The rectangular Viewing Area and its parking lot cover about 2 acres, surrounded by a wooden post-and-dowel fence shadowed by mature elms (much loved by Yellow Warbler, and occasionally visited by Dickcissel). If unmowed, the Area can boast 3-foot-high kochia during late summer, making it difficult to find the interpretive signs, but a stroll around the inner perimeter can be very rewarding for the birder. A picnic table is located in the southeast corner of the area, and a garbage can at the parking lot. There is no drinking water or vault toilet here.

This is not really the place to look for waterbirds; the Viewing Area is too far from the lake. Even when the lake is full, and you’re on the south side of the Viewing Area, you will need a spotting scope for identifying most birds on the water. Mid-summer, the Viewing Area and surroundings may feature a large grasshopper population, enjoyed by Blue Grosbeak. Sunflower blooms in August between the Viewing Area and the lake, attracting sparrows and other species. There is no signage indicating you can’t hike down to the lake, but it will be muddier the closer you get. It is much easier to get close to the water west and south of the lake, but Lake 13 itself is a different hotspot, for which of course you should start a separate list. 

Pectoral Sandpiper, Northern Harrier,  Ferruginous Hawk, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. Whereas the Western Kingbird is the most likely kingbird species to be seen here, Cassin's and Eastern Kingbirds are also reported.

Enter the North Lake 13 Viewing Area parking lot immediately southwest of where the generally east-west running County Road A-1 (also known as Laguna Madre Road) makes a short north-south jog. Be mindful of signage, as the maintenance and farming road to the east of the Viewing Area and south of the Lake 14 inflow canal is restricted to Refuge personnel only. Depending on the availability of irrigation water, the plot east of the Viewing Area may be planted for waterfowl feed. The Refuge is experimenting with a variety of grains, so you could see farming activity here in spring, summer, or fall. 

Lake Number 13 is the largest of the playa lakes located within Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge where water is stored for wildlife habitat and irrigation. Water managed by the Vermejo Conservancy District is diverted from the Vermejo River and Chico Rico Creek, traveling via a series of canals to the lakes. The mouth of the inflow canal is at the northwest portion of Lake 13, or west of the North Viewing Area. Canals and ditches may be dry, or at least have no visible water, when the lake has water. Because the average evaporation rate of the lakes is more than twice that of precipitation, they are typically dry in years where irrigation water is not released to the Refuge by the District. In a very wet year, Lake 13 will cover 325 acres. It’s the deepest of the lakes, the only one with a boat ramp, and usually the only one where fishing is allowed. So you’re likely to see more diving waterfowl, including gulls, at this lake but also more people. The deeper portion of the lake is toward the dam at the south end, far from the North Viewing Area.

The Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge presents visitors with a unique wildlife viewing experience. Visitors are treated to year-round views of hawks, owls, eagles, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black-tailed prairie dogs.

Located in northeastern New Mexico at an elevation of 6050 feet, Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 3,699 acres of short-grass prairie, playa lakes, woodlots, wetlands, and crop fields. The refuge sits in an open basin surrounded by high mesas to the northeast and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west. Since 1965 this landscape has been managed for the benefit of wildlife and has provided a feeding and resting habitat for migratory birds.

Birders and wildlife watchers can challenge themselves by attempting to check off all 289 species of birds found on the refuge. American kestrels, wild turkeys, and Wilson’s phalaropes are a few of the common species you will enjoy seeing at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge.

Mid-October on the refuge is generally the peak fall migration of sandhill cranes, geese, and ducks. However, any time of year you are likely to see a diversity of wildlife. Wildlife watching is generally best during the morning and at dusk when wildlife is most active.

Rangeland on the refuge is rolling prairie and reclaimed farmland containing a variety of grasses including blue grama, galleta, sand dropseed, threeawn, and buffalo grass, as well as fourwing saltbush and cactus. Lakes on the refuge provide 700 acres of waterfowl roosting and feeding habitat. Wet years bring dense shoreline vegetation, while the lakes may disappear in dry years.

The refuge lakes and associated Stubblefield Lake are primarily for water storage for irrigation purposes for surrounding ranches and are managed by the local water manager. The refuge owns the surrounding grassland but not the water making water management impossible. Stubblefield Lake is privately owned. Fishing is allowed in some areas of the refuge.

From Raton, take I-25 south to Maxwell, go north on NM-445  for 0.8 miles, and west on NM-505 for approximately 2.5 miles. Turn north at the entrance sign (1.5 miles to headquarters).

The vault toilets by the parking area for Lake 13 are seasonally open and maintained. There are flush toilets in the Visitor Center (headquarters building), but that building is open on an extremely limited basis.