The Reserve is open to public day use every day from sunrise to sunset on a walk-in-only basis for hiking and general natural history appreciation. No application or prior notification is required for casual day use but visitors are asked to sign in at the visitor kiosk near the science center and park in the day use parking lot 100 yards further up the road near the reserve gate. Trail guides are usually available at the visitor kiosk, or online here.  No pets, weapons, or unauthorized vehicles are allowed. Mountain bikes are allowed on the main reserve road only. Public visitors enter at their own risk.  Come prepared with water in the summer months and appropriate gear for the cold and wet winter months. We request that visitors stay on roads and well-marked trails, due to fragile landscapes including undercut, steep river banks; field experiments; and the high probability of getting lost in rough terrain and tall forest without many vantage points for overviews. No collecting of any kind is permitted. Please respect all researchers and research apparatus (equipment, flagging, marked experimental plots, etc.) by not disturbing them. Except for the bathrooms at the Science Center, the outhouses at the Angelo Home site, and the stand alone bathrooms at Fox Creek Lodge, the public should not enter any buildings. While boundaries are not always well marked, the public is asked to respect our neighbors and their private property.

Individual with special needs should make inquiries with the Reserve Manager well in advance of their visit.