Most people probably don't think about visiting a national wildlife refuge in the winter.

But whether you want to explore one of Utah's three bird-oriented national refuges or travel to another state, there is almost always something to see.

Winter is a quiet time at Utah's three refuges -- Bear River near Brigham City, Ouray in eastern Utah and Fish Springs in the west desert -- but all are open with driving tours and interesting drives, walks and excursions.

This can be a good time to see wintering bald eagles which feast on carp where the water is open around the Great Salt Lake. Parts of the Green River flow through Ouray, providing open water for birds, and the springs are always bubbling at Fish Springs, even in a winter landscape.

Those who want to drive further afield have plenty of options, as well.

For example, horse-drawn sleigh rides provide an intimate view of the 8,000 elk that winter on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyo., the world's largest wintering concentration of the animals. Elk come from Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks and other surrounding forests to spend the winter feeding at the refuge.

This refuge was created in 1912 and was one of the first established as a result of public interest in the survival of the Jackson elk herd. Today, the refuge preserves much of the elks' remaining winter range in the valley, approximately one quarter of the original Jackson Hole winter range. Moose, bison and bighorn sheep also roam the refuge in the winter, though they are more difficult to see.

During the 2008-09 season, sleigh rides are offered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. now through March 31. If snow is sparse, wagons substitute for sleighs. For information, visit www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/index.htm.

Two other good winter destinations are the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge near the Columbia River in Washington, and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado.

The big draw at Julia Butler Hansen is the chance to see an endangered Columbian white-tailed deer, a subspecies of white-tailed deer. The refuge was created in 1972 to protect them. More information is at www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=13554.

Bison were introduced to the Arsenal refuge, 11 miles from downtown Denver, in 2007. The refuge offers two-hour wildlife viewing tours on a trolley bus at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Tours are free but reservations are required. Call 303-289-0930.

The 61,500-acre Agassiz and the 42,724-acre Tamarac national refuges in Minnestoa are good places to see grey wolves in the winter. White-tailed deer are a common sight at both. For information, visit www.fws.gov/midwest/tamarac or www.fws.gov/midwest/agassiz/.

Wildlife loves looking for more warmth might want to visit St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida (www.fws.gov/saintmarks/), where alligators are a common sight on the 6.8-mile wildlife drive. Some are 14 feet long. The Florida black bear is also making a strong comeback at the refuge, though it is more difficult to see.

California's tule elk are on view at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos. This refuge features a five-mile tule elk tour route that takes visitors around an enclosed elk herd of approximately 50 animals. The refuge also has a 12-mile waterfowl route. For information, visit www.fws.gov/sanluis/default.htm.