Wilderness Trails Zoo

About Wilderness Trails Zoo

Wilderness Trails Zoo is a nonprofit zoo at 11721 Gera Rd in Birch Run, Michigan. Its website describes a 56-acre site with up-close views of more than 200 exotic animals from around the world, and calls itself Michigan's number one up close and personal zoo. The zoo says that as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, admissions support animal care, habitat improvements and the future of the zoo.

The website describes the visit as walking trails past lions, tigers and grazing herds, with designated feeding areas and keeper-guided encounters available for booking. Beyond daily operation, the zoo hosts seasonal events, school visits and private celebrations, and it is home to a community food pantry. The zoo is not listed as AZA accredited.

History

The zoo's recognition page credits community partners on two completed building projects: an indoor rainforest exhibit that the zoo says stays around 85 degrees year-round, and a new petting zoo and baby barn with updated enclosures, now open with regular admission. The same page describes an ongoing Lion Habitat Improvement Project fundraiser for the zoo's two resident lions, Mick and Leo. Contractors and local businesses are credited for work on the petting zoo and rainforest, and the Birch Run Rotary Club is credited on the Community Cupboard.

Exhibits and habitats

Visitors follow trails around the grounds. The home page names lions and tigers and grazing herds along the route, and the visit page says regular admission includes the animal exhibits and a petting zoo. The reptile area operates seasonally, according to the visit page. The zoo's lions are named Mick and Leo, and the zoo is raising funds to improve their outdoor habitat.

The Rainforest Experience is an enclosed, climate-controlled building. The zoo's rainforest page lists the animals there: two-toed sloths, tortoises, tropical birds, straw-colored fruit bats, cotton-top tamarins, a six-banded armadillo and freshwater black diamond stingrays. The page describes a guided, 30-minute encounter with feeding opportunities and photo chances, and says visitors can feed, pet and photograph the sloths without holding them. Children must be at least 6 years old, and all minors under 18 need an accompanying paying adult.

The animal encounters page lists encounters with Asian small-clawed otters, a bat-eared fox, capybaras, lowland pacas, ruffed lemurs and a Palawan binturong, and names tri-colored ruffed lemurs and African bat-eared foxes among the featured species. The paca encounter page introduces two lowland pacas, Buggs and Whoppers, and describes them as forest-dwelling rodents native to Mexico, Central America and South America that may climb onto visitors.

Conservation and programs

The zoo's education page frames the goal as learning beyond the classroom through wildlife, conservation and immersive experiences. Programs listed there include Future Zoo Crew Camp, which runs Monday through Thursday, and field trips and community group visits in which students see animals from around the world.

Keeper-guided encounters are booked separately from admission. The zoo says encounters run daily between 10 AM and 4 PM subject to animal participation, that guests check in at the gift shop to sign waivers and receive wristbands, that the minimum age is 6, and that interaction is never guaranteed because the animals choose how they take part. Hot Sloth Yoga is a roughly one-hour class led by certified instructors in the rainforest building and includes zoo admission for the day.

The Community Cupboard is a 24/7 food pantry near the gift shop, run in partnership with the Birch Run Rotary Companion Club, according to the zoo. It is available to anyone, and staff check its contents daily. Donations must be unopened, unexpired and shelf-stable.

Seasonal events listed on the website include Friday Night Lights, an adults-only evening series on select Fridays that raises funds for the lion habitat project, and the Howl-O-Ween Fall Festival on October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25, 2026, with daytime, family night and adult night sessions. The zoo also offers birthday packages, weddings and private events, memberships, animal sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, the zoo is open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM. The phone number is (989) 624-6177 and the email is info@wildernesstrailszoo.org.

The visit page says parking is free. It says trails are unpaved and can be difficult for wheelchairs and strollers when muddy, and recommends calling for current trail conditions. Stroller and wheelchair rentals are available. Visitors may bring outside food and non-alcoholic drinks, and picnic areas are available; the rules page says alcohol is not permitted. Animals may be fed only the feed the zoo provides, and the visit page says designated animals are marked with signs, with feed machines placed around the grounds.

The rules page says children under 18 must have constant parental supervision, the zoo is smoke-free, pets are not allowed, wheeled devices such as skateboards, roller skates and bikes are not allowed though strollers and wheelchairs are, and shirts and shoes must be worn. Ticket prices, encounter prices and membership details are on the zoo's website.