Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge – Decatur, Alabama

On today’s adventure, we traveled to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, Alabama. Why? For the Festival of Cranes! If you are a nature lover looking for an easy hike, then this is the place – And event – For you.

Every January, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge hosts a festival centered around the migration of sandhill cranes. These large birds migrate from the northern United States and Canada to areas in the south, such as Florida and Alabama. This is one of the best places to view the cranes because thousands stop there for the winter.

You could hear the sandhill cranes cooing at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge before you even saw them.

We attended the Festival of Cranes on January 14th. The road into the refuge is through corn fields. You could hear the sandhill cranes cooing before you even saw them. Unfortunately, when we visited, the Visitor Center was closed for renovations. But that just gives us a reason to visit again when it opens! There was an information tent with plenty of information about the Refuge, such as trail maps and bird lists.

Because it was a festival, it was fairly crowded, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The amount of people did not take away from the main attraction, which are the sandhill cranes. At the area surrounding the Visitor Center, there are several spots and opportunities to view the cranes.

All of the trails at Wheeler are rated as easy. The longest trail is only 1.28 miles. We decided to walk the Atkeson Cypress Trail. This is partially a boardwalk through a swampy cypress area. After that, we walked the trail to the observation building, which is only .15 miles. This is worth it! From the observation building (which is heated) you can see hundreds of cranes. There is an upstairs and downstairs which gives visitors a view of the birds without disturbing them. The waterfront observation building also allows you to see other birds, such as geese and ducks. I did overhear a few visitors saying they could see a bald eagle – Maybe next time!

After leaving the Visitor Center area, we drove across the road to a lake access point for fishing. We were also able to see more cranes there from the bank as well as a fishing dock. Next time we visit Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, the renovations should be completed – We will be back!

Tips for your trip to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge:

Bring binoculars!
Near the water at Wheeler, look out for alligators!
The Atkeson Cypress Trail and Observation Building Trail are wheelchair accessible and child friendly.
Decatur is home to Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ. It is an award-winning BBQ restaurant and home to Morgan County white sauce. It is worth a visit! We had lunch there before visiting Cross-Eyed Brewing Company.

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
3121 Visitor Center Road,
Decatur, AL 35603

After the hike, we visited Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Company in Decatur, Alabama