Making your Alaska tourism plans should include a stop outside of Anchorage at the Big Game Alaska Wildlife Center. Here you will have an opportunity to see some of the animals that you probably won't see out in the wild when you take your hike into the wilderness. The Center is situated on 140 acres with the goal of helping orphaned and injured animals recover and go on with life. Opened in 1993 it has provided shelter and care for many animals that would otherwise have perished in the harsh winters.

You will be able to see a Bald Eagle who has recovered from a severe gunshot wound. Have you ever seen a Great Horned owl up close? You can here. There are also bison at the Center that will give you the opportunity to see these large animals up close. They probably won't see you since their eyesight is so poor but they will hear you and they will smell you.

There are Musk Oxen that are at the Center who help to keep the people of the area warm. How? Well, the dense winter coat is harvested by combing it out in May and used to make extremely warm items of clothing. It is said that this is the warmest material in the world, all from a Musk Ox! You can buy one of the items from the Ox at the gift center inside the hand made lodge built by the owner of logs harvested from those trees that had been killed by spruce bark beetles.