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Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
20 reviews for Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
I have been looking forwrd to coming here and the day finally arrived! The trek out there from the Seattle area is pretty far - about 1hour 20 minutes. But I guess I expected to be out in the boonies for this.
By the time we got there, around 12:20, a number of parking lots were full but we found parking a little walk away from the entrance. The tram tour was awesome! I thought I'd be bored by the commentary but our guide was energetic and entertaining for the whole ride. Being so close to the animals and seeing them in their habitats was amazing! The walking tour was good too; the animals seemed more active here than at your local zoo.
All in all NWtrek is great. Good for anyone of all ages!
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I was torn between giving NWTrek 3 or four stars, and you see which I opted for. Now for the explanation.
It had been 3 decades since I had been here. In anticipation of a move away from the PNW, this was one of the items on the "things to do before we move" list. Yes, it did take seemingly forever to get here (1:15 from Seattle), but it's a nice drive, nonetheless.
The good of the park:
-Seeing the 'deer and cow' animals on the tram tour. (a single pointed, hollow horn means part of the cow family; multi-pointed, solid horns mean part of the deer family). Especially cool was seeing the bison in rutting(mating) season.
-Learning about the animals and the plants from the knowledgeable guide.
Now for the not-so-great:
-The living conditions of the "meat eaters," like the cougar, the bear, and especially the wolverine. They clearly were living in an area much too small, and because of such, were exhibiting pacing like behavior. They weren't living like they would in the wild, and instead were living an existence of anxiety-I don't think animals in the wild feel anxiety!
-The "scripts" presented to the guides by NWTrek. As we were getting off the tram, I heard another guide saying the same things, jokes, etc. ("oh, you're from ____ insert faraway state here; thanks for getting up so early!") Clearly, then, these jokes, and the script were provided to the guides by the park, which tells me that they don't trust the guides to be individuals, but instead want them to be homogeneous and conformist. Yawn.
I must say, though, that we did have a good time here.NW Trek: listen up: get rid of your caged animals and you'll be a much better operation. Just explain you've done so out of love for animals. You can make it, as pres Obama says "a teachable moment."
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Pretty cool place for the price (though quite small). I like that their tram ride noes not cost extra like the wild animal park. I saw lots of herbivores, the most interesting were the moose, bison, and mountain goats.
The carnivore habitats seemed rather small for the animals that inhibited them, and the most depressing part was the electrical fences that surrounded the viewing areas of each habitat. I know they are for the safety of the attendees in lieu of bars, but the constant popping was just a sad reminder.
An interesting place to visit, and it was nice seeing native North American animals instead of the classic African animals that I see so often at the wild animal park in San Diego.
I've noticed that Washington State is THE best place to be if you are an animal lover like me. This beautiful state is home to some of the most beautiful zoos, aquariums, and wildlife preserves that I have ever seen. Northwest Trek is no exception.
We made our way out one chilly afternoon to "Take a Daycation" as all the billboards said. We paid our entrance fee and quickly made our way over to the tour station. While we were in line our tour guide shared some stories and information about the park while he waited for the tram to get in. Everyone loaded into the tram and we were on our way. I would describe this experience as a Northwestern Safari on a Universal Studios Backlot Tour Tram. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly with a great eye for spotting the animals in their beautiful and natural settings.
If you are looking for a one of a kind experience, do yourself a favor and check this place out. It really is unique. After the tour you can roam the sprawling grounds that is also home to many other creatures such as eagles, wolves, bears, and other forest critters. This truly is a wonderful place for all ages.
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We came early spring with some friends and after paying, we realized that for another $30 we could get an annual family pass which is what we did. Most places like this- you can apply your admittance fee to the membership fee. Took my parents here over the summer when they were visiting and took my kiddo's little friends with us last weekend. Had fun each time. The family pass is great- we can bring 3 guests in for free with us each time. I enjoy the tram ride as does my son and his friends. The animals are just hanging around minding their business as the tram cruises by. Very fun to look for the deers and moose hiding in the trees. The bison are enormous. Afterwards- hike around the park. Picnic lunch is the way to go!
