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Every March and April, over a million Sandhill Cranes converge on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska to fuel up before continuing north to their nesting grounds. Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary is at the heart of this magnificent crane staging area.
Plan Your Trip
Crane season 2027 will run in March and April 2027, with final dates announced in Fall 2026. Tour reservations for 2027 will open in early January 2027.
Every March, over a million Sandhill Cranes converge on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska to fuel up before continuing north to their nesting grounds. Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary is at the heart of this magnificent crane staging area. Sandhill Cranes typically begin arriving around Valentine’s Day and leave around Tax Day.
We encourage you to use the information here to plan!
We offer guided crane tours, guided crane photography tours, and overnight photography experiences.
The nearest airports are Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island and Kearney. Kearney Airport (approximately 20 minutes from Rowe Sanctuary) provides daily non-stop flights to Denver and Chicago, and rental cars are available.
Our guided tours to our Discovery Stations (viewing blinds) require registration. Options can be found here. Discovery Stations are located close to historical crane roosts. Viewing from the Discovery Station is the best possible chance to see cranes up close! Roosting sites will vary, but cranes will be flying overhead and our tours consistently provide a one-of-a-kind experience in the heart of the world’s largest gathering of cranes. Because the tour involves wildlife, each experience is different.
Reservations are not required for our Visitor's Center, and many visitors will see cranes flying overhead or roosting in cornfield during the day. Rowe Sancutary has two roadside viewing lots, and additional information about public viewing locations in the area can be found here.
Rowe Sanctuary is approximately 20 miles east of Kearney via Interstate 80. Kearney has a good selection of hotels/motels to choose from. Visit Kearney has additional listings for lodging and restaurants. Kearney can be a very busy community during March, so reserve your lodging as soon as possible. Grand Island, Hastings, and Minden are also nearby.
Click here for the virtual experience walk-through
Get fully prepared for what to expect during your guided crane tour, and help ensure that you have an unforgettable experience.
Temperatures in March and April regularly reach below freezing. Pack clothing that can be layered and removed when temperatures rise. We encourage dark colored outer wear for the tours. Cameras, binoculars, and other photography aids are encouraged. More information is available through the booking process.
Trail Information
Crane Season: February 15 - April 15
During Crane Season, we limit trail use to protect the birds from disturbance while roosting. Visitors should not plan to watch Sandhill Cranes on the river from Rowe Sanctuary Trails. Information about public viewing locations can be found here.
Outside of Crane Season, Rowe’s trails and parking lot are open from dawn to dusk every day.
Keep checking back for crane season updates or subscribe to our eNews!
Many visitors choose to add a class, workshop, or lecture series to their crane viewing itinerary. Rowe also has hiking trails available to explore our prairies, meadows, and riparian woodlands. For more information, including open hours, please see this page.
Visit Kearney provides excellent information about amenities such as museums and other attractions in the Kearney area!
Group Tour Information
We offer special consideration for large groups of 10 or more visitors, such as school groups, non-profit and community organizations, and company trips.
We will begin considering Group Tour requests the October prior to the next crane season. General registration opens in January.
We offer the following options and procedures for Group Tour requests:
- Group Tours include any bookings of 10 or more visitors for our Guided Crane Experiences.
- Rowe Sanctuary reserves the right to limit the total number of group tours sold, to preserve reservations for the general public, and to support equity among group requests. If demands for group tours exceed capacity, Rowe will adhere to the following protocol:
- We will prioritize requests for priority booking windows (dates to be announced).
- We will give priority consideration to groups that include partners, schools, and groups serving historically underserved audiences. We reserve the right to waive group booking fees for these groups.
- We will use equity-based selection processes such as lottery or other means as necessary.
- To accommodate early registration, Group Tours are subject to a group booking fee, and require a 10% down payment to confirm/hold the date.
To request information on costs or to request a group tour, please email: Rowegrouptours@audubon.org
Response to group tour requests.
Group Tour requests made before Oct 15, 2026: We will notify tour organizers by Nov 1 to indicate if we can accommodate your request and complete registration if so.
Group Tour requests made after Nov 1, 2026: Group tours are booked and confirmed on a rolling basis as capacity allows. We will respond to requests within two weeks.
Rowe Sanctuary and National Audubon Society are committed to supporting historically under-resourced communities. Please contact Education Manager, Amanda Hefner (amanda.hefner@audubon.org) for information. To support accessibility to these communities and to groups serving these communities, we are pleased to offer the following benefits:
- Early registration prior to October 15
- Discounted or waived group booking fees
Fall Crane Viewing
To find out more information about fall crane viewing, check out this article.
Programs and Events
Take a look at our event calendar for more events to join! We hope to see you here and that you will also have a wonderful day at our center!
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