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    Yellowstone Bear World

    3.7 (230 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Yellowstone Bear World Photos

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    Niki S.

    We spent two days in Idaho Falls, and on day two, we decided to explore some local attractions, including the Potato Museum and Yellowstone Bear World! We arrived without any expectations. The entrance fee was around $20 something per person, and we received two receipts: one for the staff at the bear habitat gates and one for our records. As we drove along the initial route, we spotted some harmless animals like bison and deer. Little did we know, a park ranger was observing us from a distance with binoculars! We were waved forward to the gate thought she caught me rolling down windows. Before entering, we were instructed not to open our windows under any circumstances, even if it seemed safe. Once inside the habitats, we saw a couple of bears, including one that walked right down the middle of the road! We followed him for quite a while, and it was thrilling to be so close to the bear. You can re-enter and drive through as many times as you want, but we felt that twice was more than enough for us. As for the gift shop, I didn't pay much attention since you have to walk through it to reach the restroom, which is located at the back near the petting zoo and the area where you can pay to bottle feed the cubs. The petting zoo didn't look particularly exciting, so we skipped that. Tips for Future Visitors: Clean Your Windshield: This will significantly improve your photos! Seasonal Closure: Keep in mind that they are already closed for the season. Best Time to Visit: We went in the afternoon, and most of the bears were sleeping. it was hot !I'm not sure what the best hours would be for seeing active bears. Overall Experience: I probably won't do it again, but it was nice to experience it once!

    Dog kennels

    Cool spot for family's with little kids/ handicap, drive through zoo, feels a little rushed but you're allowed to go through multiple times. Dog kennels suck! They're in direct sun after 12 into the heat of the day! feels they didn't even try. It was just a small chain link kennel we could have moved easy but staff said they couldn't? Lazy.

    Justin W.

    Had this on our list as we ventured towards Yellowstone west, I must say this is a must stop see. Especially if you have children. One of the bears on the drive through did attempt to rip our wipers off the RV, yes you can drive your RV through !! After the drive through with all the animals you are led into some rides and a great gift shop. All in all the park is a nice break from the drive and a must see

    The bears and other animals look well cared for. We turned around to go there specifically to see a moose - the advertisements said they had one. They do NOT have one. They should change their ads and filter their searches so that it no longer shows them as a place with a moose. That was a disappointment. As long as you're not wanting to see a moose, then I would recommend.

    Nycole R.

    When I told the folks at work that I was going to Yellowstone to get a selfie with a buffalo, someone suggested that I make sure other staff members have a key to the building before I leave. Ha! What little faith they have in me-I know better than to get close enough to the wildlife for a good selfie. Instead of putting myself, and others, in danger, I drove through the Bear World exhibit that had plenty of bears, buffalo, antelope and other animals to snap pictures of. You don't get out of your car (Heaven help you if you do)-or even roll down the window. But as you're driving by at a snail's pace, you can get a quick shot-and if you've got a good angle, even a selfie with the animals. I think it was a bit pricey for the entrance fee-it was a little over $60 for two adults and lasted maybe 30 minutes. So it was a one-and-done experience for me, but I'm glad I went.

    Bear in front of our car
    Dave C.

    There are 3 or 4 parts to Yellowstone Bear World. Part 1 is where you start. It consists of two drive-through sections - one with deer, elk, bison, a mountain goat, and marmots - the other with grizzly bears and black bears. You can do the drive twice. We did. You go slowly, obviously. Good-sized "loop" Part 2 has baby bears (you can feed at selected times), a petting/feeding zoo, and duck/fish feeding. The fish were quite happy that we fed them! Part 3 has a Jurassic Park walk-through with dinosaur models. This is relatively new. Part 4 has kiddie rides. We didn't have kids. Including the big gift shop, we spent 2.5 hours here! Well worth an afternoon.

    Petting zoo
    Abby H.

