Really nice stop with very kind caretakers, nice & natural enclosures with lots of enrichments for the animals-kids really enjoyed it as part of our visit to Red Lodge!! read more

The Yellowstone wildlife sanctuary is a lovely QuikTrip. And would be especially exciting for young explorers. There's a variety of native wildlife species that cannot be rehomed due to different reasons. The cages are a little small, but the animals have obvious enrichment activities and look healthy. You'll get to see everything from bears to bison to Hawks and you get an up close and personal view. Wheelchair accessibility: in general it is very accessible. There's a couple places where you will have to take a slightly alternate route or where the concrete has degraded a little bit which might make it a little rough and there's one section through the birds that is done in wood chips so might be harder for a manual chair. But there were no sections where there were steps without a ramp and all of the doors, including the door to the bathroom were nice and light. However, the accessible stall in the women's restroom was out of order. For the price in the mission this was well worth the stop. read more

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Can't really review this bc everyone so nice and who could fault their mission. We visited on Saturday, June 24. It was one of the bison's birthday. Cake for all guests in celebration. . Red Lodge Ales had a presence as well as a local food truck. Fun atmosphere. Caring people. Priced fairly. (I feel good about the donation made). It's like a zoo but not. Very cool that the animals are loved and well cared for. Who wouldn't have fun walking around with a Red Lodge ale in hand, admiring sweet Montana native animals. read more

Get an up close view of these animals! This wildlife sanctuary is a refuge. They're here to rescue animals that have been abandoned, hurt, or otherwise made so that they wouldn't survive in the wild. Instead, they live their lives out here, being cared after and allowed to hang out with a friend or two. I was amazed at how clean this place was. Normally, with a zoo or other place that keeps lots of animals, there's a lot of poo. They've done a great job of staying on top of it. I was impressed with the different types of animals they had had! Bison (one named Luna!) lynx, wolves, raccoons, sandhill cranes, bears, foxes, bobcats, buzzards. It was really quite wonderful to see them have a bunch of different types of toys to play with, different parts of the enclosures to hang out in, some variety. All the animals appeared to be healthy and happy. Keep an eye out for their cat- three legged and loves attention. The store is quite fun- they have lots of jewelry, stuffed animals, posters, keychains and the like that have animals on them. We got some buffalo themed jewelry. We buy-some bison. The staff was really nice, welcoming and helped us get a feel for the park. The entire park was surrounded with beautiful metal sculptures that showed off the donors' names, and what they love about the park. The place is beautifully landscaped as well. There's gardens along the pathways and nice flowers everywhere. It's a scenic stroll. I thought this was totally worth it. If you're interested in getting up close with wildlife, this is a safe way to do it. read more

Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary is a great place to spend time seeing some animals up-close-and-personal in a way a zoo won't always be able to offer. It's not that big, but they have a pretty amazing selection of animals: bears, fox, coyotes, owls, lynx, mountain lion, raccoons, porcupine, buffalo, and lots of birds, all of which, depending on the time of day, will sometimes nicely, in a picture-perfect way, pose for pictures. The day we visited, the bears had just come out of hibernation and were pacing. There's even an ordinary cat that lives under the gift-shop building and will occasionally walk the paths ahead of visitors. YWS doesn't get its animals from zoos, they wait for a rehabilitation place to call and ask if they can take an animal -- either because it has been hurt or acclimated to people because some well-meaning person found a baby animal somewhere and decided to take it home. In other words, the animals here cannot be released back into the wild. It's a sanctuary, an easy walk -- maybe 15 to 20 minutes to make a tour (longer if you stop to read the placards), and there is an admission fee. It's worth the ten dollars a person to get that close to the animals, and, knowing the admission fee goes toward the care and the building of new habitats. Is it better that these animals be in their natural environment and not in cages? Yes. Probably. But as long as people don't always make the right decision when they see a baby animal, it's good there are places like this to give these animals a safer home. It's still odd, knowing that in a state with abundant wildlife, there are places like this that are a hybrid between the great outdoors and a zoo. read more

