Los Banos Wildlife Area - Wildlife refuge in Los Banos - 18110 Henry Miller Ave, USA

Blind 18 is a great blind. I like the layout and how it backs to trees. Just no birds flying the day we were here.

Beautifully maintained refuge. Sean, Steve, Jesse, and the whole staff are absolute professionals and set a high standard for the CDFW. Its amazing to see true conservationism at work. I've seen bald eagles here, as well as red tailed hawks, black neck stilts, egrets, swans, you name it, all thriving at Los Banos thanks to the staff's dedication and hard work.

March 24, 2023 Visit: I took my cat on the 3-4 mile extended trail, which was full of vegetation and had leveled ground to walk on. There isn't any restrooms along the trail, but there are split trails that are shorter and near the front entrance. There were open porta-potties and a brick-built restroom that was closed at the time. Allowed hunting and fishing seasons are posted at the visitor center and you can make reservations for these activities as well.

Went for a Afternoon drive with my 2 grandchildren ages 8 & 5 and always wanted to check out the wildlife refuge. Pulled into parking lot and it was empty, there’s a hut where you sign in and fill out a card with your card info & your name. We didn’t know where to go exactly so we just drove in and cruised along the levy on a dusty gravel road. The kids had the windows down and eyes wide open looking for wildlife. There were many birds and wild rabbits everywhere. We stopped and got a closer look at the levy, no one was around us, no people, so it was like we were on another planet by ourselves. The kids loved the outdoor nothingness! We continued along pointing and shouting every time we saw something move. We pulled into several turn off dirt coves where I think you could hang out for the day, we were looking for wildlife so we kept going. We were able to get out and get close to the water bank at one turnoff and just looked around. There was an open field with bushes & bushes and wild bunnies hopping all over the place, hiding from us as we approached. We saw some hawks that were flying around with large wings and tall skinny white birds that looked like storks, many other birds as well we didn’t know what kind just that they were wildlife birds kind of exotic looking. We stayed and hung out about 3 hours or so as it was a warm day last spring. It was a fun fulfilling day without charge. The kids can’t wait to come back and bring pellets for the bunnies. They love to feed the animals. A great wholesome educational and bonding day we all enjoyed!!

Heard about this place from a YouTube video. Decided to try it out Sunday Feb 16th. Hit up the first lake on the trail, think it’s called Upper Ruth Lake. Caught 3 bass from the bank a couple solid 2 1/2 lb’ers and a stud of a fish, my new PB 6lbs13oz. Great place to fish. Can’t wait to go back with my kayak and really fish it.

10-20 RVs parked in the parking lot with nobody to give you directions of where to go. We were expecting to see wildlife and a walk but we showed up it was dry as the saharah desert. We walked a few minutes in & decided this was no wildlife area. Seen a few men getting ready to go bird hunting with their rifles.

OK look, I used to duck and goose hunt there back in the early 80's through the 90's but was forced to quit after an altercation with a young but still stupid game warden. I'm a duck hunter, not a terrorist with a shotgun and waders. In early November 1986 I drove to Los Banos game reserve with a friend for a day of hunting. The warden behind the counter gave me easy directions to the area parking lot. While driving through the gated area a young warden/police officer pulled me over and demanded an answer as to why I was trespassing on "his" property" Before I could answer him he ordered me to return to the game shack. I followed him there. When I got there I asked to speak with the wardens boss. He came out from somewhere, and asked what I wanted. I told him that due to one of his idiot employees my hunting day was ruined. He told me he would look into it. I went home, never ever went back.

Extensive wildlife refuge with several miles of hiking trails and a lengthy auto trail. Like all wetlands it has a plethora of Red Wing Blackbirds; we also saw a number of Great Blue Herons ( and got photos of several) three versions of egrets, several kites, and various flycatchers. If you are a photographer, take a long lens - the herons are very shy.