Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
boardwalk trail through a grassy meadow
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfleet

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Plan Your Visit

Wellfleet Bay provides peace and unmatched beauty on the hillsides and shoreline overlooking Wellfleet Harbor. Extensive trails bring you to a panoramic salt marsh, sandy barrier beach, and pine woodlands, each attracting a wide array of wildlife.

Hours
Nature Center
  • Tuesday-Saturday
  • 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Trails
  • Daily
  • dawn to dusk
  • 5 miles
  • 0.5 universally accessible miles

Property Regulations

  • Foot travel only; please stay on trails (day passes are available for powered mobility devices)
  • Dog walking and horseback riding are prohibited; please leave all animals and pets at home (service animals welcome)
  • Collecting, swimming, wading, smoking, hunting, fishing, releasing of animals, and feeding wildlife is prohibited.
  • Commercial photography needs prior approval; please see all photography guidelines.

Facilities

  • Parking
    Parking
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Station
    Electric Vehicle Charging Station
  • Trail, Universally Accessible
    Trail, Universally Accessible
  • Nature Center/Museum, Universally Accessible
    Nature Center/Museum, Universally Accessible
  • Restrooms, Universally Accessible
    Restrooms, Universally Accessible
  • Camping
    Camping
  • Picnic Tables
    Picnic Tables

Featured Experiences

  • Cape Cod Field Schools

    Wellfleet Bay offers a wide variety of field courses for adults that focus on the unique coastal environment and wildlife of Cape Cod.

  • campground with two tents in the distance
    Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Campground

    Camping

    Camping at Wellfleet Bay offers the natural world of the sanctuary for exploration and enjoyment.

  • Wellfleet Bay campers exploring a salt marsh with their counselor

    Family Fun

    Have fun with the whole family at Wellfleet Bay, either on your own or during an organized program.


     

  • Handful of Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings © Terri Munson
    Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings © Terri Munson

    Projects

    Wellfleet Bay is actively involved with a variety of projects including protecting sea turtles, diamondback terrapins, horseshoe crabs, and more.

Latest News

More News
Fox, seated, squinting towards the camera
© Mark Faherty
News December 02, 2024

Now Accepting Proposals for the 2025 Cape Cod Natural History Conference

Keep Reading
Child looking in dirt with others watching
News November 14, 2024

10 Family Friendly Wildlife Sanctuaries to Visit with Kids

Keep Reading
Two Diamondback terrapin hatchlings, one with a golden shell
News October 29, 2024

A Golden-colored Hatchling—and a Few More Surprises—for Cape Cod’s Terrapin Nesting Season

Keep Reading

Sanctuary History

If you were here 150 years ago, you’d be in the middle of asparagus and turnip farms, open fields and salt hay meadows. Dairy cows grazed nearby. 

Learn More

Get Involved

You can contribute to Wellfleet Bay's conservation projects from rescuing stranded sea turtles to monitoring Diamondback Terrapins.

Find Out How

Explore Wellfleet Bay

  • View out to ocean at WB © Lauren Fenn
    © Lauren Fenn
  • up close of a fiddler crab with claw in air
    Fiddler Crab © Maceo Susi
  • boy walking across boardwalk over flooded marsh
    Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfleet
  • trail through forest at Wellfleet Bay
    Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfeet © Elizabeth Attardi
  • garden with sign that says butterfly and hummingbird garden with nature center in background
    Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfleet