It was a wet evening that we went to Mud Bay Park. Luckily the rain stopped soon after we arrived and did not return until we were leaving. The sun broke though the clouds several times creating beautiful views of the bay, and even a faint rainbow in the distance, over the large wooden train bridge.

This park is a bird sanctuary on the shore of Mud Bay with wide flat gravel trails which are perfect for walking, jogging or biking. The terrain is very flat, making it wheelchair accessible. Despite the bad weather we saw several groups of people using the park for these activities. The trails also join with the East Delta Dike trail which continues another 12 km into Delta. The two loops we walked were about 3 km long. There are bathrooms near the parking lot, a sign about bird conservation and little else for facilities.

We were at the park at high tide which likely made it a very different experience than low tide would have created. Considering the weather this may have made for a more peaceful walk than if I had be forced to keep my daughters off the beach which appears to live up to the name of Mud Bay.

The area is a stop for many migrating birds each year, as well as those who winter along the shore. For this reason some of the trails do not allow horses, dogs or bikes during the fall and winter months. We were here in August so there were not too many birds in the area. We did get some good views, and photographic opportunities of herons, as well as some smaller sea birds, despite the girls running ahead and being loudly energetic. The trails also are surrounded by wild flowers, especially bright yellow tansy.

Several of the negatives of this park include people not cleaning up after their dogs and horses and the proximity to Highway 99. The main trail runs parallel to the highway and the sounds of cars are loud enough to make conversation difficult. On the half of the loop trails closer to the water the noise is muffled, and thus the walk is much more relaxing in these areas of the park.