George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center

Protecting the wetlands from the incursion of salt water is just down the south west side dike and levee roads. Great trail to the east of the main road. Great system once you figure it out. Bow fishing for the biggest carp you have ever seen at the end of the road. Thank you for keeping the wetlands education going, I admire you, and your employees were so friendly to me during my adventure.

I spent a nice summer day riding my bike and exploring the area around Farmington Bay when I happened upon this wonderful place. The guides there were so nice! I'm new to bird watching and though some trails were still closed to prevent nesting birds from being disturbed, I did see some birds (Great Blue Herons and a White-faced Ibis among others) that were just marvelous. One guide was very kind and helped me identify the birds I saw, even though the descriptions were vague. A very good part of a very good day.

The kind and number of birds you can see here all depend on when you visit. Great blue herons were seen in a previous visit but they hadn't returned from up north this time. Two pelicans were spotted -- binoculars used to see distinctly. Bald eagles may be seen in February with special event viewing days scheduled each year. Coyotes are in the area but we haven't been lucky enough to see one. Education building: "Tuesday–Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday and holidays: Closed. The nature trails may be used during daylight hours any day of the week and on holidays." If you visit during their hours of operation, you will meet the friendliest employees who take the time to talk, answer all your questions, even loan binoculars if I recall correctly from a previous visit. So bring binoculars, visit early morning when probably more successful in seeing wildlife, and check with them in February for the sightings of bald eagles (which is not always best on the weekend, may suggest another location where the viewing is good/better, but a spectacular sight worth the effort.)

This place gets my five star rating due to the many fantastic trails. There are several places to get out and explore the marsh. It is a new center and each time I visit there is more to see, both in and out of the building. I enjoyed the taxidermy display, which really helps to identify the birds you may encounter on the trails. Sherry was so very helpful to us and I was able to find a less crowded and interesting three mile trail at the Buffalo Ranch area. There were a lot of people because of the warm weather this weekend, so escaping the crowd was great. I even got a free Bald Eagle pin and some nice bookmarks at the center. Places like this do so much to educate us all, but especially the children. So bring your kids and learn more about the fabulous marsh wildlife living right around the Great Salt Lake.

Had a great time birding here. Impressive variety of species and a well maintained and pleasant trail. 30 bird species in the time it took to walk the 1.5 mile trail. I can’t wait to go back again as the birds change.