For our weekly family fun day this Sunday, we chose to get out of Seattle and go explore the Northwest Trek Park up near Eatonville. This park is a wild animal preserve the specializes in animals... More

For our weekly family fun day this Sunday, we chose to get out of Seattle and go explore the Northwest Trek Park up near Eatonville. This park is a wild animal preserve the specializes in animals from the northwest. It was a great little day trip, an easy drive and with lots of interesting animals to see. The big draw to this park is that you get to ride a tram through out the park to see animals (only the non-predators!) in a natural setting. There are deer, bison, elk roaming about to name a few. The naturalist who leads the tram tour, really knew her stuff! She spotted the hiding animals, she knew really interesting facts about the animals and she had a pleasant speaking voice to boot! The predatorial animals had there individual areas located around the walking loop in the preserve. We did get to peek at the bears and the wolves but due to the time of day we were there most animals were sleeping in their hiding spots. I would recommend this place to anyone who wanted to see some animals up close. It was fun and we will probably go again in the future. I would also recommend that you bring a picnic lunch instead of getting something there. They have nice picnic areas and I'm sure if you brought your own it would be much better than the "salty dogs" we bought. :)
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This park is a fantastic place to see wildlife up close in person in their natural habitat. The park is a combination of a zoo and an animal sanctuary. There are exhibits that can be viewed by foot,... More

This park is a fantastic place to see wildlife up close in person in their natural habitat. The park is a combination of a zoo and an animal sanctuary. There are exhibits that can be viewed by foot, such as American Bald Eagles, wolves, bears and countless others, many of which were injured and are not capable of surviving back out in the wild. There is also an open air tram that takes you on a wonderful tour of the hundreds of acres of wildlife that inhabit this park. There are herds of deer, antelope and buffalo. You will also see other local favorites such as raccoons, pheasants, moose, elk and mountain goats. Many of the animals are so used to the trolley that they actually walk along side it or in front of it, often causing the trolley to come to a stop until they pass. The driver points out animals and shares interesting information regarding the wildlife and their natural behaviors, diet and unique traits. This is a highly educational experience for all and is great for kids of all ages. There is a hands on area where different pelts and hooves can be viewed and touched along with other things like local reptiles and other educational interactive activities. There is of course a gift shop with educational gifts and others and also several areas where snacks can be purchased and eaten. It is the perfect day trip for a family or for anyone just wanting to experience nature in an up close and safe environment. I highly recommend it.
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At the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville you get to experience something that most people will never get to in their lives. You get to see wild animals up close and personal roaming in the... More

At the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville you get to experience something that most people will never get to in their lives. You get to see wild animals up close and personal roaming in the own natural habitat! The views are beautiful as are the trees and lakes. The animals are roaming around and at times get super close, close enough for you to reach out and touch them. It is a great place to take you children for a day and let them learn about the beauty of nature.
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I was pleasantly surprised when we visited Northwest Trek last year. I thought it would be some type of hybrid zoo/amusement park/cheapo deal. It wasn't at all. What we saw was a beautiful... More

I was pleasantly surprised when we visited Northwest Trek last year. I thought it would be some type of hybrid zoo/amusement park/cheapo deal. It wasn't at all. What we saw was a beautiful rainforest canopy, lots of creatures, and a wild, open habitat (with the tour buses going through) and plenty of rare and incredible animals. I felt like we weren't near a city at all. It was great! Everything was built into the existing landscape, not the other way around. The drive into the park itself is so scenic, like a little hideaway. The trams that take you on a tour through the park are clean, nice, and the tour operators are informative and helpful. My kids loved it, seeing all the grown animals and baby animals. The setting is gorgeous and well-maintained.
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Northwest Trek is just an excellent way to spend the day as you drive along and have animals come right up to you (sometimes scary animals) and eat straight from your hand. This is a great park... More

Northwest Trek is just an excellent way to spend the day as you drive along and have animals come right up to you (sometimes scary animals) and eat straight from your hand. This is a great park with alot of animals. The price is about $10 for adults, but it's cheaper if you live in Pierce County (note: if you're not from Washington, Peirce County is not the county that Seattle is in). Just a short drive south of seattle and tacoma. Nice place, interesting animals. highly reccomended
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NW Trek is a great place to take your family for a daytrip. This park/zoo is full of interesting things for both the kids and adults to see and do. You could walk through the many trails in the... More

NW Trek is a great place to take your family for a daytrip. This park/zoo is full of interesting things for both the kids and adults to see and do. You could walk through the many trails in the park, or learn some interesting facts about the animals in the learning center. If you are tired of walking, you could take the open-air tram and see how the animals live in their natural environment. What I love about NW Trek is everything is so nature-oriented, the animals roam free so when you are in the tram, the buffalos or elks might just be a few feet from you.
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This was a quick afternoon trip one day when we were sitting at home bored. It's only a 30 minute drive from Puyallup, and fairly easy to find. Once we got there, we really enjoyed viewing the... More

This was a quick afternoon trip one day when we were sitting at home bored. It's only a 30 minute drive from Puyallup, and fairly easy to find. Once we got there, we really enjoyed viewing the animals. It's a fairly small park, and can be done easily in a few hours. We especially enjoyed the dear, that walked right out on the walkway in front of us. We got some great close ups on film with them! The tram was pretty awesome also! You drive through an open habitat where a variety of animals are literally a foot from you! You could reach out and touch them, they are so close....but that's against the rules! :) If you enjoy all types of wildlife, than I would recommend visiting here.
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This is a really good place to spend the day with your family and get to be out side. They have a tram type thing that carries you around so you can see the animals in their natural habitat. plus... More

This is a really good place to spend the day with your family and get to be out side. They have a tram type thing that carries you around so you can see the animals in their natural habitat. plus you can walk around .the park workers are nice and friendly. The prices are pretty good too. I love going there.
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What a wonderful, affordable day with my children. We went on a weekday in the morning and the park was not crowded at all. The walk from the parking lot was short and easy. The park easily... More

What a wonderful, affordable day with my children. We went on a weekday in the morning and the park was not crowded at all. The walk from the parking lot was short and easy. The park easily accommodated my stroller along the paths. We took the tram through the free-roaming park and saw big horn sheep, mountain goats, deer, and bison. We didn't go at feeding time, but were told later that this was the best time to see all of the animals. We also chose a day that was sunny and bright and found out that the animals usually hide in the shade on these days. I would encourage you to visit on a cool and cloudy day to see the most animals. The path to the other animals from the tram was easy to follow and use my stroller on. The animals looked well cared for and were very active in this area. Our favorite part was the wolf cabin where you could come nose to nose with a wolf through the glass walls. The restrooms were clean and offered changing tables. The restaurant provided basis food that was not overly priced, but we packed our own lunch and ate one of the outside picnic tables. Check the website for current prices and for seasonal activities.
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