Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Alaska, United States

4.5 (3.775 reviews) Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Ranking #6 in Alaska Nature & Wildlife Areas

A great way to see and take pictures of Alaska wildlife

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is located at Mile 79 of the Seward Highway. AWCC is a non-profit sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care. The sanctuary maintains over 200 acres of spacious habitats for resident animals to feel at home displaying their natural wild behavior. It is common for visitors to see brown bears swimming, moose strutting, wood bison roaming, muskox playing, wolves posing, porcupines climbing, and more! AWCC has been able to provide care for hundreds of displaced animals because visitors to AWCC have made critical contributions in the form of admission fees, tours, donations, memberships, and gift shop purchases. General Admission tickets to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center do not sell out. Tickets can be purchased upon arrival the day of your visit. Or book a tour or Animal Encounter! Book early and enjoy Moose Encounters, Bear Encounters, and Walk on the Wild Side Tours.

Address

Mile 79 Seward Highway, Girdwood, Anchorage, AK 99587

Mobile

+1 907-783-0058

Website

http://www.alaskawildlife.org

Email

[email protected]

Working hours

Monday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Current local date and time now

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 20:17

User Ratings

4.5 based on (3.775 reviews)

Excellent

62%

Good

27%

Satisfactory

Poor

Terrible

Reviews

4Erin Nic 5:00 PM Sep 12, 2021
Pretty Cool Place
Fairly cool place to see some of Alaska's elusive wildlife, but manage your expectations (as other posters have noted). The animals are inside fenced enclosures and when we were there, being fed so they stayed close to the fences. Upon being advised to visit here by the Anchorage Visitors Center, I was a bit apprehensive. I typically do not like centers or animal viewing opportunities like this because I don't care to see animals in enclosures (so....not a zoo person, like at all). I've seen one too many animal appear to be stressed out and pacing, especially the predator animals that are meant to live in 100's of miles of range. That being said, I did not see one pacing animal and all appeared to be happy, healthy and living their best critter lives. I learned through the center that all the animals there are rescues of some sort and likely would have died if not brought to the center for rehab. Post-rehab, they were not able to be released to the wild for various reasons so they help the world learn about who they are and live their best lives possible. One of the cons we experienced were some of the people present. Sad, but true. You can either walk or drive the loop to view the animals and most of the people walking showed zero regard or recognition for those that were driving the loop. Many walked straight down the gravel driving road or, worse, let their kids run wild and then gave us the "stink eye" as we SLOWLY drove (rather crawled) past so as to be mindful of their unwatched children. I don't know how you fix this as it's not the Center's fault, but it did diminish the experience for us a bit. Sure, we could have walked it, and did some portions, but were on bit of a schedule and driving the loop was the better option for us.
4RickFLL 5:00 PM Aug 3, 2021
A great way to see and take pictures of Alaska wildlife
This conservation center provides a home for orphaned wild animals. All the animals are rescues and are fixed so that they can’t reproduce, except for the bison which are endangered, so in turn are encouraged to reproduce. Visitors can adopt an animal through contributions. Note that this is not a zoo, as there are no cages (except for the eagle). It’s all outside with 18 to 20 very large enclosures and there is a lot of walking (however you can also drive by most of the enclosures in your car). Because it’s all outside, It could be a challenge on a rainy day. Be sure to wear good sensible and sturdy shoes because of the gravel and dirt roads and paths. I enjoyed the visit and took a lot of great pictures of bison, moose, antelope, reindeer, musk ox, bears and wolfs. And a porcupine and bald eagle too. Be sure to bring your camera so that you can zoom in on the animals. The enclosures are large, so spotting some of the animals can at times be a challenge, but certainly worth your effort. I would recommend to family and friends, but be very aware that you have to be mobile (able to walk unaided) to see much of it.