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Damn this place is way out there. Totally worth the drive though. You get to see a ton of cool animals (like bison and moose) and the best part is that they are all indigenous creatures to the PacNW. The tram ride is a pretty decent experience and you get to see a lot of good stuff. Plus, the park grounds are nicely maintained as you wander around looking at the other animals. I wish they had a larger reptile and bug area but they really have an awesome selection of animals.
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I have been a fan of Northwest Trek for more years than I care to admit. Growing up, we made at least one trip each year between school field trips and family excursions.
It had been quite a while since I'd been and I decided that my kids needed to see the splendor of the park. I prayed it would be as I remembered it... and it was.
The kids had an amazing time, as did I and my husband.
Our favorite story from the tram was about "Turkey Hill". Apparently, the park used to have some wild turkeys who came to visit on occasion. At one point, they discovered some berry bushes which grew at the top of a steep incline. Like any fruit, sometimes the berries would drop to the ground and not get eaten right away, giving them a chance to ferment and, well, we know what happens when things like that ferment. Tipsy and wobbly, the turkeys were often seen rolling their way down the hill.
Unfortunately, soon after the turkeys discovered the berries, the wild eagles discovered the turkeys and they aren't any left in the park.
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How amazing to be able to experience a "zoo" the way I think they should be-- in the animal's natural state! I don't feel depressed the way I do when I go to the city zoo. These animals are beautiful, you can see them up close, and they have reasons for being unable to return to the wild at present.
The bald eagles are nearly touchable and so, so gorgeous! Loved the wolves! The grizzly was unreal! And I was amused with the coyotes--which, for some reason, have a soft spot in my heart. The owl was also a beauty.
Now, I once told my mother that I never wanted to go here when I was a child! I was stupid.
I think a child would love it and it is just as spectacular for adults. Despite the drive, this is someplace that everyone in Washington must enjoy! It is necessary, in fact, because it brings us closer to the environment around us. These are animals that are native to our state! Shouldn't we know them and appreciate their qualities?
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You can have your Six Flags and Coney Islands. I'll take the likes of NW Trek any day. This is truly one of the pearls of the Pacific NW region (or SW if you're Canadian), which is already loaded with fine zoos, whale watch trips and the like. One thing I was impressed with is that the animals didn't appear to be as overfed/underexercised as at most zoos. The felines, for example, look leaner and less lethargic than most zoo felines. The tram ride, of course, is the highlight of any visit, and I recommend sitting in the front if you can (i.e., no noisy kids) so that you can ask the naturalist questions. The wetlands exhibit was very nice, with frolicking beavers that were just waking up as we got there late in the day. On our way out, the coyotes and wolfs starts yipping and howling, as they were just getting going for the night too. There was a doe and two fawns in the parking lot at dusk, and pickable (if you're discreet) wild berries in parts of the park. One of the grizzly bears was close enough to us to salivate at the smell of our gorp (glad they have electric fences!).
NW Trek focuses on wildlife and plants that are native to Washington state, and thus can thrive with minimal intervention. A very pleasant overall experience, which reminded me somewhat of San Diego's Wild Animal Park, but here you're much closer to the animals. We came on an overcast Sunday in Summer, which must have kept the crowds down, as the place was not too crowded. If you have kids, I'd bring a picnic, since there are plenty of tables, but not much there in the way of food (just basic pretzel stand and hamburger cafe fare). It's a great place to stop on the way to Mt. Rainer, and it's not too far out of the way if you're travelling between Portland and Seattle. Highly recommended.
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I dont know why it has taken me so long to review this place because I absolutely love it. This is hands down one of if not the premier wildlife park in Washington. Get up close with animals as they roam through out the park unobstructed by fences and cages. It is just a beautiful, natural and pristine environment where the animals seem super healthy and act as if in their natural habitat with out the intrusion of humans.
I really like how most of the animals are kept out of cages, you dont have to sit and watch them pace back and forth on cement floors, which is just lame, soooo happy this place has done it right!
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A good way to see animals in the wild. They put you on a bus thing with big windows and someone drives you around. The animals are free roaming and really tame. At some points, they stood right on the edge of the road and didn't even move as we rolled on by.
