It's Baby Animal Season at NW Trek Wildlife Park
Bison calves, bighorn sheep lambs roaming the meadows and forests
EATONVILLE, WASH. – It’s spring. Birds are singing. The pathways and trails at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park are verdant with wonderful growth. And perhaps best of all, there are bison calves and bighorn sheep lambs in the meadows and forests of the Free-Roaming Area. And, a brand new zip line opens in the Zip Wild complex of zip line/challenge courses on Saturday.
The Aerial Runway is designed for people who want the speed and thrill of a 512-foot zip line but aren’t ready for the more challenging – and higher off the ground – Adventure and Sensation courses.
Between the animal babies and the thrills of Zip Wild, there will be no better place to bring family and friends for the Memorial Day Weekend than Northwest Trek. The wildlife park is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Visitors might spot the bison calves and bighorn sheep lambs during the 50-minute, naturalist-narrated tour of the 435-acre Free-Roaming Area. Comfortable trams take a meandering route through the area, going past meadows, lakes and forested hillsides.
Herds of bison and Roosevelt elk, plus moose, deer, caribou and a variety of other animals roam the large natural spaces.
In addition to the bison calves and bighorn sheep lambs, zookeepers report deer fawns and elk calves are due soon.
Over in the Zip Wild area, the new Aerial Runway has just a slight degree of difficulty – unlike the bigger courses that require more agility and mental toughness to conquer a number of obstacles.
Photo courtesy of Mike Centioli
A bighorn sheep lamb takes some tentative steps on a log in the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park Free-Roaming Area. It’s one of several baby animals in the meadows and forests this spring.
The Aerial Runway, which is about 20 feet high, contains a 512-foot adrenaline-filled zip line. The fifth zip line in the Zip Wild complex also contains two Trapper climbing ladders and three stabilized Andes bridges.
The ladders are similar to household ladders and are no taller than 6 feet, while the Andes bridges have stabilizers to prevent a lot of movement. It’s tame compared to the Adventure and Sensation courses, which contain more difficult challenges and go as high as 55 and 78 feet, respectively. But it’s still got a huge fun quotient.
The Aerial Runway costs $26.95 plus tax and admission to Northwest Trek. It’s open to ages 8 and up.
The four other zip line/challenge courses have varying degrees of difficulty for ages from 5 through adult.
For more details about the Zip Wild courses, including age, height and weight restrictions and reservation information, go to www.nwtrek.org/zipwild.
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Northwest Trek, accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, is a 725-acre zoological park dedicated to conservation, education and recreation by displaying, interpreting and researching native Northwest wildlife and their natural habitats. The wildlife park is a facility of Metro Parks Tacoma and is located 35 miles southeast of Tacoma off State Highway 161.