It is important to me to get out with the littles. So we headed out on our our first day trip. Although the boys are little, I don’t want the summer to be gone before we get to enjoy it, especially with the current Covid-19 situation! We have had lots of plans that were put on hold this spring/summer: one international trip, one trip to the states that was cancelled, and multiple camping trips around Alaska that were cancelled when daddy got his new job.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) is located 49 miles south of Anchorage. It takes roughly 45 minutes to drive there along one of the most beautiful highways in America. This is also, one of the most dangerous roads. They have continued to work on the safety of this road however, there is much more that needs to be done. During our trip there were 3 different sections of construction which made the trip slightly longer than a normal day, ~1 hour.
AWCC Pros & Cons
Price
The AWCC is reasonably priced. There is an adult discount for Alaskan residents and children under 6 are free! So, taking littles makes this trip worthwhile!
It is important to remember that the price is per person, not vehicle. Even though you drive in and pay, it is not per vehicle.
Hours & Open days
AWCC is also open almost every single day of the year. The hours do change depending on the time of year, so make sure to double check when you plan on taking a trip here!
We went in the summer so I can’t provide much information on a winter trip. But I will put it on my list!
Accessibility
This facility is also GREAT for everyone in the family! There is amble parking by the gift shop to get out and walk. For walking there are boardwalks and trails to enclosures. But along the main road there is no designated area.
There is also a road around the AWCC which makes this more convenient for those less able, with small children, or on really rubbish days. This road brings you pretty close to the enclosures and allows you to see the animals from the car.
On that note, we visited on a drizzly day, somewhat common for this area. We chose to park and walk. This helped get some energy out of my rambunctious 2 year old. He was able to almost 1.5 miles. As well as some awesome animal encounters!
Enclosures
One thing that I really like about AWCC is that the enclosures are very large. We like to visit zoos however I sometimes begin to feel bad for animals because of the size of the enclosures. I do not get that feeling at AWCC.
Conservation
I love that AWCC tries to release animals back into the wild. Often they receive orphaned baby animals and they rehabilitate them with the goal of returning them to the wild. Thankfully, this trip there were no orphaned moose or bear cubs! The Conservation Center is also the vital part in the reintroduction of wood bison into Alaska. However, it is important to remember that not all animals are able to be reintroduced into the wild.
Location
It is a bit of a drive from Anchorage. This is necessary for the land. But it is the only negative factor that I feel about AWCC.
So for our first day trip, it was a success! And I would highly recommend this stop for all of you here in Alaska or visiting.