Mississippi Sandhill Crane
Gautier, MS 39553-2500
Plan Your Visit
Mississippi Sandhill Crane is a prime destination for bird watching and viewing the critically endangered Mississippi sandhill crane. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Visitor Center to tour interactive exhibits, view a twelve-minute film, and speak with staff and volunteers. The refuge offers several trails, including the 3/4 mile C.L. Dees Trail and the 1 mile Fontainebleau Trail. Seasonal guided crane tours are typically available from late fall to late winter.
Directions to Visitor Center: One half mile north of Interstate 10, at Exit 61, off of Gautier-Vancleave Road.
Directions to Fontainebleau Nature Trail: Travel south from I-10 on Hwy 57 to U.S. Hwy 90, turn south on Hanshaw Road; the trail is on the east side of the road adjacent to the Ocean Springs Middle School.
Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
National wildlife refuges partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of urban and coastal communities to make a lasting difference. Find out how you can help make American lands healthier and communities stronger while doing something personally satisfying.
Services
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge offers environmental education programs for a variety of audiences. The refuge provides unique and exciting outdoor environments – excellent locations for hands-on learning activities. Numerous youth and adult groups visit every year to learn about a specific topic on wildlife, habitat, or ecological processes.
About
The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1975 to protect the critically endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes and their unique wet pine savanna habitat. The crane population has grown from approximately 35 birds to about 200 through captive rearing and habitat restoration efforts. The refuge also restores the last large expanses of wet pine savanna, which is among the most diverse ecosystems in the United States, primarily through the use of prescribed fire.