Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary 2026 05

For a Mother’s Day post this hike is perfect. Last Sunday we decided to take a family hike after church. So we headed up to Bay Beach for a picnic and a hike.

Key Features

Wildlife Rehabilitation Program: It is home to the second-largest wildlife rehabilitation program in Wisconsin, providing care for over 6,000 orphaned or injured animals annually.

Nature Center: This three-story facility includes the Estuary Room, a library, a gift shop, and interactive hands-on exhibits for exploring local ecology.

Observation & Rehabilitation Building: Visitors can view the animal nursery, see live birds of prey, and visit the Raptor Theater.

Multi-Use Trails: The sanctuary features approximately 5 to 6.5 miles of trails used for hiking and nature walks that are groomed for cross-country skiing during the winter.

Live Animal Exhibits: Permanent habitats house native Wisconsin wildlife that cannot be released, including wolves, bobcats, foxes, and coyotes.

Waterfowl Feeding: A popular activity for families is purchasing shelled corn at the Observation Building to feed the ducks and geese at the lagoons.

Urban Fishing: The sanctuary lagoons offer urban fishing opportunities specifically for children under 16 and individuals with disabilities.

Resch Falls & Floating Boardwalk: Scenic landmarks include the Resch waterfalls and a floating boardwalk that provides unique vantage points over the water.

Oak Learning Center: This unique nature-based 4K kindergarten program is operated in collaboration with the Green Bay Area Public School District.

Bird Watching: Recognized as a premier birding destination, the property has recorded over 250 different species and features a lookout tower for better viewing.

Review

Before church my wife made us each our own sub sandwich. So that after church we could head straight up to Bay Beach and eat a picnic lunch.

After church we all got into our SUV and headed to Green Bay. Bay Beach is on the north side of Green Bay on the edge of the Bay of Green Bay. The wildlife sanctuary is set between Highway 43 and the bay.

The sanctuary property is forested with several interconnected ponds. These ponds separate several visitor centers and out door exhibits. Trails and bridges connect the different areas and trails throughout the property.

After a quick 40 minute ride we got to the sanctuary. We parked and unpacked the picnic. People and birds were everywhere around us.

Kids fishing in the pond. Geese with their goslings wandered as if they were uncaring of the human presence. And a lone Seagull kept trying to get close for a handout as we ate.

After we finished we packed up and started to hike. We wandered the paths surrounded by the geese and ducks living in the ponds. Geese hissed at us as we got to close to some of their nests. While some of the geese had hatched their goslings others were still siting on their eggs, only feet from the trails.

Eventually we made it to the main visitor center. Like a small museum, the visitor center had exhibits showing visitors about the marshland that the site was built on and the wildlife in that marsh.

Eventually we moved on to a small zoo area with wolves, deer, foxes, and other smaller denizens of the area. My son though was unable to get the wolves to howl to his rendition of Maroon 5’s Animal.

Beyond the zoo area was a marshy area with hiking trails. We started out on a short hike down these trails. I was not feeling the best so we did not traverse them all, however we did get a nice little hike on these trails. We even encountered a goose playing sentry at one of the trailheads.

Eventually we were able to get to the section of the Nature Preserve I like, the Falcon exhibits. Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary is a rehabilitator of birds. Just a week before I read a story of the sanctuary releasing a rehabilitated Red-tailed Hawk.

Inside another visitor center they had birds behind glass that they were rehabilitating. And also some local birds in indoor pens. Outside the visitor center they had different exhibits of birds including Bald and Golden Eagles, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks and other falcons.

Eventually, though we needed to leave. A short hike from the Falcon’s and we were back to the SUV.

Since I was a kid I have enjoyed going to Bay Beach. But I preferred the Wildlife Sanctuary over the amusement park.

If you have little kids or love nature and have not been to Bay Beach make a day of it, you will enjoy it. And even if you have been there before, go again. They have been adding to the trails and even built a rocky raised trail near one of the dock/bridges.

Thanks again for reading and feel free to leave a comment.