On A Tank of Gas: Suisun Slough

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Duck Hunting and Then Some

By Patricia Kutza

Six months each year, from mid-September to mid-March, nearly 1,500 members of Skip Chadbourne’s Suisun Marsh Hunting Preserve converge on his 1,630-acre property to hunt pheasants. It’s a ritual shared by countless other hunters who belong to the 158 duck clubs that pepper the marsh.
    Even if hunting is not your bag, there is a lot more to see and do year-round in this patch of Solano County.
Turn south off Hwy. 12 at Grizzly Island Road about three miles east of Suisun City, just past those fast-food bookmarks, McDonald’s and Jack in the Box. Here you begin a 10-mile trip where much of this land, the largest contiguous, brackish (freshwater and saltwater) wetland in the western United States, looks just as it did around 1850 when Congress granted this area to California for levee construction.
    Early on, buyers with names such as Chapman, Rush and Dutton would aquire large parcels of this acreage for cattle and horse ranches. The brackish soil foiled early attempts at growing sugar beets, beans and potatoes, making way for the duck clubs that have become such an integral part of this 116,000-acre wetland between the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
    To see the marsh when it’s most lush, visit February through June, says Steven Chappell, executive director of the Suisun Resource Conservation District. The great waterfowl migration begins in August, when a virtual “Who’s Who” of the duck and geese kingdom starts arriving from their northern nesting habitats. Throughout the fall, marsh visitors can expect to see pintails, gadwalls, widgeons, green-winged teals, shovellers and mallards.
    Rush Ranch, two miles south down Grizzly Island Road, is the epicenter for marsh research and a wide variety of community activities. Hikers can enjoy several trails, such as the Suisun Hill Trail (across the road from Rush Ranch), open seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. There are docent-led hikes in Lynch Canyon and on the King and Swett ranches, as well as wildflower tours (50 varieties) in the Jepson Prairie Preserve. Bike riding is forbidden on all trails, but dog lovers can exercise their pets off leash on the Suisun Hill Trail.
Physically challenged folks should take advantage of the horse-wagon tours that are offered April through October. Rush Ranch docents are eager to share the Patwin Indian heritage that predates the European influence and have developed a full curriculum designed for third- and fourth-grade students. The ranch’s annual open house is a fun affair, replete with carriage rides, blacksmithing demonstrations and tours of the marsh.

A River Runs Through It
Traveling further down Grizzly Island Road you will reach Montezuma Bridge, spanning Joice and Grizzly islands. Here you can still see remnants of where islanders once boarded the ferry to cross Montezuma Slough. To get a more intimate feel of the many miles of sloughs that crisscross the marsh, enter Montezuma Slough by boat at its mouth in Grizzly Bay, keeping a close eye on your depth finder as the shallow tides have run many unobservant mariners aground.
    Navigating this slough due north eventually leads you into the Sacramento River at Collinsville. For a different adventure, turn left at Hunter’s Cut and head up the Suisun Channel, winding your way to Suisun City Marina. 
    The oldest section of Suisun City used to be defined by its annual striped bass derby. While the city’s population has increased, conventional wisdom says there’s still no better place to catch bass and sturgeon. Completely rebuilt in 1994, the marina boasts 150 rental-berthing slips, free public boat launch ramps, a generous 300-foot guest dock and a new lighthouse. There’s lots of public walk space, excellent for biking or rollerblading. “We may be a full seven miles from the mouth of Grizzly Bay,” says marina supervisor Gus Barkas, “but many boaters prefer our laid-back ambiance and reasonable rates while enjoying all the conveniences of larger marinas.”
    After a relaxing boat ride or vigorous hike, top off your visit to the marsh with alfresco dining at Babs Delta Diner or the Athenian Grill, both on the waterfront adjacent to the harbor master’s office. 

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