This recreation area, located on the upper one half of the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, features many opportunities for photographing plants and animals in river bottom farmland and wooded swamps, all managed for wildlife. Hiking trails and observation areas are available, and six miles of auto-tour road winds through wetlands, meadows and along the lakeshore. Two asphalt nature trails, one-mile long, are located near the refuge. This nature area features no penned animals and the nature trail is on the list of National Recreation Trails. 

The refuge hosts the largest concentration of snow geese in the state, and large numbers of wading and shorebirds are common in the summer and fall. Mallards are by far the most abundant species of the wintering duck. The bottomland habitat provides a home for a variety of wildlife, including songbirds, raptors, bobwhite quail, bobcat, squirrels, muskrat and rabbits. Reptiles such as the green tree frog, diamondback water snake, red-eared slider, cottonmouth and bullfrog are also common in the wetlands, open year-round from one hour before sunrise to sunset, with fall and winter offering the best time for viewing. Public hunting is allowed in designated areas per refuge regulations. Fishing is also allowed on the refuge.