The Alaska Wildlife Conservaton Centre
Well, they say it’s not a zoo … and there aren’t cages per sec … but there’s still animals in enclosures. Bears pacing back and forth, elk eagerly taking grass ripped from the side of the road from the visitors, “viewing areas” … I don’t know but I’d hoped for more.
The gift store is really nice and large, lots of restrooms/port-a-potties, and parking. The ‘cafeteria’ is horrible. Pre-cooked burgers & hot dogs, sandwiches, soup & snacks. It was set up so poorly that when there’s any more than 5 people in there it got to be chaos. I had to leave after being pushed and shoved by some people off a tour bus! Bruce managed to grab one of the pre-cooked and foil-wrapped burgers for $6 and it was almost inedible. Folks … it doesn’t have to be like this. I’ve been to many places similar (zoo’s/wild animal parks, etc.) and they manage to actually ‘cook’ food that’s good to eat with proper lineups and orderly crowd control.
Anyway. The park. You can either walk around the compound, drive around or take a shuttle. It’s not that big … walk if you can.
Bear at Wildlife Centre from walkway
I would have hoped for more information on the critters at least … and more signs. There are a lot of really big areas with animals and no signs (that I could see) … were they elk, caribou? The ‘map’ you get upon paying your entrance fee didn’t seem to correspond very well to the layout … I was always confused.
So, for the $12.50 entrance fee … I’m not sure it was worth it. If you want to see these critters in an enclosed area with no surprises … I guess it’s ok. Be prepared for crowds.
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