Love it! It is the perfect size, just big enough for little kids and bigger ones (teens) with less patience. It is so fun to read the stories about each animal there and you can just sit, watch & enjoy each one as much as you want. The animals seem to have no stress, they are comfortable & well fed & it was very clean. My grandma would approve. Don't miss the adorable gift shop, I couldn't help myself and got some stickers and a sweatshirt. Don't forget, this is a sanctuary for animals that cannot be released so all money goes to help support the animals. The staff was SO friendly & happily asked any questions we had about animals. We watched as they had a class of kids there and it was great the interaction with the keepers and the kids, the kids were very happy, learning about animals and their natural habitats. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Would definitely recommend visiting. This place is beautiful and the animals are so cute and happy! The staff is also very friendly :)

All the animals are super cool and cute! The bears were my favorite!! The staff was super friendly also'

I've been to a fair number of animal rescue and wildlife sanctuaries. The YWS is a very clean and well groomed space, with beautifully planted paths and gardens, and fresh clean air. All the animals are rescued (mostly orphaned), and would not be able to survive in the wild. They appear well cared for, and offered stimulus and enrichment opportunities in clean and well cared for pens. Many of the animals stand right next to the fence, for an up-close-and-personal view, including the wolf, elk, black bear, bison, and others. I also appreciate the creativity of their names. For example, the ravens are Edgar, Allen, Bart, and Lisa (a nod to one of the best Simpsons Halloween episodes ever), and the vultures were Lurch and Fester. This is clearly a personal work of passion. Somebody (or more likely somebodies) put their heart and soul into this place. The volunteers and staff are working hard, but also friendly and available to answer questions. Our 4-year-old daughter asked what it's like working here, and we got an honest answer: it's mostly about picking up poop. Speaking of hard work, we were completely okay paying an entrance price that was less than taking the family to a movie. From the sponsored benches, to the requests for donations of high quality dog food, I didn't get the impression that anybody is getting wildly wealthy off this place. Taking care of this many animals is expensive and hard work, and we were happy to support this good cause. We saw a groups of kids from the YMCA summer camp coming through on tour, learning about the animals and the mission of the Wildlife Sanctuary. The staff tour guide did a great job keeping the kids engaged and interested as they made their way through the space, and they hopefully came away with a greater appreciation for wildlife, as well as some interesting knowledge to share. For example, did you know that crows can be as smart as a seven-year-old? Everything in this small sanctuary is super accessible, with wide paved paths throughout, and plenty of benches for resting on. The entire loop takes about 20 minutes to see everything. We went slowly and stayed for over 30 minutes. There's a lovely picnic area, and it would be easy to imagine bringing lunch and staying for a longer visit. The gift shop has fun and reasonably priced items, including canvases that are painted by the resident animals! I could totally hang a Marmot-painted masterpiece on our wall. We stopped by YWS on our way to Yellowstone. I don't know if we'll see all these animals on our trip, and it's reassuring to know that we've already had a chance to experience some safe and up-close encounters before we get into the park. We had a lovely visit, and would definitely recommend it to friends. read more

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This is not a Zoo. This is not a safari expedition. This is a sanctuary for previously hurt and abandoned animals. YWS gives them a home and hope. The animals are adorable and obviously appreciate human attention. My favorites were the 4 black bears who were eating fruit during my visit. The animals looked cared for and their habitats appeared to be tended to. Honestly, the creepiest animal was the horned owl who's eyes followed us everywhere. Porcupines were adorable, as were the foxes. I felt good about contributing $9 for the entrance fee. Definitely a highlight of my time in Red Lodge. A quick easy stop for the family while visiting. read more

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it is an amazing place that giving these wild animals a peaceful life they deserve. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. You learn so much about the animals and how they care for them. I highly recommend a visit to the sanctuary! The price is very reasonable and it is perfect for families. read more