    Bear world is always a fun experience. My favorite is driving through the animal enclosures. I love how close you can get to the bears and animals. You can pay $11 per person to go on a tour bus and feed the bears. Highly worth it! $75 a person to feed baby bears however is not. The free petting zoo was great and the homemade fudge is delicious. The rides are hysterically horrible. So glad you don't need to pay for those. And the new dinosaur addition was pretty fun! None of the rides in there worked but my kids liked the moving dinosaurs

    Evee G.

    The thing about this place is that it was not packed, the food was affordable and the rides are free. There's the drive in at the entrance to see all bears and reindeer before the official park. Restroom didn't have toilet paper and two were out of service. Also, two of the rides were out of order as well so maybe not good.

    Jennifer R.

    We loved it! Seeing all the bears along the drive-through path was pretty neat. We also enjoyed the petting zoo, mini amusement park and Jurassic Creek. There is a lot to keep the kiddos entertained for a few hours at least. The gift shop was nicely stocked with a variety of souvenirs. Bathrooms could be better. Overall recommend!

    Some of the locals
    Lyndsay S.

    So hear me out- is this place an expensive tourist trap? Absolutely. Is it also kind of cool? Also absolutely. Is it the kind of place where you sort of feel sorry for the animals, but also see that they seem to enjoy it? Absolutely. Should you come here and see the bears/ do the drive thru? 100% if you are in Idaho Falls or going through to Yellowstone and need a break. Would I advise an annual pass? Probably not. It says "dog friendly" since they have kennels- but for the love of Parvo- leave the pets at home or in the car and do shifts if needed. It's a private zoo, with a decent farm animal Selection and again- good stop if you have restless kiddos on the way to the national parks. Guaranteed to see bears- and the bear cubs wrestling in the petting zoo area was a highlight. Bathrooms- however ATROCIOUS. The kids working had neglected them to the point that the goats smelled better.

    Just a little cub enjoying his afternoon snack
    Amber G.

    Yellowstone Bear World has really stepped up their game since our last visit. The family fun spot has been working on several expansion projects over the last few years and it definitely makes the whole experience feel more complete. Jurassic Creek opened earlier this year (I believe) and it's really fun to walk alongside the life-size dinosaur replicas. We kept thinking about how cool it would've been to have an experience like this as kids! Even as full grown adults, we enjoyed strolling through and learning some new dino-facts. The drive-thru wildlife park is always fun. We drove through right before the animals were gearing up to find a nice shady spot to rest in. It's such an exhilarating experience to have bears right outside of the car, completely unbothered. What we appreciate most is the education Yellowstone Bear World provides about how to decrease your chances of harmful encounters in the wild. As avid campers, we enjoy learning about the animals, their natural habitats, and how we can learn to peacefully coexist. Onsite you'll also find a few amusement rides, a cute gift shop, a petting zoo, and some easy lunch meals. If you plan to visit, I recommend visiting before 1pm. It seems like the animals start getting a little lazy after lunch so it's harder to spot them while they're napping under trees or the far corners of their makeshift homes. Bring your whole family or make it a date - either way, it's a fun time!

    One of the bear cubs rolling around in its pen.
    Seth A.

