Every Tuesday in September, visitors to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park can present their Washington State Fair ticket or employee/vendor badge for $5 off general admission.
EATONVILLE, Wash. – Animals, rides, scones…September means the Washington State Fair, and now it also means a chance for fair-goers to save big at Northwest Trek. On “Trek Tuesdays” through September, guests at the wildlife park can present their fair ticket or employee/vendor badge to save $5 on general admission.
The offer is valid every Tuesday in September, and applies to park general admission only. It is held in partnership with the Washington State Fair, Visit Tacoma-Pierce County, Visit Rainier and Puyallup and Sumner hotels.
The discount is perfectly timed with one of the most exciting times of the year at Northwest Trek – rut season.
In this annual breeding time for bison, elk and other native animals in our Free-Roaming Area, nature shows its impressive power.
Bison roll in the dust, square off and butt heads. Male elk also battle for supremacy, running at one another with impressive racks of antlers. Puffing and snorting, they clash those antlers with a loud “cra-ack”.
Bighorn rams get into the action by pacing back, then running at each other full-tilt to butt horns together with a startling bang.
But it’s not all about fighting. During this “courtship” season, bull elk also employ a variety of sounds, behaviors, postures and social cues intended to subdue rivals and woo females – including the eerie “bugling” call that resounds through the forest. The rut goes on for a few weeks, and the victor in this “king of the herd” contest becomes the leader of the group, winning the opportunity to mate with the elk cows.
It’s easy to see the rut in action. Every ticket to the wildlife park comes with a 45-minute, naturalist-narrated tour through the 435-acre Free-Roaming Area aboard a comfortable tram with large-window views of the animal action. The Free-Roaming Area is home to Roosevelt elk, American bison, woodland caribou, bighorn sheep, moose, deer and other animals.
During the rest of their visit, guests can wander the park’s animal trails to see native Northwest animals like black bear, cougar, lynx, bobcat, otter, beaver and fisher. The Zip Wild zipline courses are open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through September 3, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. every weekend in September. Kids from toddlers to tweens can run, jump, bounce and play with nature in the Kids’ Trek playground.
For more information, go to www.nwtrek.org.
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Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, 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.
Contacts
Kris Sherman, 253-226-6718 or kris.sherman@pdza.org
Whitney DalBalcon, 253-404-3637; 253-278-6343 or whitney.dalbalcon@pdza.org