This place was much better when visited a few years back.this time cost 30 dollars a pc an only seen a few animals.wasnt worth the money or time took to drive to it or walk across the bridge.would not ever visit again
One of our favorite places to visit while in Colorado.....just beautiful!
Great place to visit with the kids and the money goes to a good cause.
What a very sad day. My parents were in the area for a visit, so I thought the sanctuary would be the perfect place to take them to do something out of the ordinary. I took the family last year and it was a beautiful experience. So, in planning for the visit, I check the website on 7/24/15 and it says $15/adults and $7.50 for kids. Good enough. So Sunday (7/26) we make the 2.5 hour drive down from Wyoming. We get to the front gate and we're told it's now $50 per person, which is $350 dollars for everyone in our party!!!
I don't really get this business model. So, $50 gets you unlimited visits....but what about out-of-staters who can only visit once per year? Heck, it's far enough away from Denver, it's doubtful that many "locals" will find this a worthy deal. They're completely alienating the transient tourist population. $50 is a huge ticket price and completely out of range for most families. $50 is more than the Denver Zoo, the Downtown Aquarium, and the Butterfly Pavilion Combined!!! Given the choice, would your kids chose the previous 3 or The Sanctuary? It's now more expensive to take them to the Wildlife Sanctuary than it is to take them to Elitch Gardens. So, with the new pricing structure, the $100 that we would've spent there isn't good enough - It's either $350 or $0. Not smart.
At the very least, it would have been nice to have read about changing prices on the website instead of making the 5 hour round-trip for nothing.
Additionally, I run a summer program for 25 high school students and we take them to The Sanctuary every year. Now that's gone too.
This is all too sad. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a wonderful place and a great cause. But now, it's just completely inaccessible for many people. Terrible.
This was a nice place to take out of town guests. We went with a member/donor, so we had free admission. We saw a variety of animals. If you're going on a summer day, take water and sunscreen. The cafe is reasonably priced and has a good variety of foods.
This place is so cool. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water, it is miles round trip. Definately recommend for all ages!
The bad reviews of this sanctuary are infuriating. The walking distance is relative to the size of the facility, so take your lazy butts somewhere else if you don't want to walk. The entry fee is how the sanctuary cares for the animals and continues to rescue animals in need, so consider it a valuable donation if you care about the animals. And no, you should not take your service dog anywhere that there is wildlife due to possible disease exposure on both sides.
Not a place where its much interacting with animals but a long walk and breathtaking views of the snowy mountains.
Great place to take kids. The money goes to a good cause. Go on a cooler day and stay hydrated. Good looking chefs.
What a cool place to walk through. Timing is key to see the most animals. The good they do here is amazing. It will be even better to visit in the summer when the bears are out too. We got a glimpse of the Kodiak for a brief second, Wow!
I am quite sure this place is amazing!! How do I not know for sure? Because I have this crippling fear of heights that prevented me from getting any further than 50 ft out on the walkway. That being said.....I am about to be their #1 supporter. I will keep going and keep going until I make the full 1 1/2 mile walk!!! This place will help me conquer my fear!!!
#theelephantinthelivingroom #theanimalsanctuary
#myheros
#timharrison
#michaelwebber
#outreachforanimals
#thehumanesociety
Really great animals you have to use some binoculars to see but they have those magnified mom red scopes that you could look out of.
This is a wonderful facility that is dedicated to saving and giving animals a life they all deserve! Knowledgeable and kind staff, very healthy and beautiful animals! They all appear happy, well taken care of and without stress, unlike the Zoo animals. We were glad to pay the fees plus the donation charge to! They also rescue dogs which is a huge plus in my book!!!! We will definitely return when in the area!
Love everything about this place. What they do, the walkway, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The experience is one you won't forget.
I love this place - I think if most of us had any idea how badly these animals are regularly treated before they arrived there - we'd be rejoicing even if we couldn't see them. Thanks to all of you who support this beautiful endeavor.
Had a great time today. But definitely wouldn't recommend going here in the summer wait till the cooler months. And its definitely a great work out
I visited in October and think TWAS is wonderful. It touched my heart to see these magnificent souls, rescued from miserable, abusive and lonely situations and able to live in wide open spaces and to find a social group to live with. It sickened me to learn about the exotic animal trade.
I completely understand the pricing and though I'm not a wealthy person was more than happy to pay the admission price. The goal of this organization is to rehabilitate these animals, provide lifelong care and a high quality of life. That is expensive! It's annoying to me that people are upset about the cost. If you simply become a member then you can bring 5 people for a year as many times as you want.
