National Wildlife Refuge · Prairie Pothole Region · Prairie Pothole Region / James River Valley edge; much of the refuge is federally designated wilderness
Verified coordinates from the source record. Still confirm the current entrance and road status before travelling.
Verify access before travel
Chase Lake NWR — distant observation only
May to August for the breeding pelican colony; spring and fall for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds
Peak months in the record: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Pick any day of the coming week for sunrise, sunset, the low-light windows and the forecast at Chase Lake NWR.
Limited. Access via minimum-maintenance roads and prairie trails; the nesting islands are sensitive and must be given wide berth. This is a long-lens, observe-from-distance destination, not a close-approach site. Confirm current public access and any closures before visiting.
Free
Wilderness designation restricts travel; roads can be very poor seasonally (high-clearance or 4WD wise); strict disturbance avoidance around nesting islands; hunting on adjacent lands in fall.
The notes on this page come from the guide's fixed records and can age. These links open what the managing agency publishes right now — always the last word on access.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (National Wildlife Refuge)
Agency pages are found by searching the place name, so the search may list nearby units too — no page here is a stored link to a specific trailhead or gate.
No access check recorded for this place yet. Once you have confirmed the current rules with USFWS, mark it here so you can see how fresh your information is.
This only records that you checked. It never changes the guide's access notes and is not a statement from any agency.
Nobody publishes an open fall-colour peak map, so these are the dates volunteers recorded coloured leaves in North Dakota — a handful of plants at a handful of sites, not a statewide peak. Use the official reports below for the wider picture.
Leaf-out and leaf-colour timing: USA National Phenology Network (usanpn.org).
Pelicans
Tap for recent sightings, where to go and today's light →
Photograph the colony only from established distant viewpoints; do not approach nesting islands. Synchronized cooperative fishing groups on lakes make spectacular flight and feeding shots.
Illustration, not a field photograph · Real photos on All About Birds
Shorebirds
Tap for recent sightings, where to go and today's light →
Photogenic spinning feeding behavior; get low at pothole edges for close-ups of birds whirling in shallow water.
Illustration, not a field photograph · Real photos on All About Birds
Shorebirds
Tap for recent sightings, where to go and today's light →
Territorial display flights over prairie in May; listen for the loud 'god-WIT' call to locate birds.
Illustration, not a field photograph · Real photos on All About Birds
These are historical public posts collected as supporting evidence. They are not live sightings and do not guarantee current bird activity. Photos are not copied here — each entry links to the original post.
2026-09-11 — American White Pelican
Three in flight; caption: largest US breeding colony
Chase Lake NWR, ND · Chase Lake NWR
Open source poston Facebook (opens in a new tab; older posts may have been removed by their author)2026-08-28 — American White Pelican
Flock and prairie landscape
Chase Lake, Stutsman County, ND · Chase Lake NWR
Open source poston Instagram (opens in a new tab; older posts may have been removed by their author)2025-04-02 — American White Pelican
Cooperative underwater foraging (Michael Forsberg via National Audubon)
Chase Lake NWR · Chase Lake NWR
Open source poston Instagram (opens in a new tab; older posts may have been removed by their author)