Northwest Trek Wildlife Park » Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
10-12-2007

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is located about 1 hour south of Seattle, in the U.S. State of Washington. It is what many would call an open-range zoo, but it caters specifically to North American animals. There are no exotic creatures, but it is a terrific place to visit for those that wish to see naturalistic, spacious enclosures.

The entire site is over 700 acres (284 hectares) in size, and there is a one hour tram ride that drives through a 400 acre (162 hectare) exhibit. Inside the 400 acres visitors are in an enormous area of forest, meadows, and a large lake. There are herds of bighorn sheep, roosevelt elk, moose, rocky mountain goats, bison, caribou/reindeer, and two species of deer. These animals can be easily spotted, as they tend to stay within their group and thus travel as a herd within the area. It is terrific for photographers, as at times the wildlife is extremely close to the tram and unworried about the noise from visitors.

There is more to see here than at many other open-range zoos, as a few more hours can then be spent along the 5 miles of walking trails that range through dense forests. There are large exhibits for lynx, bobcat, cougar, red fox, grey wolves, grizzly and black bears. A bird section has bald and golden eagles, as well as at least 4 species of owl. Another group of exhibits contain beavers, fishers, raccoons, badgers, porcupines, skunks and wolverines. The wildlife park has had a lot of success with the wolverines, with a number of kits born over the years...including triplets last summer.

The decision to only keep North American animals might disappoint people expecting to see exotic creatures from Africa or Asia, but the reality is that the animals at this park have enormous enclosures that are realistic settings of their natural environment. The 400 acre, gated area contains small mountains where the wildlife can hide in the thickly forested hills, and the walk-around exhibits are equally spacious. The entire wildlife park is built in a dense woodland, and the enclosures have literally been built inside the center of a massive forest.

10-12-2007

That sounds amazing!

12-06-2008

It is a nice place and some exhibits (otters, wolves, bears come to mind) are just about perfect.
As I just posted under Pt Defiance Zoo thread, there is a new train service from Tacoma
Supporters test Train to Trek rail ride | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

12-06-2008

@Zooplantman: thanks for the link, and a once a month train ride might be an interesting novelty if it eventually becomes popular. I've been to Northwest Trek twice, and just about every single exhibit is spacious and quite well done. It's a shame that there aren't more visitors to the wildlife park, as it is hidden away in the town of Eatonville. Perhaps this publicity will encourage more people to visit...

12-06-2008

Yeah, it is - as we say in New York - a shlep from Tacoma, but a great park! I really loved having elk browsing a few yards away from the tram and seeing moose up close. It's not the typical zoo since a visitor has to have some patience and look for wildlife in the exhibits. More fun, but not what people seem to want on the whole.

13-03-2009

When I visited here a few years ago, I was blown away - it was much better than I expected! I initially felt it was the best zoological park I had been to and I still feel that way. All of the predator exhibits (bear, puma, wolf, etc) are huge, built in a pre-existing forest with very large trees. Best of all, they each have a lodge for viewing with no fences or glass or wires. Anyone visiting Washington, even people who wouldn't go to a traditional zoo, need to visit Northwest Trek.

14-03-2009

@Arizona Docent: I wholeheartedly agree with you, and I've been singing the praises of Northwest Trek for a few years now. Many hardcore zoo fans have not even heard of the place, and yet it has a series of spacious, naturalistic enclosures. The tram ride is an hour long and not everyone appreciates the fact that the hoofstock can only really be seen from that tour, but when there is a total of 700 acres (and 400 for the hoofstock) then it would be impossible to walk all day long! This establishment is a hidden gem, and even though there are only 200 North American animals on the property the exhibits are nevertheless outstanding.