I think it's smart to price admission as such because it narrows the visitors down to those who are on board with the mission of this amazing place.
I love the Rocky Mountain Wildlife. I take my kids there every Sunday.
Beautiful beautiful place and very peaceful too!! These animals are very well taken care of and you can tell they out A LOT of hard work into making the right enclosures for each individual species <3 I couldn't have had a better experience at a zoo to be honest. Not saying not to support the animals at zoos but if you're looking for a better experience and more of a "supporting the animal experience" I highrtly recommend visiting this beautiful reserve. Very friendly staff too!!
I enjoyed the peacefulness of the place. Seeing the animals were cool and reading their stories. Clean and decently maintained. Ice cream was superb.
TWAS gives you a very different experience than any zoo does. (I've been to a few including London zoo.) The animals look healthier and do not act stressed out at all. It was a wonderful experience i will be returning again. We also had the pleasure of hearing two male lions calling to each other. It was an awsome experience.
They are doing a great work with animals that have been mistreated or neglected. You can see the animals in somewhat of a natural habitat. The cost is a bit steep at $30.00 for an adult and a bit less for children, but it is for a good cause. Be ready to walk about three miles to see everything.
The place was amazing. We loved seeing so many animals in a somewhat native environment. The walk way gives you a great vantage point.
We were pretty disappointed with the whole thing. My friend recommended it to us. We paid the $200.00 donation and all we saw was sleeping animals. But it was really windy. We'll hopefully be back when the weather is nicer.
This is such an amazing place and worth every dollar in fees & donations that you can afford! We felt honored as a family (myself, husband, our 2 y.o. & 7 mo. old) to be near these incredible animals that had such horrific beginnings in the hands of humans, but are now able to live out their lives respected & cared for.
I'm continually disappointed by the news coming out of the Sanctuary about the treatment of the volunteers under Pat, the director. Presumably the same empathy intended for the animals at the facility should be given to the hard-working and selfless individuals who endure the ridicule and disrespect of the Sanctuary staff. On a volunteer basis, these people go out of their way each week to put in hours sorting and dividing food for the animals or standing in the elements for hours, ready to answer visitor questions as quasi tour guides. In return, they are treated as second class by the Sanctuary director and certain members of his staff. There have been numerous cases of harrassment and dismissal of volunteers who disagree with Pat or his staff. Voicing concerns or questions is not tolerated. They are not paid and they do so much work for the animals in attendance. The Sanctuary would not exist without these volunteers and yet they are unappreciated and treated as disposable. May I suggest you spend your money elsewhere; there is no need to support the Sanctuary while it operates as it is currently. The Board should remove Pat and implement a new working structure that respects its workers, paid and volunteer, as it does the animals.
I will not support the Wild Animal Santuary until it cleans up its internal dysfunction.
My wife and I love TWAS! We can't say enough about how much we appreciate what they do for the animals they rescue. After our first visit years ago, we decided to become life long donors. We always enjoy getting updates on the animal we adopted. A big THANK YOU to Pat Craig, the Craig family and the rest of the hard working staff at TWAS!
Look.... these animals are what brought =my family and I here. It was worth the 15.00 per person. I wanted to donate chicken..beef .. tuna..... hay .... what ever it takes to help....I bought 4 gaterades and 4 pop cycles for 25.00 wow serious ?? ok I'am donating for these animals PLUS I buy four pieces of paper that look like a million bucks with the animals on them for 5.00 our admission was 52.00 for all 4 of us !!!!!!!! PAT CRAIG ARE YOU SERIOUS???? YOU ARE DUMB!!!!!!! you had my family out there barely affording adventures TRYING to have fun for middle class and NOW you decide to make that place for the wealthy??? DUDE YOU ARE DUMB!!!!!! you need people like us to feel more for these beautiful animals ..... watch how your business slows down and how foolish you will looK..... and how DARE YOU!!!! give these creatures to the zoo if you seem so desperate you donkey ......be fair or be square ......These animals need more people like us than you could imagine .......your just dumb and a liar. I hope you get fired!!!!!!!.YOu dont CARE about these beauties do you??? Cut out families to help them ...serious ....YOU NEED TO TAKE THAT BACK.... Im now afraid for these animals that you made a death wish for them =-( ....take it back ...before its to late.