    Yellowstone Bear World is located in Rexburg, Idaho. I purchased an adult admission ticket online ahead of time. It was $26.95. They are open daily 9am - 6pm. The unquestioned highlight is paying an additional $75 per person to bottle feed bear cubs. When I read bottle feed bear cubs? I thought to myself...YES PLEASE! I'll gladly pay $75. Feeding times are 11am, 2pm and 5pm. Here's the problem...when I went to book a date and time online, every reservation was SOLD OUT. Feedings were sold out a week in advance. Grrrr. It wasn't aligned in the stars for me I guess. Once you get past the entrance gate, you have a choice of either doing the Drive-Thru Safari or heading towards the Visitor Center/Gift Shop where they have the cub bottle feedings, petting zoo and Jurassic Creek. You must enter the Gift Store to gain access to anything else. Exiting through the rear of the store is where you'll find the playpens of the bear cubs. These are the most adorable adolescent cubs. You get close to them without much interference and they're a joy to watch. The cubs are the best part about the experience. There are two playpens and 3 cubs per playpen sitting side by side to each other. I was surprised how energetic they were. They're as playful as it gets and their personalities shined. They interact with each other and you could stand and stare at them being content as a visitor. They have a signup station for the cub feedings (sold out), and for an additional $11.95, you can do the Wildlife Excursion. The Wildlife Excursion is a narrated tour through the Drive-Thru Safari in the park's high rise jeep. So, you can either do the Drive-Thru Safari on your own with the entrance fee ($26.95), or they can "twist your arm" for an extra $11.95 for a 30 minute tour. The jeep is standing only. The tour guide hands you a plate of bread including rolls and buns which you break into pieces and toss out the jeep when they make stops in front of the bears. The bears are familiar with the process. They can be lying down and sleeping but when the white jeep passes around, they know what's coming. They perk up and approach the jeep. But the jeep is so high off the ground you don't come close to actually handing them the bread. It's more like tossing a homerun baseball from the stands back onto the field. The bears could care less who's throwing the bread. They just look down on the ground and start eating. The guide narrates along the way. The whole 30 minute excursion is underwhelming. It's useless to take any pictures because you can simply return to the cub's playpen where the cubs are situated a few feet from you. That leads me to the Drive-Thru Safari on your own. It takes 20 minutes, max. WASTE OF TIME. They specifically review the rules with you before entering. No stopping at any point. But why? I want to get close to the bears! Windows must be up at all points. No feeding. They have patrol cars driving and monitoring you. Speed limit is 3 - 5 miles per hour. I had a car behind me hugging my bumper. There was nowhere to pull off to the side. The bears don't come near your car. They only care about the white tour jeep driving around because they know food's guaranteed. So, the jeep is really a deterrent! The Petting Zoo is beside the bear cub's pen. This had to be the poorest excuse of a petting zoo I have witnessed. There were barely any animals. They had a few goats, 2 pigs, a deer, a baby fawn (that wasn't approachable) and some ducks. And, there's no feeding allowed! So then how are you supposed to encourage them to greet you? Petting Zoo = HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Bottle feeding is the main event. You feed all 6 cubs. They start with the first 3 cubs and move to the next pen and the other 3 cubs. You sit and wait on a bench till you're called. Then you stand there holding the bottle like a human statue or mannequin while the attendant babysits you. You can only pet the cub's head while they're drinking milk. Included in the $75 is one complimentary picture taken by the staff. Being an outside observer, it's as if you're a zombie standing and holding the bottle. There's no genuine connection happening. I was relieved the feeding was sold out. Didn't miss much. Lastly, Jurassic Creek is a walk through section featuring life size dinosaurs. And...they have 3 amusement park rides, a concession stand with picnic tables on the grounds as well. In the end, Yellowstone Bear World missed the mark on many levels. Watching the cubs play in their pens is the only redeeming aspect. Every other detail is like being at an average ole zoo.

    Hog and duck at petting zoo

    Great environment for your children, rides available. Awesome place to see wildlife as an adult! Auri was real informative before we entered the bear section in our truck! Way to go! Can't leave without trying the fudge! The two gals in there had great customer service as well! Bear drool fudge!! -Carlos Melecio

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Yellowstone Bear World

    Do they tranq mama bears to steal their cubs?

    This spring babies were on display about 3 hours from Bear World. People could watch them playing in cages. I asked the people where the mamas were, and they said that they were in hibernation.

    Can you take pets?

    As long they are in with you , can't be in back of pickup and no convertibles

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Yellowstone Bear World

    And the petting zoo is fun but watch out for the geese they are viscous and will attack you and your children.

    Mentioned in 55 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Yellowstone Bear World - zoos - Updated August 2026

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