Bald Eagles | Farmington Bay

One of our favorite winter activities is finding Bald Eagles all over Utah. We have a drive that we do every year in Sanpete County where we guarantee you can find some eagles. Luckily, some of you let us know that the bald eagles also winter at Farmington Bay, so we went to check it out.

Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area is a beautiful spot to see birds all year round. There is a short drive and a great overlook area. We saw tons of birds here in the spring when we last visited. We also like that it is right next door to the Eccles Wildlife Education Center where you can also see birds and go for a nice walk around their nature trail.

In winter, there is a longer drive to enjoy, and this is where you will find the bald eagles. This gate is blocked from March to November, but in January and February the drive is open, and this is where we saw lots of birds. It’s 2.0 miles out to the end. We were excited to see lots of swans wintering in Utah, too.

The bald eagles were way out on the ice when we visited, so we recommend taking binoculars to get a good look at these beautiful birds. Look for dark spots out on the ice. We saw 10 bald eagles, 9 on the ice and one in a tree.

Much of the water is frozen, but there were hundreds of birds in the open water. We saw many varieties including northern pintails, mallards, black-crowned night herons, great blue herons, sea gulls, swans, pheasants, many hawks, and bald eagles. And we also spotted a coyote. We had a great day spotting wildlife.

There are also a few trails where you can walk. You’ll notice gates with small openings for people to walk down the edges of some of the water areas. It was a nice day, so we went for a short walk to see some of the birds a little closer. You could easily do this adventure by staying in your car the entire time.

Farmington Bay is a great spot to find bald eagles. We can’t wait to go back and see them again.

Directions:

The drive begins just a block before the Eccles Wildlife Center at the corner of Glovers Ln and 1325 W in Farmington. If you come from the South, take exit 322 off of the 1-15 and take a right onto 200 W (Frontage road) immediately after exiting. Then turn right onto Glovers Ln (925 W) watch for 1325 W to come up on the left. 

If you come from the North, take exit 325, and turn right onto Park Lane. Follow straight as it merges into Clark Lane. Take a left onto 1525 W. At the T with Glovers Ln, head left back to 1325 W and take a right.