Wonderful place but I took my 3 year old son to go see the animals. This is not for kids that have lots of energy (which is most). They have a metal walk way that makes noise. He was running because he was excited and he was making too much noise. I have much respect for what they do but don t take young children here that want to run and see the animals. It is meant for adults and not very kid friendly.
Plan spending not an hour, but hours. We were there close to 6 hours total. Took our time. Enjoy the view of as many animals we could. I recommend closing the place out in the evening. The animals prefer to come out towards the evening. Had a awesome time. Will definitely plan on coming back someday.
You know I love this place it is just great and the people whom staff it are wonderful as well
Awesome!! if you love animals you will just love this.
Would have liked to have gone but once we gotten their was when we found out how much it was. No thanks a little to pricey for a family of five with three teenagers, during these times.
We just visited the park today and were told at check in that mask wearing was being enforced and that violators would be asked to leave. Complete bs we were passed by at least 20 people not wearing masks. This is why we are losing the battle to Covid. Please do not visit until they fix this. We even watched as people walked by staff member's on the walk way without masks and nothing was said to these people. The park should be fined or closed down if cannot enforce their own regulations. People are dying because people won t wear masks.
Great place to go take pictures if you have a Zoom lens.
Finally visited this place for the first time. The work they are doing is amazing. The sanctuary is huge! Do yourself a favor and visit the website before you go, and follow their recommendations - good shoes, sunscreen, binoculars, etc. for the best experience. Bears, tigers, foxes, lions, bobcats, even ostriches and donkeys... the stories of each of these rescued animals is heart wrenching. Yes, they are blunt about asking for donations but it's entirely appropriate, given that they are entirely funded by donations. A beautiful place and a great cause. Go see it!
We have visited the sanctuary numerous times in the last few years. We bring family when they come in from out of state. It's a great place to teach your children about how to care for animals as the folks who run this place are doing such s great thing,. Along with the message that wild animals belong in the wild.
Tremendous viewing, learning of large animals walking free. Heart wrenching rescues with beautiful endings
Went here with my husband. It was everything I hoped for. Yes, the admission is a bit pricey but your money is going to the care if these animals. Staff was very friendly. My only complaint is the $10 binoculars I bought did nothing.... But what can you really expect for $10? Lol. Bring water and sun block and some patience and you'll see some beautiful animals.
This sanctuary was bigger than expected with more diverse wildlife. A nice surprise was the unintentional bird watching. It was really well-thought-out and the design showed care for the animals. Bring binoculars, sunscreen, water, and prepare for the wind!
Always a wonderful visit! Highly recommend coming a few hours before they close as that's when the animals are most active.
The work they do here is amazing, I only wish I could donate more.
Excellent animal sanctuary. Yes its pricey, but its private and worth it. You walk on a cat walk about 30 feet or so in the air with animals all around you and beneath you. It can get warm and windy. It takes roughly 2-3 hours to see it all, bring sunscreen and water. It is a 3 mile walk, so bring comfy shoes. We saw several animals and got some excellent pictures. I highly recommend it.
This place is so amazing!
I don't think I'll even go the zoo ever again. This place is so peaceful & humane.
Absolutely amazing place to visit. Worth every penny.
This place was a real treat! WAY better than going to the zoo because I didn't feel bad for any of the animals! I don't like zoos because I feel like there is no way that the animals could be that comfortable there given their wild nature. All the animals at this sanctuary had nice big enclosures that were all natural! They did have some smaller ones for animals that are transitioning though because the bigger areas stress them out since they are used to being more confined, poor babies! That is why what they do here is so important though, it gives these animals a chance to just be themselves and live happy carefree, unstressed lives. The walkway they have is 30 feet above the enclosures so the animals aren't stressed by the visitors either. It is so worth the trip to see!
Great place to get some exercise and see some amazing animals.
Loved it. Took my time and spent about 4 hours. Way different from a zoo experince.
The experience was so amazing and the animals have different stories and have lots of room to roam unlike zoos. I loved every part of it except the heat but it was in the summer so I'm not complaining. Also the 1 star reviews are over exaggerated if you had a bad experience the worst you could give this place is a 3. It was a fun experience and our family goes there each time we go to Denver.
Well maintained, organized entry, would have been great with more separate areas off the main walkway to really enjoy being with nature and the animals. Advice: 1) Go early when they open....less crowded and you will see more animals because of feeding times. 2) This is not a zoo for getting close, or seeing the animals close...they make that clear at the entrance.
