United States
Alaska (AK)
Anchorage
Girdwood
Things to Do in Girdwood
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
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Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

See all things to do
See all things to do
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
4.5
3,759
#6 of 19 things to do in Girdwood
Nature & Wildlife Areas
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9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
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.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,759 reviews
Excellent
2,334
Very good
1,034
Average
294
Poor
64
Terrible
33
alltravellvr
Ohio368 contributions
Definitely Worth A Stop
Jul 2022
Despite reading TA reviews, we honestly came here not certain what to expect, and we're so glad we made this a stop! It's very easy to get to, and as you pull in, there's a booth where you pay and receive a map. Ahead, you can choose to either park and walk the 1.5 mile loop or drive it and stop along the way. We chose to walk, and that's what I would recommend. There's not lots of places to park along the way, and you don't get to see the animals in the fields or inside barns as close from the car. It was an easy walk, and surprisingly fun to watch the animals in a somewhat natural environment. The bear enclosure has a nice ramp from which you have a great vantage point, and we were there the hour or so before feeding, and they were very active. As someone else commented, it would be wise to bring drinks, snacks, and/or lunch because they have limited food services. The entrance fee goes to a good cause - rescuing and providing sanctuary for injured animals. Kids would love this! Plan on 2+ hours inside, dependent on how fast you walk and the time you want to spend on each animal.
Written July 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Erin Nic
3 contributions
Pretty Cool Place
Sep 2021
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.
Written September 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
RickFLL
Fort Lauderdale, FL396 contributions
A great way to see and take pictures of Alaska wildlife
Aug 2021
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.
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
xiphoid76
Minneapolis, MN534 contributions
Sad place in need of repairs
Jun 2021 • Couples
Sad place, would not recommend. I don’t understand how they have so many positive reviews. The animals were in small enclosed areas. So much nicer to see them in the zoo where they are much better taken care of. 17 dollars per person is a rip off. The road was unkempt, no walking path.
The moose encounter was a bait and switch - you pay 15 dollars per person to feed a moose a dandelion for 10 seconds. Not set up to take a picture and no education - what a waste of 30 dollars for two of us.
Save your money and drive the road to Seward and see many moose on the way in the natural habitat or go to the zoo and see the animals there in a much more humane environment.
Written June 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kimberly K
4 contributions
Great wildlife & rainy day activity
Aug 2022
I would recommend a visit for those who want to see local wildlife. We were unable to walk the trail, so we drove. It made for a less than ideal view in some areas (bushes & trees blocked the view). The animals were mostly close to the fence. Animals seemed to be well-cared for. The main building (restrooms & gift shop) was very disabled accessible.
Written August 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dreamer761531
Frisco, TX20 contributions
Time well spent
Aug 2021
I was familiar with AWCC because of seeing them on TV, so I wanted to visit when we planned our Alaska trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and the entrance fee is well worth it and goes to a great cause. These were the only bears we got to see while in Alaska :) The enclosures are roomy and don’t make you think of a zoo at all. In fact, you won’t necessarily see all of the animals because the enclosures are so roomy for them and they have natural places to hide. That said, we did see all of the animals.
Written September 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
calliam
Winston Salem, NC99 contributions
Disappointing
Jun 2021
We were really looking forward to our Moose encounter but we ended up standing in a huge line with lots of other people who had also paid for the moose encounter. We waited for a VERY long time while they desperately tried to get one moose to come over and then we had maybe 3 minutes for four of us to poke some leaves through the railing and then was ushered off the little walkway. If you visit do not pay for the encounters - they are not worth it at all.
Written July 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Doug G
Rochester Hills, MI261 contributions
Might have been better in better weather
Jul 2022
Unfortunately, we were here on a rainy day, so maybe some of this place's shortcomings were amplified. Mainly, the road through the grounds was muddy with potholes full of rainwater, making it difficult to walk especially when sharing it with cars that were driving through. The herd animals were all present and easily seen, but of course with just one each black and brown bear there was not much to see there. This would probably be better for a family with children than for an adult couple, but at least I was able to finally see a musk ox!
Written August 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Viki W
Dallas, Texas, United States58 contributions
Great tour !
Dec 2021
Josh was so very knowledgeable about this center, history of it's development
and animals we might see or not since the center had experienced 2 feet of snow the day befoer our arrival ! The trip from Anchorage took about an hour and all along the trip, Josh updated all of us with discovery of Alaska, and establishing of the State. The landscape of the terrain, gold rush times, etc. Overall the tour was really good
and guide made sure we had all our questions answered. This was our second tour with Salmon Berry Tours.
Written December 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
CarlaZ513
Loveland, OH72 contributions
Great chance to see wildlife up close
Jun 2022
If you have been hoping to see a bear or moose or caribou up close during your Alaskan vacation, but keep missing them, here is your chance to see these animals up close. The AWCC can be driven, but most people just walked (which we did). We got to see some bears splashing in their pools and finally saw a moose up close. However, the most fascinating were the Wood Bison that they are hoping to release back into the wild. They are growing a herd of Wood Bison (which are different from the bison you see in the Lower 48) and plan to release so they can live freely. Great place to stop if you are driving from Anchorage to Seward.
Written June 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Girdwood) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 18 Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center tours on Tripadvisor