The good shelling months are October through March, and it's possible to see whelks, conch, sharkeye, angelwings and cockles during low tide. Gulls, blackbellied plovers, sanderlings and rare species such as cinnamon teals, masked ducks and yellow-headed blackbirds also have been spotted in the area. Three other wildlife refuges lie within reach of the Creole Nature Trail. It contains 84,000 acres of coastal marshlands and hosts hundreds of thousands of birds each year. The refuge serves as a resting area for many birds that winter in Central and South America.
Roads are few, and travel in the refuge is mostly by boat.
Alligator, armadillo, mink, coyote and otter are a few of the four-legged critters roaming the refuge, which has a headquarters accessible by car. Ibis, egrets and peregrine falcons call the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge home. Visitors to the refuge's center can view a wilderness diorama or stroll along the boardwalk that overlooks the marsh. The three-mile Pintail Wildlife Drive is open sunrise to sunset. The two run east in tandem along the coast and pass through the city of Cameron.