My friends were having their last cigarette before entering the place at the no smoking signs located at the entrance. An employee stopped and told them they can't have a cigarette so close to the sign. We know she was an employee, because she had a dog with her and only employee's can bring them on the property. So much for all the signs that say no one can bring dogs on the property.
Walkway is too long and boring. You need a shuttle to bring people back
to the starting point if they need it.
Would not recommend this place to anyone, except the animals.
Nice for them but not for people.
You may not see every animal, but it's clear the facility is well cared for and the animals are given plenty of space and privacy. Be prepared for lots of wind - it gets cold!
Amazing experience! What a unique and intelligent way to observe exotic animals!
Third time here in three consecutive weekends. We love this place Everytime is a slightly different experience. Depending on the weather, time of day, and which animals are out and about.
Online says to plan for four hours of visiting, but you can definitely finish comfortably and at a very slow pace in 2.5 hours. We also have stopped each time, at the end of the three mile round trip return, for ice cream shakes, and hung out enjoying the breeze upstairs and super tasty treats!
This place is worth the hour drive, and definitely consider becoming an active supporter since this animal refuge relies solely off of donations.
Better than the zoo on any day! Lions and tigers and bears roam freely on a giant reserve.
This is not a zoo, people. If you want to see animals up close and personal visit a zoo and contribute more to animal suffering. The purpose of the sky bridge is to minimize territorial displays often seen in zoos (swaying/ pacing in front of cages/ prison) as the animals don t recognize the sky as their territory. To the people complaining about not seeing animals - this is a sanctuary where they are not forced to live in tiny cages to be on display for you mouth-breathing idiots. The animals have the option to go into their din or hide amongst the grass. We went in the wintertime when nearly all of the bears are hibernating and we still saw a ton of animals so I don t know what you re talking about! I found it a privilege to visit this place and if I lived anywhere near Colorado I would be volunteering. Keep up the good work Wild Animal Sanctuary!
Amazing place for animals that were abused. The fees are a bit pricy but I think it's justifiable as it takes a lot of money to feed all these animals! So don't be greedy and contribute to a good cause to save these beautiful animals.
After reading all the reviews, mostly the bad ones, I came to understand that the people writing the bad reviews were looking for a zoo experience. This place is not a zoo, it is a home for animals that come from horrible situations. You have to understand this. If you want to see the animals in a more active state, go around breakfast or dinner time (for them). Yes it is a bit expensive, but what else do you expect? To pay $10? I mean each big cat eats around 30-40lbs of meat a day, that s expensive.
The only downfall is the rude and unknowledgeable staff. Some of the employees were nice but some aren t that great, but that s nearly everywhere.
I d rather spend $30 and a drive to a sanctuary where it s more about the animals, and not the humans. That s what zoos are for. But zoos trade, buy, breed and sometimes capture their animals and force them to live in even tinier enclosed environments where people come to take photos and stare at them like they re some show or something. That s just not right.
The best part of this place was the wolves. They were really happy and actually very interactive. There was two older, heavier set ones that were getting picked on by the two younger ones with them, but they know how to stand their ground.
Also, I had noticed a limo that looked like it had dog beds and what seemed to be a tiger pelt. I believe that it s not a real tiger pelt because I zoomed in on a photo and saw different patterns. But you never know.
Overall it s an amazing experience.
Great place. Worth the drive. It is good to see a place that takes the preservation and humane treatment of animals that were treated horribly. Awesome animals as well.
Incredible site for exotic animal rescue! Beautiful and spacious enclosures with many happy animals.
The most amazing sanctuary! This place is like no other place in the world . . . Large acreage habitats for large carnivores . . . Genius! And, the animals do not look stressed or miserable. They look healthy, happy and at home. What a joyful place!
What a fantastic sanctuary!!!!! So happy to see the lions, tigers, bears, coyotes, wolves, etc., thriving!!!!
Excellent place, thank God their in a happy place now and forever!! Beautiful animals!!
Four of us from Scotland visited this sanctuary today 24 th Sept 18. Had the most fantastic time and saw lots of different animals. It has been on my bucket List for a long time. Definitely worth the visit.
We visited The Wild Animal Sanctuary in July 2017, and we had a fantastic experience. We paid for the guided tour, and it was worth the extra money. Our guide, Kent, a sanctuary volunteer-turned-long-time-employee, was amazing. He spent three hours showing us around and telling us about the sanctuary and its residents. You could tell that Kent has a true passion for these animals and the work he and the others at the sanctuary do. We were able to hear the history, back stories, heartbreak and triumphs of the animals in their care.. We learned more than we ever could if we had just taken the regular tour.
