Family-Friendly Maine Wildlife Park: A 25-Minute Drive from Portland

The Maine Wildlife Park is located 25 minutes from Portland in Gray, Maine.  

The Maine Wildlife Park is home to over 30 species of Maine wildlife that cannot be returned to their natural habitats.  Animals arrive at the park because they are injured or orphans, and others because they are human dependent-raised, sometimes illegally, in captivity.  You can expect to see moose, deer, bears, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, foxes, and many smaller animals as well as an active fish hatchery.  

*The cougars unfortunately do not have a current breeding population in Maine but did so in the late 1800s.

My daughter’s favorite activity when we visit is to head to the fish hatchery and feed the fish!  You can insert 25¢ in an old school gumball machine and a small portion of fish food will be dispensed.  

Here is a great tip…bring a cup or baggie to use to collect the fish food.  I promise you there is nothing more disappointing than those little hands losing those precious pieces of fish food!

Park staff are very personable and knowledgeable. When we have had questions about why an animal is at the Park which is my daughter’s favorite question, they are friendly and share information that she would understand for her age.  I really enjoy this aspect of the Park because I can see her brain making connections about what she has learned from the Park staff to the larger world.

The park is VERY stroller and wagon friendly! I would suggest bringing one of these for smaller children as you can easily log 2 or more miles walking around the park.

Another nice feature of the park is the wonderful picnic area that is close to the bathrooms.  There are plenty of picnic tables with charcoal grills and plenty of SHADE!  Several shelters are available and one large shelter is reservable for large parties.

There is also a Game Warden museum and Nature Store on the premises.  While we have not checked out the museum, my daughter has saved up her allowance to purchase a stuffed animal at the Nature Store more than once.  Season pass holders get a 10% discount there!

The Park is open 7 days a week including holidays.  Gates open at 9:30am and close at 4:30pm during the summer (guests can stay until 6pm) and 3:30pm all other times of the year (guests can stay until 5pm).

During the summer months, the Park offers Food Truck Fridays with a food truck on the premises.  Each Friday is usually a different food truck and the times differ as well so it is best to reference the Park’s Facebook page for accurate times.

Speaking of food, there is a Snack Shack in the Park that offers snacks, drinks, and ice cream treats.  They also have an array of refrigerated sandwiches made by a local vendor.  My recommendation would be to bring your lunch and get a sweet treat for dessert at the Snack Shack.

Admission Costs:

Adult (13-59 years old): $10

Adult (60+ years old): $7.50

Children (ages 3-12): $7.50

Children (ages 2 and under): FREE

Veteran/Military Personnel: $5.00

The Park offers different levels of season passes. Their most common common one, the Moose Pass, is $150. If you are a family of 4 and plan to go there more than 4 times during a year, this is probably your best option! 

For this year, instead of a season’s pass, we will be utilizing some passes from our local library to help reduce the costs of our summer times adventures here and you should do the same! Prior to heading to the Park, check out your local library for some reduced rate tickets.  Many libraries offer a reduced rate of $5 per person. 

Check out my library blog series to see if your library participates in this discount program.  Discounted rates have increased from $3.50 to $5.00 per person since the blog was published in February 2024.

NOTE: THE WILDLIFE PARK IS CASH or CHECK ONLY.  There is an ATM located at the entrance gate if you forget to bring cash. The exception is the Park Store that does accept cards.

Suggested Park Routes:

Check out their map for reference for my suggested route through the park.

My suggestion for visiting the park this summer would be to explore the following features in this order:

1. Start with the visitor center and reptiles, nocturnal creatures, and outdoor turtle enclosures. Move onto the large cat exhibits (lynx, bobcat, and cougars) and fox exhibits.
2. Check out the bears next. There is a great bench and shade at the bear exhibit (and a bathroom) so it’s a good stopping point for a snack.
3. From there, check out the moose exhibit.
4. If the nature trails are OPEN (they are currently closed due to the damage from the spring storms), take those and check out the deer enclosure deer and small animals like the raccoon, possum, badger, etc. and then return to the picnic area for a little shaded water break.
5. After a break, check out the various bird exhibits, and the open-air turtle enclosure, and then head down to the fish hatchery.  
6. If the nature trails are CLOSED, I would recommend checking out the various bird exhibits, the open-air turtle enclosure, and then heading down to the fish hatchery.
7. Head back to the picnic area after the fish hatchery for a little water/snack break and then finish by viewing the deer enclosure and small mammal exhibits.

