Tours
Tours and Animal EncountersAWCC offers several unique experiences to learn about Alaska’s wildlife and enhance your visit to AWCC. Proceeds from these programs support our mission of preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care. Book early to enjoy a tour of the sanctuary or an encounter with one of our animal ambassadors!
General Admission
Admission tickets to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center do not sell out. Tickets can be purchased upon arrival the day of your visit.
General Admission Prices
General Admission: $27 per person (ages 13 and up)
Youth: $22 per person (ages 4 to 12)
Child: Free (3 and under)
Military: $24 per person (active US military with ID)
Alaska: $24 per person (Valid Alaska ID required. Year Round.)
Alaska Youth: $20 per person (ages 4 to 12. Valid Alaska ID required. Year Round.)
Experience Alaska’s wildlife via AWCC’s scenic 1.5-mile loop, accessible by foot, by bike, or by car, while learning about our resident wildlife via interpretive signs at each animal habitat. AWCC encourages you to visit the center with your walking shoes and camera in hand for an educational Alaskan experience to remember. The sanctuary maintains over 200 acres of spacious habitats for resident animals to feel at home displaying their natural wild behavior as education ambassadors for their species. It is common for visitors to see brown bears swimming, moose strutting, wood bison roaming, muskox playing, wolves posing, porcupines climbing, and more!
Walk on the Wild Side (WOW) Tour
Take a walk on the wild side with a Naturalist guided walking tour of the sanctuary and prepare to be WOW-ed! Your guide will introduce you to the resident animal ambassadors offering history and stories while sharing how the AWCC preserves Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research, and quality animal care. Plus, this tour includes an animal encounter where you’ll have an opportunity to feed an animal!
Season: Offered year-round, rain or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Time: 2PM – 3:30PM
Rate: $140.00 per person (price includes admission)
Purchase Tickets: Reservations Required. Book Online. Click HERE to book your tour online. Same-day tickets can be purchased over the phone (907-783-0058 ext. 8) or in person by 12PM, based on availability.
Capacity: Maximum 10 people.
Restrictions: Ages 10 and over only. A ticketed adult must accompany minors. Face masks, provided by AWCC, are only required if guests have flu, cold, or other respiratory compromised symptoms.
Bonus: Receive a 20% discount on a Bear Encounter if you have booked a Walk on the Wild Side (WOW) Tour for the same day. Email events@alaskawildlife.org with your WOW confirmation number to book. Based on availability. Age restrictions apply.
Please read our Cancellation Policy HERE.
Contact events@alaskawildlife.org for more information.
Moose Encounter
Feed a moose and snap a picture! Get an up-close experience with AWCC’s resident moose as you offer them a piece of food right out of your hand. Interacting with an ambassador animal, like this iconic Alaskan species, creates a personal connection between guests and wildlife.
Season: June 1 – September 15
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only
Time: Starts at 10:30 AM, rain or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Rate: $30 per person (does not include admission)
Purchase Tickets: Reservations required. Book Online HERE. Book early to ensure your spot this summer.
Location: Earthquake Boardwalk (first right after the Admission Booths)
Capacity: Maximum 35 people. These encounters are perfect for large groups or parties!
Restrictions: All ages welcome. A ticketed adult must accompany minors. Face masks, provided by AWCC, are only required if guests have flu, cold, or other respiratory compromised symptoms.
Looking for more info? Read the Moose Encounter BLOG HERE.
Please read our Cancellation Policy HERE.
AWCC provides means of hand sanitation before/after the encounter. Come to the Earthquake Deck between 10:30 am and 11:00 am to feed a moose and snap a picture! Moose Encounters allow visitors to get up close and personal with our resident moose. Visitors are able to feed the moose browse right out of their hand while our staff shares information about their diet, behavior, and wild counterparts. If you have any questions please email info@alaskawildlife.org.
