There is 1 drive-thru safari park in Oregon, plus 2 free wildlife areas where you can watch herds of wild Roosevelt elk from your car or roadside viewing spots.
- Wildlife Safari (Winston)
- Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area (Reedsport)
- Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area (Seaside)
WILDLIFE SAFARI
Type: Drive-thru safari and zoological park. It’s AZA accredited and non-profit.
Location: 1790 Safari Road, Winston, OR 97496 (I-5 Exit 119, near Roseburg)
Phone: (541) 679-6761
Email: guestservices@wildlifesafari.net
Website: wildlifesafari.net · Prices & Hours · Buy Tickets · Safari Map
Social Media:
Size: About 600 acres, with a 4.5-mile driving loop. It has 500+ animals across roughly 100 species.
Drive Time: About 1.5–2 hours
Animals: African elephants (the only ones in Oregon), cheetahs, Sumatran tigers, lions, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, scimitar-horned oryx, bison, elk, bears, emus, yaks, and more. The park is home to one of the top cheetah breeding programs in the world.
Admission (per person):
- Adults: $32.95
- Children: $29.95
- Ages 2 & under: Free
- Discounts:
- Seniors get 10% off, and Douglas County residents get 20% off.
- Active military, veterans, and first responders get in free, and the rest of their group gets 10% off.
- Moms get in free on Mother’s Day, and dads get in free on Father’s Day.
- Tickets don’t expire, but they’re non-refundable.
- Group rates are available for 12 or more people.
Hours (Drive-Thru & Village):
- March–Sept: 9 AM – 6 PM
- October: 9 AM – 5 PM
- Nov–March: 9 AM – 4 PM
- The last vehicle is admitted at closing time. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Vehicle Rules:
- No motorcycles or open-top vehicles. Jeeps and convertibles must keep their tops on.
- Your vehicle needs full doors and working windows.
- No pets. Free kennels are available on site, and a lock costs $5.
Feeding: You can buy animal food for one marked section of the drive. Feeding is not allowed anywhere else.
Other:
- The free Safari Village has a petting zoo, keeper talks, a café and grill, and a gift shop.
- There are also seasonal camel rides, a train ride, and paid animal encounters like the Cheetah Stroll.
DEAN CREEK ELK VIEWING AREA
Type: Free roadside wildlife viewing area. You watch from your car, pull-outs, or viewing platforms.
Location: 48819 OR-38, Reedsport, OR 97467 (3 miles east of Reedsport on Hwy 38)
Phone: (541) 756-0100 (BLM Coos Bay District)
Email: blm@blm.gov
Website: BLM – Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area · ODFW Visitor Guide
Social Media: No site-specific accounts. It’s run by ODFW.
Size: 1,040 acres stretched along 3 miles of Hwy 38
Managed by: Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Animals:
- A resident herd of 60–100 Roosevelt elk, sometimes up to 120. You can see them almost every day of the year.
- Also beaver, muskrat, great blue heron, Canada geese, and migrating waterfowl.
Admission: FREE
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round
Amenities: Main viewing area and interpretive center, two viewing platforms, spotting scopes, restrooms, and several pull-outs. There’s RV-friendly parking, and the site is ADA accessible.
Tips:
- Most visits take 10–30 minutes.
- Cell coverage is spotty.
- It’s an easy stop on the way to or from the Oregon Coast via Hwy 101.
JEWELL MEADOWS WILDLIFE AREA
Type: State wildlife refuge with roadside viewing areas and free winter elk-feeding wagon tours
Location: 79878 Hwy 202, Seaside, OR 97138 (about 30 minutes east of Astoria, Clatsop County)
Phone: (503) 755-2264
Website: ODFW – Jewell Meadows Visitor Guide
Social Media: No site-specific accounts. It’s run by ODFW.
Size: 1,114 acres
Managed by: Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Animals: Up to 200 Roosevelt elk in winter, plus other native wildlife and birds
Admission: Free. An ODFW Wildlife Area Parking Permit is required.
Hours: Always open. The best elk viewing is November through April, in the mornings until about noon and again in the late afternoon.
Elk Feeding Tours:
- Season and schedule:
- Tours run December through February.
- They’re usually offered Thursday through Tuesday and start around 9 AM.
- What to expect:
- You ride an open-air hay wagon pulled by a tractor and toss alfalfa to the elk.
- Each tour takes about 1 hour, with up to 15 people per wagon.
- Booking:
- The tours are free, but reservations are required by phone only.
- Booking opens December 1 at 8 AM. There’s only one phone line, so expect busy signals and keep calling.
Amenities: Two paved parking areas and four viewing areas along Hwy 202