This place is laced with screaming children. My husband and I couldn't even hear the guide because of the screaming and "MOOO!! BAAA!!" animals sounds all the kids were making at the animals. Also, if you are sharing your window with a familty of kids, expect them to mob it and block your view.
Now that I sound like a total humbug, I'd suggest NW Trek have age 12 and up cars and kids cars. They totally ruined my experience.
I enjoy the atmosphere of this so much more than a Zoo. At a zoo I feel sorry for the animals here the herd animals are allowed to roam free and the predators, birds & small mammals are in enclosures large enough and natural enough that most of them seem happy. (they coyotes were VERY nervous for some reason, so was the adult Wolverine).
We took the tram ride into the large herd animal area and it was GREAT! It is very obvious that they go out and drop food next to (and sometimes ON) the road the tram travels on to help get the wildlife close enough for you to photograph it. I LOVE taking animal pictures so I got tons of good (and not so good LOL) stuff. A small portion of which I posted for everyone to take a look at :-)
It was a little scary when a male bison took offense to our presence and started chasing and charging the tram, but he finally gave up.
I wish we lived near this park, I would be here every weekend!!
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Oooooo Buffalo!
Seriously, do I need to say anymore? Well, I guess I do.
We came here on a family outing. Getting here was a pain in the ass. You go through strip mall central and every suburban-hick hybrid in their pick up. Somewhat annoying. But worth it.
The park has a variety of Northwest animals that ended up there due to various reasons, like medical issues, and they can't return to the wild. So you get a great educational experience about the Northwest and get to enjoy all the animals up close on an hour long tram ride.
The tram ride has all the prey animals. So herds of caribou, elk, mountain goats, moose and my favorite buffalo. Well really they are bison but I could care less. I'll call them whatever I please, it's not like they're gonna stop me!
All the predators are located in various areas throughout a winding trail through the park. Grizzlies, foxes, bobcats, etc. And along the way they have shows where they bring out an animal they are rehabbing.
The downside is this will be crawling with tourists, children and schools. so if you can't handle it. Be prepared.
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I've been to Northwest Trek many times and yesterday was the best -- and it really could have been the worst as I went with forty 6-year olds! NW Trek insists on a 1:7 kid to teacher ratio (state law at this age allows 1:15) and they suggest a 1:4 ratio. We went with a 1:4 ratio and I was the only parent (the rest were teachers and school administrators). Having that many adults is a pain to organize, but once you're there, it does cut down on the wild and crazy stuff, since it's pretty easy for a group like ours (we split up) with three adults and 11 kids.
Admission was simple with our big group and they arranged private tram rides for us (I had mixed feelings about that; there was a long line for the tram and we went out with a 1/3 full tram -- they should have filled our second car with other people, at least).
Anyway, we went there on what is surely the best kind of summer day -- cool and mostly overcast, with a steady light breeze. The animals LOVE that kind of weather and it's much better than a sweltering hot day when every animal will dig a hole in the dirt to at least cool their belly, making it really hard to find any of them.
We also saw ALL of the park's new babies... bison, mountain goats, Roosevelt elk, black-tail deer, ducklings, goslings, wolverine, and beaver. The baby wolverine was hand-raised and she is a bitey-monster RIOT to watch! I wanted to play with her so bad... she is bright and clever and fiesty!
We also got to see something super-special yesterday. While we were there and watching them, the six-week old baby beavers took their first swim. They were brilliant and both parents encouraged them gently as they swam the entire beaver pond several times, trying out diving and surfacing, and going to the keeper with their parents (she was in there feeding the adults).
The fact that so many animals reproduce here says good things about the facility and the care the animals are receiving. Some of the enclosures do seem a little small (in the wild, bears would range over many miles and so would the bison, elk, mountain goats, and big cats) but the animals do have a fair bit of space and plenty of natural "furniture" -- rocks, trees, dead-tree snags, and creeks.
I was in the mood to talk to the staff yesterday for some reason, and every employee was happy to be working there, loved their job, and was genuinely friendly and helpful. They were all pretty knowledgeable about the animals, with some having specialties in one group or another. The kids certainly peppered them with questions after each presentation that we got, and they handled them really well. I was also invited to fill in a comment card by three different staffers, each of whom said they like knowing what they're doing well and that they constantly want to improve.