I have found visiting the animals in this order to be the easiest for those with little legs and feet and I routinely put about 1.5 to 2 miles on my watch with either of these routes.

NOTE HERE: The fish hatchery is a bit of a walk so I would recommend skipping it with little ones if you do not have a stroller or ability to carry children. 

The Bathroom Low Down:

• At the Wildlife Park, there are three bathroom locations.
  • Location #1: Sex separated bathrooms are located near the picnic grove and snack shack.  These bathrooms have a Koala-Care-like infant changing station in the handicap accessible stall.
  • Location #2: A single user bathroom is located near the bear and coyote exhibits.  It is a privy with no changing table or sink (does have hand sanitizer).
  • Location #3: A single user bathroom is located near the turtle and bird exhibits.  It is a privy with no changing table or sink (does have hand sanitizer).

What’s in my car or backpack for this visit?

I’m definitely packing my Wet Wipes for this trip!  The fish food can be a little oily and leave a bit of residue on hands and a good cleaning before snacking with these wipes does the trick.  Just remember that these shouldn’t be flushed and put into the privy!

I also put some Hand Sanitizer in my bag for this trip!  I love the Mrs. Meyer’s brand and this 4 pack stocks me up for the season.  Think car, backpack, beach bag and lunch box.

Additional Adventures:

We manage to complete the park in about 1.5-2 hours depending on how interested my daughter is at looking at the animals.  If looking to add on to your adventure in that area, here are a couple of suggestions:

Outlet Beach:  It is just a short drive from the Park to Outlet Beach in New Gloucester.  It is run by the owners of the former Bresca and The Honeybee.

Outlet Beach has a little something for everyone.  A great sandy spot, picnic tables in the shade, and some grassy spots.  There are slides geared for younger children and larger slides a bit farther out for older children and adults  You can rent beach tubes and life jackets as well as paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards.

The beach is open from 9am-5pm, weather permitting.   It is best to call them if the weather is iffy as they do not frequently post on Facebook or Instagram.  If not doing the Wildlife Park, this is a great place for early risers!  The season generally runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

And the reason this is one of my favorite places is…the…ICE CREAM!  It is AMAZING!  If you have been to the Purple House in Yarmouth then you are in for a really special treat.  Ice cream shack opens around 11am and stays open until sold out.

Sometimes parking can be tricky so if combining this with the Wildlife Park, hitting up Outlet Beach after 2pm is probably a safe bet.

THIS IS A CASH ONLY PLACE.  

Range Pond State Park: Another short drive up to the Poland Springs area for this state park.  This park offers a great swimming spot, playground, along with some hiking trails.  And of course, see if your library participates in the State Park Pass program by checking out my blog on discounted passes. 

Also, while not a summer review of the park, Rubys on the Road does a great winter review of the park that you should definitely check out. 

Pineland Farms:  A quick 20 minute drive away from the Maine Wildlife Park.  I reviewed Pineland Farms last year, and it’s still one of our favorite spots to see farm animals, explore trails, and grab a great bite to eat.

Summary:

• Quick Summary: The Maine Wildlife Park is a 25 minute drive from Portland.  You could easily spend 2 hours here exploring the exhibits and eating lunch in the shaded Picnic Grove.  Strollers or wagons are recommended for smaller children and remember that it is a bit of a walk to the fish hatchery.  There are several discounts available and many local libraries offer very affordable tickets.
• Outlet Beach, Range Pond State Park, and Pineland Farms offer some additional activities if you want to make it a full day in this area.
• Packing Essentials:
  • Water
  • Snacks
  • Sunscreen and Sunscreen Applicator
  • Oxo-Tot travel potty
  • Wet Wipes 
  • Hand Sanitizer 
• Bathroom Situation Rating: B-
  • Bathroom locations are GREAT at the park and you won’t need to walk far to get to one.  However, the two single user bathrooms have privy situations that can be a little scary for younger kiddos and can get a little dirty by the end of the day.
    • I would highly recommend bringing the Oxo-Tot travel potty as you head out and explore as the privy situation can look a bit scary for little ones.

Have you been to the Maine Wildlife Park? What has been your experience? Please share in the comment section of this blog!

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