The playa is a seasonal wetland. If there's no rain, the playa water level will be very low or possibly dry. 

Walk the boardwalk checking for water birds.  Be sure to check the playa from the bird blinds and the board walk tower.

Because the trail loops around the playa, one may want to adjust which direction one is going to avoid looking into the sun or to intentionally go to the other side of the playa to avoid facing the sun. 

There are two bird feeding stations, both of which have drips.

In the woodlands, be sure to check for woodland species including woodpeckers and sparrows and warblers in the winter. 

Winter waterfowl include Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Blue-winged, Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead and Hooded Merganser. Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Cackling and Canada Geese can be found year-round. Scaled Quail can also be found year-round

Summer residents are Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Black-necked Stilt and to a lesser degree American Avocets. Snowy Plovers may be found in small numbers during the summer months.

There are lots of migratory species that make their way to the Nature Center including several species of shorebirds (Wilson's Phalarope, Spotted, Solitary, Stilt, Baird's and Western sandpipers), American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Osprey.

Mississippi Kites and Swainson's Hawk are fairly reliably found in the summertime at the preserve. Burrowing Owls are year-round residents in low numbers

The I-20 Wildlife Preserve is a 100-acre riparian forest campus in Midland, Texas. It is a wild space – not a park – managed by a nonprofit organization.

The 86-acre urban playa lake is the highlight of the wetlands and includes floodplain thickets and prairie grasslands – providing abundant avian, wildlife, and aquatic habitat.

A playa lake is an ephemeral wetland found across the High Plains. These features are shallow, clay-lined basins that are a primary source of recharge for the Ogallala aquifer- a vast but rapidly depleted source of groundwater vital to life in the semi-arid plains.

The urban playa lake of the I-20 Wildlife Preserve, with its surrounding feral forest, prairie grasses, and ponds, is a rich center for biodiversity.

The center asks that you check in digitally. In that manner, the non-profit is better able to track visitation which helps with grant applications and other funding sources.

To check-in, enter the entrance pavilion where there will be a check-in station to the left with QR check-in signs. Most phones have an automatic QR scanner in the camera. If the device does not, you can download a QR scanner from the phone's app store. If neither of these solutions work for you, you may click the following link to check in. 

The preserve has a primary walking trail that's a little over a mile, it loops around the playa lake. There are many areas to explore including the butterfly garden and outdoor classroom. If one is so inclined, the preserve asks visitors to consider documenting their experience using the center's iNaturalist project.

Before visiting, it might be wise to check the center's calendar for any upcoming events.

There is no picnicking at the Nature Center.

Dogs and bicycles are not permitted.

There is a large parking area.

The Permian Basin East Loop is a part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife's, Great Texas Wildlife Trails, Far West Texas Wildlife Trail.

1.5 mile paved/boardwalk trail around the preserve.

According to the Nature Center website: 

The preserve was designed in compliance with ADA standards. We perform routine maintenance. But it is possible for a trail to become temporarily inaccessible due to fallen branches or erosion. If you notice an inaccessible trail, please contact us here, so we can work to correct it.

When is the preserve open?

The following information is from AllTrails.com: Trail information from AllTrails.com