Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Reviews

• JM

  Jose Marquez

  3 days ago
  1.0
  This is basically a roadside zoo wearing a conservation-center name tag. For $30, you get cattle-style enclosures for the bison, caribou, musk ox, and elk, plus a fox enclosure that’s depressing, a porcupine in what looks like a 10x10 box, and a lynx setup that wouldn’t look out of place at an outdated zoo. The biggest red flag is the pacing. Watch the bears and porcupine long enough and it’s hard not to notice. With that much admission revenue, you’d expect larger, more enriched habitats—not animals repeatedly walking the same few feet. And displaying an animal under veterinary care in front of crowds while it paces? That’s not exactly a glowing advertisement for conservation. The cherry on top is the gift shop selling elk jerky. Conserving elk while selling elk meat at checkout is almost comically oxymoronic. At some point you stop wondering what they’re conserving and start wondering what the $30 is conserving: the gift shop?
• NG

  nikita gupta

  5 days ago
  5.0
  Had a fantastic visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center! The setting is absolutely beautiful, with breathtaking mountain views and plenty of opportunities to see Alaska’s wildlife up close. It was especially meaningful knowing the animals are rescued and receive excellent care. The grounds are clean, well-maintained, and easy to explore, and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We also stopped by the food shop, where the staff were incredibly welcoming, and the freshly baked cookies were a delicious treat. A wonderful experience overall and definitely a must-visit if you're travelling through Alaska!
• LB

  Lynn Bassler

  Aug 15, 2026
  4.0
  We had a really good visit here. There were a lot of animals and pretty good information on all the animals. There were a couple of spots where we did not see the animals listed and it wasn't clear if the animals were hiding or if there just weren't any there. It would have been nice if there were signs up making it clear which areas were occupied and which were not. We chose to walk the park but there was also the option to explore in your car. Some of the cars were driving a little fast on the dirt roads in the center which was kicking up a lot of dust. We did get food from the Forget-Me-Not Foods food truck and I can only say it was ok- not worth the price we paid. They also only have outdoor seating and we were there on a very windy day so we were getting dirt blown into our food and having to hold everything down while we were eating- it was tough. The gift shop had great stuff and the staff were all pretty friendly.
• RT

  Rachel Therrien

  Aug 12, 2026
  3.0
  Ok so, I am very confuse and outraged by something ; they are a non for profit animal sanctuary. They have rescued elks on their premises, but they also sale elk jerky. So like, let’s kill some so the profits can go to save others of the same specie? This is a non sense. As an animal sanctuary, I wish they wouldn’t serve and sale animal products at all. Not one life is more important than another. If you wanna save and help animals, that should start on your plate. So please stop selling those salmon, buffalo, elk etc animal body parts. Because other than that, the sanctuary is nice and big and animals have enough space and they look well taken care of. But that’s what every animal deserves. Please consider going vegan.
• JR

  Jennifer Rushing

  Aug 11, 2026
  5.0
  This is a wonderful center with up close viewing of the animals. Lots of plaques giving information and the animals, their backstory if known and the conservation efforts of the center. We had never seen a musk ox or wood bison before and the interns were very approachable and knowledgeable about their given subjects. The landscape views are incredible as well. The AWCC was a "must see" for our Alaska adventure circling from Fairbanks to Whittier and back. The weather was extraordinarily favorable and I can't imagine a more beautiful area of our country to explore. It was great for adults, seniors and we saw lots of children visiting as well.

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