Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, McNeal AZ

Great variety of waterfowl and terrestrial birds. Huge quantity of Sandhill Cranes in the late afternoon.

The best ever. Donate to help keep the water supply. The migration depends on it. The cranes are so special to watch.
We have a family in our Wisc. Land. They r amazing to have around. We must respect them as a gift from God.

This was an amazing experience to see the Sandhill cranes wintering at Whitewater Draw. We watched them return from their morning feeding in the surrounding fields. The best was the rush of the birds in the video calling out as if heading into battle as the flock made their way back to the water.

Wonderful place to watch Sandhill crane
Nice walkway
Good place for camping
Restrooms are available

Fantastic place. There are 20 to 30 THOUSAND sandhill cranes that winter there along with some snow geese. A small parking area, vault toilets, benches, walking trails, and informational signs are part of the park. Primitive sites for tents and small campers are available. Understandably, you do not get very close to the cranes, so binoculars or a good zoom on your smartphone or camera is needed to help see details.

Absolutely breathtaking experience with the thousands of cranes, ducks and other wildlife chattering and fluttering about while visitors silently watch and listen as though they're in a symphony hall.

The dirt roads are wash boarded and rudded, they definitely could use a good grading. Otherwise so beautiful to go see all the birds. Nice parking area and easy trails to get down to the pond.

We had no idea this place existed until we drove down the short gravel road leading into the facility. Once there, we spotted thousands of ducks, coots, hawks, Bohemian Waxwings and possibly 10,000 Sandhill cranes. A bird watchers delight.

Excellent, except when the sandhill cranes are so noisy you just can't hear yourself think!

A great place to stop and enjoy when birds are around. Visited on two mornings in early March 2022.

Each day had about the same number of Sandhill Cranes and Ross' Geese, just in slightly different locations. Fortunately, they were in fairly close to the walking paths and we could really enjoy their antics and sounds. There were several other bird species as well.

We enjoyed a couple of nights hanging with the Sandhill Cranes. The numbers are smaller than earlier in the year but it's still impressive. Dry camping for free for up to 3 nights.

This is a really cool nature experience!
There are many migratory birds along with other small animals but the Sandhill Cranes flying in from all directions are truly impressive! These Cranes arrive in flocks of hundreds, some travelling from as far as Siberia to winter around Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley.

Definitely take the time to check it out and exploreiT, if you're in the area.

If you've ever wondered what 30,000 sandhill cranes look, sound, and smell like, the Whitewater Draw nesting area is the perfect chance to find out. This year, they're nesting in a pond that's about a half-mile from the main parking area (not their usual spot, according to a local who told us where to find them), but once you start walking down the dirt trail, you can't miss their jibber-jabber sound in the distance. Great little side stop for birdwatching near Bisbee.

Came down to see the sandhill cranes and we were not disappointed. Nice viewing areas, good signage, and wide variety of birds. Good job AG&F!

Fantastic place to see where sandhill cranes overwinter. There were thousands of them, plus a sprinkling of snow geese, various ducks and some coots. Camping is permitted although there seemed to be no other amenities other than pit toilets and some covered picnic tables. Roads are not paved, and signage sparse, but who cares? The birds are there from October to March.

Fantastic! Be sure to get to the site well BEFORE sunrise. A lot of recommendations say that sunrise is the best time for viewing but actually FIRST LIGHT is when they seem to get going. So if you pull up right at sunrise you will probably have missed the biggest show. Sunset was amazing too but there were noticeably more in the morning. I was here late February and there were still plenty of cranes. Also the roads leading up to the site are gravel and verrrry bumpy. I had to drive less than 10 mph and it was uncomfortably bumpy in my Honda Accord, but still worth it! The first come first serve campsites were packed so I camped at desert oasis instead, which was only a 15 minute drive away. It’s primarily an rv site, so not a very secluded area for tent camping, but for one night it worked out great.

2022 Feb 11 - incredible. Cranes returned 10: 30am until noon on the dot. After noon they arrived by 10's instead of 1000's at once.

Walk from dirt parking lot on gravel and dried mud was about 1/10th of a mile. 100 people there on a Friday. A few benches are there but we brought foldup chairs and were glad we did (you can just stare up).

People stay on a 10 foot wide trail, with several wood deck platforms, so it would probably get really crowded on weekends. Can get within 100 feet of cranes at early spot, but most places are a 500 feet (or more) away. Easily heard, easily seen without binoculars. Phone got good pictures and videos if you make enough attempts and time them with landings. Being seated helped.

Dogs are allowed but found it very rude for people to bring them. Some were barking, some not on leash, and people are looking up making them a tripping hazard. And it is crowded.

An absolute must-see, best wildlife event I've ever seen. It was a morning event, over at noon.

Great place to see lots of Sandhill Cranes. Between 10 am and 11: 30 am huge swaths if them land. Great time to see them.