Two kids running in the snow. We all need nature—and nature needs you. Together, we can protect the wildlife and wild lands of Massachusetts for generations to come. Make a tax-deductible donation today.
Two kids running in the snow. We all need nature—and nature needs you. Together, we can protect the wildlife and wild lands of Massachusetts for generations to come. Make a tax-deductible donation today.
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 at Wellfleet Bay

    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 at Wellfleet Bay

    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

    Conservation Projects at Wellfleet Bay

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

Latest News

More News
Group of Youth Climate Action Summit attendees posing for a picture behind a banner of the same name
News March 07, 2024

Youth Climate Leaders Making an Impact on the Cape

Keep Reading
Cape Cod Natural History Conference presenter on stage at a podium
Special Event February 05, 2024

Cape Cod Natural History Conference

Event Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Keep Reading
Wellfleet Bay staffer holding a sea turtle in a towel
© Andrea Spence
News February 01, 2024

Cape Cod's 2023 Sea Turtle Season Wrap-Up

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