The City of Tacoma has a real gem here. Parking is a breeze, the entire place is non-smoking (even the parking lots; smoking in private cars ONLY!), and the price of admission is reasonable. Make sure you check the website for the exact hours; their hours are shorter and they are closed some days in the fall and winter. Going in the winter's really worth it though; all the leaves are off the trees and many of the animals are more active in the cooler weather.
I wish it were closer to home (the 65 miles from Woodinville takes nearly two hours) so that we could go more often, but it's worth the drive once or twice a year.
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Overall: A great find featuring local wildlife
We visited with three guests in March 07 whilst stumbling across this place in the "what to do in Washington" guide.
It was worth the trip, so much so we ended up getting a yearly membership with them!
On entry you get a colored token, indicating which guided tram tour you are reserved on. The park consists of two parts, a self guided walking part and a guided tour on a tram. It must be noted that the naturalist tour guide (on the tram) is very child orientated, so just go with it. There are also trails to walk on.
We had a good day, we managed to see almost everything. The bobcats, lynx, cougars, silver wolves, red foxes, coyotes, bald eagle, golden eagle, barn owls, snowy owls, grizzly bears, rams, wolverines, beavers, badger, otters, raccoons, bison, caribou, deer and elk.
One bad thing about this place is that they do not do a tour photobook as a souvenir.
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SOOO much better than a zoo, seeing wild animals as close to living in the wild as you're going to get in a controlled atmosphere. The tram ride is nearly an hour long and you can go on your own walking tour and visit a learning center. There's a cafe and shop and all sorts of interesting native Northwest animals. It's hard to pick favorites, but we love the big cats and wolves and beavers. Really, this is as much fun for adults as it is for kids and only PETA hardcores could find anything really wrong. It's about an hour from Seattle and worth the drive as you can spend a whole day here.
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So my rating is in comparison to a standard zoo, this place rocks! Unlike a normal zoo, all of these animals are from the northwest and they have a gigantic 'park' that is fenced and 12 different species of animals live inside virtually in the wild. The caretakers do venture out there, but they don't socialize with the animals. You can take a tram ride through the park to see them and it is apparent that the animals think they are living in the wild. They haven't built dens for them, there are no sectioned off areas for different animals. It is soooooo cool! For us it is a heck of a drive, but it's very worth it!!
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A hundred times better than a zoo. And a great place to spend a day if you don't have enough money to hang out in the city. I never really knew how cute beavers are until going here.
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Ahhh, the adventure that is Northwest Trek. Great opportunities for near "in-the-wild" wildlife photos and viewing. The staff is absolutely friendly, and seemingly knowledgeable about the animals. The animals are not mangy at all. The grounds are clean, and minimally landscaped. And the cost of admittance is very reasonable. The terrain is a little hilly, so for people with limited mobility, it may be challenging. However, some words of caution: some of the hiking trails are primitive and not well-maintained, and as we discovered first-hand, are home to a very large in-ground nest of unfriendly yellow jackets. The resulting large number of stings had us retreat (the landscape required us to go back over the same area, fortunately, no additional attacks took place) to look for a first aid station. We discovered that there is none. We were given wet naps, to ease the pain. Evidently, NW Trek relies on the local fire department EMTs for any emergent medical issues. To their credit, the fire department is just down the road, and could likely respond to the front of the park in a matter of minutes. However, we were in the waaaaay back of the park, held hostage by swarming insects. Kind of scary. It would also seem logical that a place with animals, bugs, trails, food, and children would have at least a first aid station on site, but we were told no, and that was later reiterated in a letter from the park. So, if you or someone in your party have insect sting allergies or sensitivities, or other medical issues, ensure you have appropriate medications (epi-kit) or first aid measures with you.
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I really enjoyed this. My husband and I made a day trip out of going to the park. We try to visit a different zoo every year and what made this one different is that there is so much land it allows the larger animals to roam free. It's not a bunch of cages lined up for humans to stare at animals. (Although there is some of that). The staff was all very nice and there is a small picnic area off with tables and trees for shade. I definitely recommend it. I just wish we had gone when the hiking trails were open.