Kobuk the Black Bear Encounter
Participate in AWCC’s quality animal care practices by working with our Naturalists to make engaging enrichment items for Kobuk the black bear. Enrichment improves an animal’s environment by making changes to their surroundings and encouraging natural behaviors, benefiting an animal’s physical and mental health. Using your creativity, you will craft a project that will be offered to Kobuk and then watch him be enriched!
Participate in AWCC’s quality animal care practices by working with AWCC staff to make dietary and/or engaging enrichment items for Kobuk the black bear. Participants will then place enrichment items inside Kobuk’s habitat and watch him enjoy!
Enrichment examples include puzzle feeders filled with produce and decorated with peanut butter; biodegradable tubes decorated, scented, and filled with treats; decorated boxes filled with animal hair and kibble; grass clippings sprayed with perfume for scent enrichment which Kobuk likes to roll in, and antlers painted in syrup and sunflower seeds. All these fun “crafty” enrichment projects will be made by you, then you get to hide them in Kobuk’s habitat and watch him seek them out and engage with your enrichment craft.
This 45-minute program is offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (rain or shine) at 2:45 pm from June 18 to August 31. Space is limited to 4 people. Must be 12 years and older. [Disclosure: there will be no physical touching of Kobuk.]
Season: June 18 – August 31
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only
Time: 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM, rain or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Rate: $175 per person (includes admission)
Purchase Tickets: Reservations required. Book Online HERE. Book early to ensure your spot this summer. Same-day tickets can be purchased over the phone (907-783-0058 ext. 8) or in person by 11AM, based on availability.
Check-In Location: Gift Shop Patio. From the main parking lot, walk toward the Be Wild Gift Shop. Take the stairs on the right side of the building to the picnic tables under the covered patio. Look for the table that has a reserved sign for the Kobuk Encounter. Please check-in by 2:40 PM.
Capacity: Maximum 4 people.
Restrictions: Ages 12 years and older only. A ticketed adult must accompany minors.
Please read our Cancellation Policy HERE.
Brown Bear Encounter
Get an up-close experience with AWCC’s resident brown bears. Participants will join our staff behind-the-scenes during the bear’s daily training and feeding while learning about AWCC’s quality animal care practices and bear safety. [Disclosure: There will be no physical touching of the bears.]
Contact events@alaskawildlife.org for more information.
Please read our Cancellation Policy HERE.
Season: June 1 – August 15
When: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only
Time: 3:45PM – 4:15PM, rain or shine. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Rate: $175 per person (includes admission)
Purchase Tickets: Reservations required. Book Online HERE. Book early to ensure your spot this summer. Same-day tickets can be purchased over the phone (907-783-0058 ext. 8) or in person by 11AM, based on availability.
Check-In Location: Your encounter will begin promptly at 3:45 PM, please check-in at the ticket booth to get your admission ticket and then check-in for the Bear Encounter at the Bears Amphitheater.
Capacity: Maximum 10 people.
Restrictions: Ages 12 years and older only. A ticketed adult must accompany minors.
Discount: Receive a 20% discount on a Bear Encounter if you have booked a Walk on the Wild Side (WOW) Tour for the same day. Email events@alaskawildlife.org with your WOW confirmation number to book. Based on availability. Age restrictions apply.
Virtual Tours
If you’re unable to visit us in person, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center will come to you, virtually! Our Naturalists will take you on a tour of the sanctuary, or visit a specific animal.
Season: Year-Round. Availability increases October – May.
When: Flexible schedule, based on availability of internet connection and daylight.
Price: $100 for 30 Minutes, $200 for 1-hour
Reservations required. Email education@alaskawildlife.org to book.
Purchase a Virtual Field Trip Gift Certificate HERE
Location: AWCC using virtual conferencing platform.
Great for all ages!
Can’t make it to AWCC in person? Join us for a virtual tour! During a virtual tour, you will be engaged by a walking tour of AWCC or a show and tell with one of our animal ambassadors. You will learn fun new information about Alaskan wildlife and have an opportunity to ask our naturalist staff questions in real time. If along the way there is a unique opportunity for insight into operations or care at AWCC, we will pause to take a closer look.