Oct 30, 2026. National Wildlife Refuges can sometimes feel run-of-the-mill to this human visitor since, though I know they are places for migratory species or rare plants or critical habitat, they often seem, on the surface, like “just” walks in the woods.
Then I get hit with a scene that’s so beautiful it nearly knocks me to my knees.
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge and its close neighbor Isom NWR provide over 10,000 acres of protected wintering habitat for hundreds of thousands of species, including bald eagles and pelicans. These lakes were formed by earthquakes in the early 1800s, when the Mississippi River temporarily ran backward, parts of its waters becoming trapped and creating Reelfoot (now a National Natural Landmark) and Isom Lakes.
Much of Reelfoot Lake is open water, and boats usually dot its surface. The parts that stretch into forests can be navigated via canoe or, as in my case, enjoyed from certain viewpoints.
What a stunning vision. My videos and photos don’t do this justice. I suppose I could try to use filters to get the colors closer to how I saw them, but I am against using filters on photos as a general rule.
Sadly, I never saw Isom Lake though I drove the gravel road all throughout that refuge. The hiking trail that supposedly existed doesn’t, and I could not find public access to the water outside a gated access point for boats (which was nowhere near actual water). Oh well.
I also visited Chickasaw NWR. Climbing the viewing tower was Type 2 fun as the structure is falling apart and covered in grafitti and yellow jackets. The scenery was nice, though.
