Twilight Eagle Sanctuary, also known as Twilight Marsh, is home to wetlands and channels that provide valuable habitat primarily for fish species and waterfowl. Though bald eagles don’t nest here, they roost and forage throughout the wetland and shoreline forest habitat. Visitors can enjoy birdwatching from a roadside viewing platform, but there is no legal access to the site itself. Four federally listed fish are supported along this stretch of the Columbia River: chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and summer and winter steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquatic mammals such as seals and sea lions also frequent nearby waters.
Recreational Activities: Birdwatching, hunting
Access:
⇒ Birdwatching and wildlife viewing: open access to the roadside viewing platform only. There are no trails and no legal land access across the railroad tracks.
⇒ Day use only
⇒ Hunting: by boat only. Waterfowl hunters can access the site by boat and hunt the highwater line, which is state-owned. If you plan to hunt here, please email landaccess@columbialandtrust.org for the latest site information.
⇒ There is no launching of boats allowed at Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The nearest public boat launch is about four miles west at John Day County Park.
Dogs: Allowed on leash on the viewing platform
Amenities: Wildlife viewing platform
Trails: None
Acreage: 76 acres
County: Clatsop County
Town: Astoria, OR
Directions: View on Google Maps. Park in pullouts along the side of the road.
Tips for Visiting: Public use of the property is restricted to the viewing platform located above the railroad along Burnside Loop Road. The railroad is private property and it is considered trespassing to walk on or across the tracks, so there is no legal way to access the site by land. Waterfowl hunters can access the site by boat, launching at nearby John Day County Park. If you plan to hunt here, please email landaccess@columbialandtrust.org for the latest site information.
Year Conserved: 2008
About: Twilight Eagle Sanctuary lies at approximately Columbia River Mile 20, upstream from the Pacific Ocean. It is eight miles east of the city of Astoria. It is home to rich tidal wetland and lush forested shoreline. Commonly referred to as Twilight “Marsh”, this piece of land compliments two adjoining conservation properties, owned by Clatsop County and North Coast Land Conservancy, which in total establish 103 acres of contiguous preservation of critical salmon and waterfowl habitat, and almost one mile of undeveloped shoreline within the Lower Columbia River Estuary.
Partners: Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) completed a restoration project here, connecting additional wetland habitat.
