A few minutes past the small town of Naches, you will find a fun little site to visit in the winter.
From around the first snowfall to when the snow melts (roughly mid-December to April), a large herd of elk (~1000) come down from the forest and surrounding hills and are fed each day by a group of volunteers. As snow covers their natural food supply of buds, ground shrubs, and grass, the elk are kept from bothering local landowners and farmers with a steady supply of donated hay. They seem pretty happy with the arrangement.
The Oak Creek Wildlife Area is small and quaint but every time I have taken my children, they love it. Part of it is the elk (they are surprisingly enormous) and part of it is getting hop in the back of an old army truck that drives you out into the middle of the herd to get a closer look. As you bump along, you can listen to a volunteer spout fun facts about this herd and elk in general. You will stop for awhile to stare in wonder as the elk look bewildered back at you. This is usually when the volunteer answers whatever questions anyone may have and each time I come, I always learn something new. It’s not necessarily useful information, but learning is learning!
You would be surprised by how interesting elk are.
This is a fun activity for any family with young children (I think a child past age 9 would probably complain that is was boring), but make sure to bundle up because the whole thing is outside.
Here is my suggested itinerary if you plan on going for a visit:
- Leave Yakima area around 9:45am (pack coats and gloves and maybe a blanket for those especially prone to the cold) and drive towards Naches on Highway 12.
- Pass through Naches and head towards the Junction for Highway 12 and 410. For a small detour, turn right onto Old Naches Rd. to first visit the Big Horn Sheep up the road (this feeding spot will be on left, just keep driving till you see the fence open up to a small parking lot). The Big Horn Sheep are fed at 10am every morning and they are pretty dang cool. This should only take a few minutes but worth the small detour if you choose to take it.
- If you want to get straight to the elk take a left at the junction staying on Highway 12 or if you chose to visit the sheep just go back down the road and drive straight when you reach the junction. You will drive for a minute or so and the elk feeding station will be on your right (If you see the rust colored bridge to the left, you are in the right spot!). You will need a Discover Pass to park (You can buy one at Fred Meyer or the Ace Hardware store in Naches–get the year pass, it’s worth it!)
- Head into the visitor center and sign up for the 11pm tour, it should be pretty easy to get right on, but if you are worried try to be there about 30 minutes early . You can stay inside the visitor’s center and look at their plethora of local taxidermy (except for a random wildcat creature from Korea). They have a small table of pelt for kids to pet and antlers and jaw bones. Hands on learning at it’s finest!
- The actual tour on the army truck will take about 20 minutes so be sure to keep warm and for fun try to count every time to see an elk poop! It’s impossible to keep track.
The elk feeding station is totally free (except for the discover pass required to park) but they do run on donations so feel free to slip whatever you feel comfortable with in the orange donation boxes along the fence and thank the volunteers, they are the nicest.
When you are all done, you may be hungry for lunch or just a quick treat. I highly recommend stopping at Stick Fingers Bakery and Cafe in Naches. They have a classic diner menu that I have never been disappointed with and are especially known for their their Sticky Bun (it’s amazing and a single bun will happily treat a small family).
Oak Creek Wildlife Area-Elk Feeding Station
Visitor Center is generally open from 9am-4pm with tours at
16601 Highway 12
Naches, WA 98937
Phone number: (509) 653-2390
You can call ahead to make a reservation (and I would recommend it if you have a large group) otherwise it done on a first come, first serve basis.
Directions: From I-82 at Yakima, west on Hwy 12 through Naches. Four miles west of Naches, turn left at Junction to White Pass. Proceed 2 mi. to HQ entrance on right (north) side.
Suggested Items to Bring:
-Warm clothes (coats, hats, gloves, maybe a blanket)
-Discover Pass (https://www.discoverpass.wa.gov)
-Crayons (if you want to color while you wait in the visitor center)
Comment if you have any questions!
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