Northwest Trek is located in suburban Eatonville, Washington south of Tacoma. It is the sister facility to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma. Northwest Trek focuses exclusively on animals native to northwestern North America. http://www.zoochat.com/592/park-map-298565/ On our visit in July of 2012, it was drizzling as is customary in that part of the Pacific Northwest. Wild Douglas’s squirrels, spotted towhees and Swainson’s thrushes called from the dense underbrush along the footpaths. Upon arrival we were given a reservation time for our tram tour. The tram tour makes up the bulk of the park and travels through a very large singular paddock filled with a mix of native North American ungulates. A variety of habitats are traveled through, from dense forest, to meadow to wetlands. Animals encountered on the tour include moose (which remained unseen on our visit), Roosevelt’s wapiti, Columbian black-tailed deer (which apparently were native and just enclosed in when the fences were built), woodland and barren ground caribou, American bison, Rocky Mountain goat, California bighorn sheep, and trumpeter swans. The tour lasts approximately 50 minutes and offers great viewing of the present animals as well as some non-collection wildlife. On my visit a raccoon wandered across the tram pathway. http://www.zoochat.com/592/columbian-black-tailed-deer-298569/ After departing the tram tour, we set off down one of the wooded paths of the walk around portion of the park. There are a number of spots throughout where zoo staff brings out animals for presentations. While we were there we were able to view a spotted owl, sitting patiently on the glove of a staff member while a group of zoo guests looked on. http://www.zoochat.com/592/spotted-owl-298575/ Near the center of the walk around area of the park is a large complex devoted to small mammals called the "Forest and Wetlands Exhibit". There are two ways to view this exhibit. Either you can enter a viewing building or travel a path up to the roof of the building and view the exhibits from above. At the entrance to the building is an exhibit for northern raccoons. Inside the building you find exhibits for wolverines, fishers, and northern river otters and American beavers both with underwater viewing. The exhibits are well furnished and landscaped, but basically amount to small grottos with tall artificial rock walls as a backdrop. When viewing the exhibit from above, you can also see additional exhibits for American badgers, North American porcupines, and striped skunks which are not visible from the building. http://www.zoochat.com/592/forest-wetlands-exhibits-298577/ The trail then leads past several large carnivore exhibits sunk deep in the forest. Housed next to each other are American Black and Grizzly Bears. These lumbering beasts can be seen either from above or at eye level across a water moat. The size of the exhibits is difficult to discern due to the abundance of greenery, but all the large carnivore exhibits here seem quite spacious. Further along the trail are lush exhibits for Gray Wolves, Coyotes, and Red Foxes. The Gray Wolves can also be seen through glass inside a log cabin. The displays inside the cabin are interactive and quite interesting. Many are focused on the body of knowledge that is brought forth by every day “citizen scientists” who make detailed notes of their observations of nature. A trio of feline exhibits house Cougars, Bobcats, and Canada Lynx. While spacious and lush, these large carnivore exhibits do not offer very good viewing in general. Most are viewed across a moat of some sort and on my visit sightings of actual animals were few. http://www.zoochat.com/592/american-black-bear-exhibit-298590/ Rounding out the park are a few aviaries for Snowy Owls and Barn Owls as well as open air exhibits for injured Golden and Bald Eagles. A small interactive education building houses some interesting species including Pacific Giant Salamander and Banana Slugs. http://www.zoochat.com/592/pacific-giant-salamander-298609/ I often hear this place being compared to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. This comparison falls completely flat when you look at the scope of either institution. The collection at Northwest Trek consists almost entirely of ungulates, carnivores, a couple rodents and some raptors. Missing are the myriad of small mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles that inhabit this part of the country. There is also little ecological interpretation beyond a few plant labels along the trail. That being said, Northwest Trek is a beautiful park and a great place to get acquainted with some of the more charismatic of North America’s species. Our four day zoo extravaganza in the Puget Sound area was an incredibly fun experience. That region is truly blessed to have so many high quality zoological institutions.
When I went there was no glass in the wolf viewing cabin - it was open like the other carnivore viewing cabins. I wonder when they covered it?
Hmm...that could be a case of faulty memory. Happens when you write reviews six months after your visit!
There is an open-topped covered viewing area that looks into the Grey Wolf exhibit, and it is the Research Cabin that has windows in it that look into the wolf enclosure as the wolves can come right up to the windows. On a side note, the tram tour is 50 minutes long and I was there last year and it was almost an hour once everyone had loaded themselves on.
Thanks for clearing that up snowleopard. I knew I remembered glass viewing in the cabin. I corrected the tram tour length, I think that one was just a typo.
