Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge: Trails, Fishing and Birding in Sussex County, NJ

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 6,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands and forest in Sussex County, NJ, and Orange County, NY, with its headquarters at 1547 County Route 565 (Glenwood Road) in Sussex. It is a federal refuge run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it offers walking trails, a fishing dock, kayak and canoe launches, birding and photography year round.

Our team took every detail below from the refuge’s pages on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge at a Glance

• Headquarters: 1547 County Route 565 (Glenwood Road), Sussex, NJ 07461.
• Phone: (973) 702-7266
• Size: more than 6,000 acres in Sussex County, NJ, and Orange County, NY
• Fishing hours: open year round, sunrise to sunset, with a state fishing license required
• Headquarters visits: by appointment only, though the Dagmar Dale Nature Trail and public restrooms at headquarters are open daily year round

Where to Start: Headquarters and Owens Station Crossing

The Dagmar Dale Nature Trail starts at the headquarters in Sussex. For a full visitor stop, many people head to Owens Station Crossing at 136 Owens Station Road, where the refuge has an accessible dock for fishing and launching kayaks or canoes, a pavilion with picnic tables, a public restroom and pollinator gardens, plus easy access to the Timberdoodle and Liberty Loop trails. A small nature store opens seasonally.

Trails Worth Walking

• Wood Duck Nature Trail: a 1.6 mile trail just off Route 23 on an old railroad bed, wheelchair accessible for the first 0.6 mile.
• Timberdoodle Trail: follows an old railbed through forested bottomlands and wetlands for 2.3 miles south of Bassett’s Bridge Road, with trailheads at Owens Station Crossing, Bassett’s Bridge and Kelly Roads.
• Hidden Ponds Trail: a loop of less than a mile that opened in 2022, off Lake Wallkill Road.
• Liberty Loop Trail: the refuge’s most popular spot for wildlife watching and photography, with a 2.5 mile nature trail about 7 miles north of headquarters near the state line.
• Winding Waters Trail: a 2.1 mile trail that closes in September, November and December for the New York deer hunt.

Dogs are allowed only on the Liberty Loop Trail, using the Oil City Road or Owens Station Road lots, and must stay on a leash. Service dogs are allowed on all refuge trails and facilities. Bring bug repellent and water, carry out everything you carry in, and stay on the trails.

Fishing and Paddling the Wallkill

The refuge says fishing is available by canoe or car-top boat along nine miles of the Wallkill River, with access from Route 565, Bassetts Bridge Road and Oil City Road. The large pond at Owens Station Crossing offers catch-and-release fishing from a wheelchair-accessible dock, and the Hidden Ponds Fishing Area off Lake Wallkill Road has three large catch-and-release ponds. Species include bluegill and other sunfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, bullhead and pickerel. Fishing from the Winding Waters Trail off Oil City Road is in New York, so a New Jersey angler there needs to follow New York rules.

Birds and Wildlife

The refuge protects habitat for forest and grassland birds, migrating waterfowl and wintering raptors. The Liberty Loop parking area is the most popular photography destination, and winter visitors can look for red-tailed hawks, rough-legged hawks, northern harriers and short-eared owls.

Hunting on the Refuge

Public hunting is permitted on roughly 5,000 acres in New Jersey and 160 acres in New York under each state’s seasons, and every hunter needs a refuge hunting permit. If you are visiting in fall or winter, read the refuge’s hunting information first so you know which tracts are in use.

A Little Local History

The refuge says Native Americans knew the valley as Twischsawkin, “the land where plums abound,” and that Dutch settlers later called the flooded bottomland “The Drowned Lands.” The refuge also recounts the “Muskrat and Beaver Wars,” which ended in 1871.

Plan the Rest of Your Day

The refuge sits near Vernon and Wantage, so it pairs naturally with our things to do in Vernon and things to do in Wantage guides. For another easy walk nearby, see our Appalachian Trail boardwalk in Vernon guide.