The entire staff was friendly and helpful, the facilities were clean and pleasant, and it was truly a joy to spend the morning leaning about the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of this organization. This is important stuff, folks!
I highly recommend a trip to this sanctuary, including the guided tour. It's a tour you won't forget. Wear sunscreen and a hat and bring plenty of water to drink.
And even though no dogs are allowed, you'll probably have the chance to visit with one of the many, many rescue dogs who live at the sanctuary. They come in all shapes and sizes and are very friendly!
We plan to revisit the sanctuary some time this year when we come back to Colorado to visit family.
Laura from Texas
My wife and I went a month ago on a very hot day. It was still fifteen dollars per person then and I thought that was fair, however I was not very impressed or amused. It just seemed barren and lifeless for the most part. I felt sorry for the animals. Still I gave the caretakers the benefit of a doubt. I figured the place was still a work in progress and there would be improvements and expansion. Only today as I was perusing these other reviews did I learn of the admission increase. I will not be going again. I live in Gillette, Wyoming and there is a wild animal sanctuary near me in Spearfish South Dakota I will check out instead.
This place is amazing. All the animals have a place to live because of government regulations looking out for their welfare. A truly one of a kind destination. 1000+ animals who have never developed the skills to survive in the wild are catered to in every way possible. Staff us knowledgeable and show that they have extreme compassion for these mistreated glorious creatures. The Tigers @ the end of "The Mile into the Wild" are something you will never forget. Go early, lighter climate is more conducive to activity, DONATE - we are in this together. Great place to take youngsters, a date or study animals.
Went to this location a month ago, did my research online and decided to drive up from Colorado Springs as part of our family vacation to this site (at said time it was $15 per person), I show up and were told for only $250 my family could enjoy our stay, otherwise we had to go. (they were nice enough to inform me they would not charge for my 9 month old child the normal $50 per person fee).
It was nice that we wasted half a day on our vacation to come to a place who jacked up their rates the last minute. I will never return and urge no one to visit this bait and switch operation.
Enjoyed the information about the sanctuary and the tigers from the volunteers. Very knowledgeable team!
Didn't get to see many of the animals as they were all hiding in their shelters or were too far away to actual see them. The volunteer Stacey was the rudest person ever. She seemed upset when we asked why there were 5 dogs running around off leash. I didn't appreciate the dogs slobbering on us and sticking their noses in our butts! The dogs were absolutely filthy. You could SMELL them before they even got close to us. YUK! The price of admission is RIDICULOUS! I didn't mind the mandatory donation, but the volunteers should be trained to say THANK YOU when you do. If the facility was not so far away we would have opted to skip the tour. Lastly we noticed that many of the animals were FAT. When the food trucks came the animals didn't even bother to get up. Just hope someone knows what they are doing out there. Will not recommend this tour to others.
I was a volunteer here for 3 1/2 years, and you'll never meet a staff that cares more about the animals. In the dead of winter inside the visitor's center the temp would be in single digits, and staff wouldn't even turn on the heat for themselves so the money could go towards the animals. The animals come from desolate homes to huge acres and live out their lives here. Doesn't get much better than this!
Amazing place and mission. Words cannot express how awesome the work is that the sanctuary puts in to save animals from poor situations where many die lonely and harsh deaths. Every year TWAS hosts a 5K/10K Run/Walk event (Into the Wild), we participated in 2016 and is now something we will be doing every year going forward. Once we are in a good financial position to donate on a consistent basis we will be contributing to their cause by sponsoring an animal(s).
All the volunteers were super sweet and every animal looked in perfect condition and happy!
Fantastic place to visit for any age. make sure not to go in the middle of the day when it is super hot and there is no coverage from the summer heat. We went at 5 p.m. and it was perfect. You will see more animals in the evening too. We got to hear lions roar to each other. It was magical. It is self guided on a walkway that is high above the animals. We got lots of awesome information about the animals from Austin H. at the Sanctuary. We appreciated all of the cool stories!
Awesome place. I've never seen bears running around like that before or heard a lion roar. Lots of room for animals to roam around so they are more active than a zoo.
For anyone with a respect for nature and love for fascinating animals, this place will keep you enamored all day. It was moving to be there and time flew by. Incredible volunteers. Bring binoculars if you have your own and sunscreen is a must! Learn from my mistakes!
wildanimalsanctuary.org
