Sandhill Cranes Welcome Us To Green Bay's Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary

Our first day visiting Green Bay, Wisconsin was initially quite rainy yet we opted to explore the outdoors a bit anyway. We headed to Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary which is a wildlife refuge featuring animal exhibits, hiking trails, bird viewing areas, and more. As we parked we immediately saw a pair of sandhill cranes that seemed to welcome us.

Two sandhill cranes lead us to the trail at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

The sandhill cranes embarked upon one of the preserve's trails almost leading us down the path. Soon, though, they angled towards the nature center as we ambled towards the outdoor animal exhibits. We would encounter more sandhill cranes later in our visit while exploring the outdoor enclosures.

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - Second Largest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Wisconsin

A little chipmunk waited for us to pass by on a hiking trail.

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary began as a waterfowl rehabilitation facility in 1936. Today, Bay Beach is home to the second largest wildlife rehabilitation center in Wisconsin and takes care of over 6,000 injured and orphaned animals every year. We spotted rehabilitated native wildlife such as foxes, deer, cougar, turkeys, crows and more. Oh and more sandhill cranes -- lots of sandhill cranes. All of the animals in the enclosures are rehabilitated animals that cannot be re-released into the wild.

If you are visiting Green Bay, make sure to visit Wequiock Waterfall!

A boardwalk angles under a tree and through the wetlands at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

The preserve holds approximately 6.5 miles of hiking trails. Trails guide explorers through woodlands and wetlands. The trails are easy to navigate and welcoming to all ranges of hikers. With the slight drizzle during our visit, we had the trails virtually to ourselves and benefitted by seeing quite a bit of wildlife. The trails are groomed for cross-country skiing when it snows.

Bay Beach Amusement Park provides a family fun venue nearby with rides right along Green Bay May - September.

A downy woodpecker enjoyed a nibble while hopping about on a tree at  
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary provides a home to a range of birds. We saw quite a few during our visit. Visitors can purchase corn at the Observation Building to feed the ducks and geese at the pond. There is a floating boardwalk that goes across the pond to check out as well.

A playground encourages children to climb.

The preserve is the largest park in the Green Bay Park system and hosts a range of events and experiences throughout the year. Bay Beach holds a nature-based kindergarten, programs for community groups, nature walks and more. The preserve is open year-round. We enjoyed our wander along the trails spotting wildlife, so we recommend a visit on your next Green Bay trip.