SUNDAY DRIVE
Why now: The No. 1 wildlife area in the region reopened this past week after being closed to the public for five months for limited hunting and rest days. The timing is perfect. In the next month or two, you can see the bull elk lose their antlers, the cow elk give birth to this year’s crop of calves, river otters galore and waterfowl pair up to build nests for this spring.
Location: 10 miles south of Suisun City on the edge of the lower delta.
Wildlife area: Grizzly Island spans 17,000 acres in the heart of the 88,000-acre Suisun Marsh. The elk herd, numbering more than 300, is the star of the show. Sightings of river otters are the best anywhere. Bald eagles are among nine species of raptors and 220 bird species verified there.
Driving tour: From the entrance station, take the main gravel road, Grizzly Island Road. After a half mile, the road turns left and runs south into the wildlife area, with a slough and wetlands to your right, fields to your left, for 7.5 miles to the salinity gates on Montezuma Slough.
Elk: On the drive in, stay alert and look to the left for the big bulls, usually about 200 to 300 yards away. Two more miles down the road, on the left, the females often congregate in a herd of 200-plus. The big bulls still have their giant antlers. It won’t be long and they will shed them. As spring arrives, the cows will give birth to their calves, and if you’re lucky, you can see a newborn take its first steps.
Otters: Drive very slowly, and stay alert to the sloughs along the road. Families of river otters feed on small fish there. They roam up and down the sloughs, as if playing tag with each other and pop-goes-the-weasel with you.
Ducks: This is a key nesting area for mallards. They have already paired up and will begin nesting in March.
Fish: Hit the tides right and Montezuma Slough can be excellent for striped bass and sturgeon, both from shore and by boat, with a launch ramp at Belden’s Landing. Hours: Sunrise to sunset. Maps: Available at entrance station; PDF at www.dfg.ca.gov/ lands.
Headquarters: Located at the entrance to the wildlife area; get wildlife information, latest sightings; restrooms.
Cost: $4.32 day-use CDFW Lands Pass ($24.33 per year), available online and at California Department of Fish and Wildlife license agents. Access is free with a current fishing or hunting license, or for those under 16.
Dogs: Free, allowed in February. No dogs from March through June to protect nesting waterfowl.
Read all about it: The story “Refuges coaxing once-depleted tule elk herds back to life,” appeared on Jan. 1 at www.
sfchronicle.com.
GPS: 2548 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun City.
How to get there: From San Francisco, take the Bay Bridge east (get in the left lane) and continue on Interstate 80 east for 40 miles to the exit for Highway 12/Rio Vista. Take that exit and drive east on Highway 12 for 4.3 miles to Suisun City and the stoplight at Grizzly Island Road. Turn right and drive 9.5 miles to the CDFW check-in station (get a map there). After check-in, continue 7.5 miles (road turns to dirt/gravel) to designated park- ing lots and viewing areas.
Distances: 11 miles from Fairfield, 32 miles from Martinez, 39 miles from Walnut Creek, 52 miles from San Rafael, 57 miles from downtown San Francisco, 57 miles from Dublin, 57 miles from Sacramento.
Contacts: Grizzly Island Wildlife Area (707) 425-3828; California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch Lands Program, (916) 445-0411; www.wildlife.ca. gov — under conservation, click on “public lands.”