-way vehicle route easily accessible from West Forest Street. Maps will be available at all Refuge kiosks and at the Visitor Center while the alternate route is open.
The alternative Auto Tour Route is in an area of the Refuge normally closed to the public and vehicles. The route will take visitors down the Refuge's O-Line Canal Road and onto the D-Line Canal Road which connects the Refuge to the Great Salt Lake. These normally closed roads will allow visitors glimpses of a wide variety of wildlife including many nesting bird species such as the American avocet and other migratory shorebirds.
The Refuge's regular Auto Tour Route and Unit 2 will re-open and be available for public use by the start of Northern Utah's youth waterfowl hunt opening weekend. The normal Auto Tour Route's Day-Use Area will also remain open throughout the duration of the maintenance project enabling visitors to still utilize that area for fishing, birding, and outdoor recreation.
Visitors will still be able to enjoy outdoor recreation activities in all other open areas of the Refuge during the regular Auto Tour Route closure. For more information, and to talk with staff directly about the route, please join us on Saturday, April 4 for our Freedom 250 event to celebrate America's 250 anniversary with the grand opening of the temporary Auto Tour Route. Thank you for your commitment to the Refuge as we update and make your public lands safer and more accessible.
The Refuge lies along the eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway and the western edge of the Central Flyway, making it an important resting, feeding, and nesting area for birds in both flyways. Of the more than 250 bird species that use the Refuge, 67 species nest on the Refuge. American avocets and black-necked stilts nest by the thousands along Refuge dikes and roads. White-faced ibis nest in dense emergent vegetation in large colonies of up to 10,000 birds. Migrant tundra swans can number in the tens of thousands in the spring and fall. The Refuge uses a complex system of dikes and water control structures to provide different water depths for a variety of waterbird species over the seasons.
Learn More About Us
Tours
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge provides an abundance of different activities to enjoy and learn about nature.  On our 12-mile Auto Tour Route, view a great diversity of birds without ever leaving your vehicle.  Want to stretch your legs?  Walk the 1.5 miles of trails around our world-class Visitor Center located just 1/4 mile from I-15, exit 363.
View Our Tours
What We Do
Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters, managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a National Wildlife Refuge is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species.
Refuge staff use a variety of habitat management techniques to maintain, recover or enhance plant and wildlife values. Management techniques are carefully considered and employed in varying degrees according to needs.
More About What We Do
Our Organization
As part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, we work directly on the land and water the Refuge is legally obligated to protect and maintain.  We work with a variety of different programs within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well.  Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, and Fire Management are a few of the key programs that help us protect and conserve the lands and water of the Bear River and the Great Salt Lake.
Urban Wildlife Conservation
The Urban Wildlife Conservation Program expands access to green space, education and outdoor recreation for Americans living in and around cities and suburbs.
Program
Junior Duck Stamp
Conservation through the Arts
Program
Falls Church,
VA
Our Species
The Refuge and other wetlands associated with the Great Salt Lake provide critical habitat for migrating birds from both the Pacific and Central Flyway of North America. This area contains abundant food for birds, including very important brine shrimp and other macroinvertebrates as well as necessary plants like sago pondweed.  Birds come to the Refuge by the millions to eat and rest during migration, and many other species stay to breed, nest and raise their young across the Refuge wetlands.
View Our Species
Our Library
Looking for a particular Refuge-related document?  Check out our Library!
Name
Alternate Auto Tour Route Map & Brochure
Due to the closure of the regular Auto Tour Route, visitors will be re-directed down this alternate route from Saturday, April 4 through mid-September.
PDF
Feb 21, 2026
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Auto Tour Route Maintenance Project Guide 2026
This document details the maintenance project taking place from Saturday, April 4 through mid-September along the regular Auto Tour Route.
PDF
Feb 21, 2026
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge General Brochure
PDF
Sep 9, 2025
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Fishing Brochure
PDF
Sep 9, 2025
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Spanish Fishing Brochure
English is the official language and authoritative version of all federal information.
PDF
Sep 9, 2025
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Walking Trails Map for Visitors at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
PDF
Dec 9, 2025
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Monthly Bird Happening at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Document summarizing the timing of bird migration, breeding, and nesting for Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
PDF
Jan 12, 2023
Patricia
Mezza
View Our Library
Get Involved
You can make a difference in conservation through volunteering, participating with the
Friends of the Bear River Refuge
, and/or practicing conservation at home and in your community.
View More Opportunities
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