This place is so cool for up close encounters with wildlife! They take injured animals that can't be rehabilitated back into the wild and give them a life long home. The have hawks and other birds of prey, raccoons, porcupines, a fox, a bison, mountain lion, coyotes, and lynx and bobcat. The black bear is really cool too! All the the exhibits are very near the walking path so you can see the animals right up close! The mountain lion exhibit is so close, you can see the details of her eyes. The animals are fed a nutritious diet and given a second chance. It is a beautiful sanctuary and definitely worth a visit. Even my husband LOVED it and is looking forward to going back! read more

This place is hyped up at Red Lodge, but when you consider how small a town Red Lodge is, you shouldn't be expecting a safari expedition when you visit the sanctuary. I chalked up the $33 we paid to get in (5 people, 2 were seniors) as a donation to the sanctuary. If you walk fast, you can see everything in about 15 minutes, if you walk slow you can see everything in about 30 minutes. Sadly, these are final homes for the animals here ... and I'm not sure if I would be happy to be couped up in small cages or maybe just dead on the side of the road. Still, their injuries were most often caused by us asshole humans, so I appreciate that there's can be a place like this that nurses them back to health and gives them a 2nd chance .... even if it's a cramped one. Overall the grounds are pretty well kept and they feature benches and stones of donations from corporations and families. If I hadn't seen the 4 bears that ran in front of my car the other night, this would have been my only opportunity on my trip to Yellowstone to see the furry buggers. read more

A must see for anyone visiting red lodge. It's very obvious they take very good care of all of the animals here. Nice walk seeing all the different animals in the area. 10/10 read more

Phenomenal place. It is NOT a typical zoo. All the animals are rescued and can not be released into the wild. Great people working, very friendly and informative. One of the gray wolves walked right up to the fence to meet us. read more

Neat place to see lots of local-ish wildlife. The coyote siblings are funny and characters. What a great place to take in all of these animals that are unreleasable into the wild. Friendly staff, pretty, well kept grounds, lots of informational placards. Great for kids. read more

A special place and a wonderful thing to do with kids. The people working there are knowledgeable and kind. The animals are rescued animals and the education is a good things for kids to see. Up close and personal for sure. Highly recommend it. read more

5 stars for what the YWS stands for, 2 stars for the fact they actually charge to view their 20 animals housed in small cages with overgrown grass. For 2 adults and 1 child it was $17. It took less than 15 minutes to walk through and it was mostly birds. We went into the Education Center and cracked up! They had a pigeon on display! The best thing about this place was the raven who said "hola." Save your time and make a donation to them instead. read more

When we first arrived at the animal sanctuary, we noticed a group of people walking inside the sanctuary without masks. When I got inside the lady at the front desk insisted, we all wear masks. That is fine with me. I told her I have a medical condition that makes me cough sometimes for several minutes when I wear a mask. I told her I may start coughing and will need to remove the mask. There are several articles on the internet explaining why some people cannot wear a mask. She said she would rather not have us go into the sanctuary. I assume the lady at the front desk is a medical professional since she made conclusions about my condition. She is welcome to consult with my doctor. I told her about the people not wearing masks that we saw when we arrived. She called me a liar. I hope you only discriminate against people with lung conditions. I do not know why the group I saw was allowed not to wear masks. Perhaps they have a more severe condition than I do. This should have been handled in a professional manner. Assuming the lady at the front desk is a medical professional, she needs to practice medicine and not be at the front desk. A good customer service professional could have taken care of this situation without issues. read more

It is a nice place with lots of good will , an amazing gift shop , and their animals are All there out of necessity not choice which is good but the animals don't look like they're in the best conditions and I've been about three or four times but I haven't seen even one of the wolves the animals that you can see are mostly birds also the map is very hard to read but they are adding new animals and habitats so it definitely has good potential it is a must see for visitors it is a four star for me. read more