Each year, especially during the fall, spectacular flights of ducks and geese mark the changing seasons along this traditional waterfowl flyway. An interesting assortment of warblers, raptors, shorebirds, and other bird life can be observed also.

The 1968 excavation of the steamboat Bertrand, which sank in 1865, adds a major historical emphasis to the refuge program. The 200,000 pieces in the Bertrand Collection provide one of the most significant assemblages of Civil War era artifacts in the country.

A former oxbow of the Missouri River, DeSoto Lake, provides recreational use for up to 250,000 visitors annually. The DeSoto Visitor Center provides an introduction to the refuge, exhibits the Bertrand Collection, and contains interpretive displays on the historical development of the Missouri River Basin, the ecological impacts of that development, and the natural history of the area.

From the Omaha, Nebraska, metropolitan area, take I-29 North to Missouri Valley, Iowa. Exit at mile marker 75. Head West on US Highway 30 approximately six miles to the refuge entrance; the Visitor Center is an additional one mile south into the refuge. It is an approximately 25-minute drive to the refuge from Omaha.

Approximately 1,300 of the refuge's 8,358 acres are farmed by neighboring farmers through formal agreements with the refuge. A portion of the crop is left in the field as a supplementary food source for resident wildlife and migratory birds.

Over 1,500 acres of agricultural fields on the refuge have been reverted to grasslands since 1965. This trend will continue until the farming program reaches approximately 475 acres. These lands are being restored to high-diversity native prairie and bottomland forest. Grassland restoration provides important nesting habitat for grassland-dependent species, winter shelter for many other species of wildlife, and a more diverse natural environment. Prescribed burning and mowing are used to maintain healthy stands of native grasses in these areas.