Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is in the Sulphur Springs Valley

• South of Willcox
• NW of Douglas
• NE of Bisbee
• West of the Chiricahua Mountains

Southeast Arizona's Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is one of the best places to see large numbers of Sandhill Cranes, with population estimates of over 30,000 in winter. The Draw is in the Sulphur Springs valley, Chihuahuan desert grassland habitat, surrounded by the mountainous sky islands. The Area's wetland is managed for waterfowl, sandhill cranes, shorebirds, bald eagles, and leopard frogs. An adjacent owl roosting area is an additional attraction for birders.

Sand Hill Cranes in Whitewater Draw near McNeal, Arizona - February 2009

The valley's highways and back roads offer birders easy access to a variety of habitats, including grassland, desert scrub, playa lake, and farm fields. A wide variety of birds winter here alongside permanent residents.

But the Sulphur Springs Valley's crown jewel is the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area.

Located in the southwestern part of the valley, the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area lies within a desert grassland habitat. Nearly half of the Wildlife Area falls within a floodplain. Over 600 acres of the area is intermittently flooded wetland with two small patches of riparian habitat. The surrounding agricultural community of the valley enhances feeding opportunities for wintering birds.

Formerly a cattle ranch, the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area was purchased in 1997 and is now managed to enhance wetland habitats and provide waterfowl habitat, and wildlife viewing.

For a detailed map of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, click here.

Cranes of Arizona's Whitewater Draw

Managed by the Arizona Game & Fish Department, Whitewater Draw has a newly developed one-mile boardwalk trail that takes you around cattail marshes, shallow ponds, and eventually to several viewing platforms. Here you can use permanently-mounted telescopes to observe the spectacle of 10,000 to over 20,000 wintering sandhill cranes. Flocks of snow geese and tundra swan share the sky with the cranes.

The November to February bird watching here is simply amazing with many species of ducks, grebes, teals, shovelers, pintails, egrets, herons, shorebirds, and terns.

Check out a pair of great-horned owls sitting on the rafters of the large open barn that currently serves as a picnic shelter.

There is no visitor center at Whitewater Draw. But they have a nice parking lot and toilets. Visitors are asked to sign in at register boxes located at each parking area. The register sheets include spaces for comments and sightings, so sign in when you arrive and check to see what recent visitors have reported

Directions

Whitewater Draw is located on Coffman Road, accessible either from Central Highway via Double Adobe Road or directly from Davis Road, 1 mile west of Central Highway near McNeal.

From Bisbee drive east on Highway 80 for 4 miles and continue east on Double Adobe Road; turn north onto Central Highway until you see the blue Wildlife Refuge sign.

Alternately, drive 4 miles south of Tombstone to Davis Road; drive east on Davis Road for about 20 miles until you see the blue Wildlife Refuge sign at Coffman Road and turn right and follow Coffman Road south to the Refuge.

Google Map Link