Williams · Route 66 · Drive-thru wildlife park
Bearizona Wildlife Park
Drive your own vehicle through three miles of ponderosa forest past black bears, wolves and bison, then walk Fort Bearizona to see jaguars, grizzlies and river otters up close.
Opens Bearizona’s ticket page. Tickets are also sold at the gate.
Details checked September 2026
Type
Drive-thru park
Plus a 20-acre walk-thru
Admission
$30 adults
Weekdays; $35 on weekends
Hours
9 am–5:30 pm
Open daily; last car in at 4 pm
Time needed
About 3 hours
Drive the loop as often as you like
RV access
Enclosed rigs OK
Motorhomes and trailers drive through
Pets
Stay in the vehicle
Not allowed in Fort Bearizona
What you’ll see
Bears, wolves and bison from the driver’s seat
Bearizona is really two parks in one: a self-guided safari you drive, then a walk-thru zoo you stroll.
Start here
The three-mile drive-thru
From the ticket booth you roll straight into the forest at 10 mph, windows up, past Rocky Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bison, Alaskan tundra and Arctic wolves, and the black bears the park is named for. Enclosures are big and the animals wander close to the road, so a bear crossing in front of your rig is a real possibility.
RV tip: the loop is included as many times as you like, so drive it once on arrival and again before you leave. Mornings and late afternoons are when the animals move most.
More to see
- Fort Bearizona walk-thruA 20-acre zoo-style area at the end of the drive, with jaguars, grizzly bears, river otters, bobcats, beavers and javelina along winding paths, plus keeper-led animal encounters.
- Animal encountersFree with admission: a grizzly chat at 10:30 am, BZ Wild shows at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm, otter feeding at 1:30 pm and grizzly feeding at 4 pm. Times can change, so check the board at Central Park.
- Canyonlands Restaurant & the GrilleA themed sit-down restaurant whose patios overlook the jaguar exhibit, plus the casual Bearizona Grille, seasonal food carts, picnic areas and a gift shop whose sales help fund the animals’ care.
- VIP Wild RideA 90-minute guided bus tour of the drive-thru with a backstage wolf-training stop. From $75 per person on top of admission; book ahead.
Why go
An easy, big-animal stop on the road to the Grand Canyon
Bearizona opened in 2010 on about 160 acres of ponderosa forest at the I-40 and AZ-64 junction in Williams. It was started by the Casey family, whose parents founded Bear Country USA in South Dakota, and it runs on the same idea: give North American animals room to roam and let visitors watch from their own vehicles.
For RVers it is close to perfect. There is no shuttle to catch and no long walk from a distant lot; the drive-thru is the attraction, and your motorhome or tow vehicle is the viewing platform. The park sits 25 miles west of Flagstaff and 58 miles south of the South Rim, so it slots neatly into a Grand Canyon day or a travel day along I-40.
It is open every day of the year, and because most of Bearizona’s bears stay active through winter, a snowy January visit can be as good as a July one, with far fewer cars on the loop.
Why it made our list
- You see the animals from your own rig, at your own pace
- Right off I-40 in Williams, on the way to the Grand Canyon
- Open year-round, and the bears stay active in winter
- Drive the loop as many times as you like on one ticket
- More than half the animals are rescues
For RVers
Taking the rig through Bearizona
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Yes, motorhomes drive through
Bearizona allows any completely enclosed vehicle with working windows, and its own site mentions motor coaches. The roads are graded gravel with a 10 mph limit, no low clearances and a keep-right rule so faster cars can pass. If you are towing or over about 35 ft, a quick call to (928) 635-2289 before you go is worth it; some visitors report dropping trailers in the lot by the gate instead.
Stow anything that sticks out
Bikes, scooters, coolers, luggage, spare-tire covers and even trash must come off the outside of your vehicle before the drive-thru. The park has a spot at the entrance to leave them, but it is far easier to do at camp that morning.
Pets ride along, then wait
Domestic pets can ride through the drive-thru with the windows up, but no animals, including service animals, are allowed in Fort Bearizona. Leashed pets can be walked in the parking lot. In summer, take turns in the walk-thru or leave pets at camp rather than in a hot rig.
Time it and pack it
The last car is admitted at 4 pm and the park closes at 5:30 pm. There is no re-entry, so arrive early, plan on about three hours and bring a picnic if you like; outside food is welcome in the picnic and grassy areas (no alcohol). Parking is included with admission.
What visitors say about Bearizona Wildlife Park
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked September 2026.
Over 50% of our animals are rescues. They have been given a great home because of you.
Bearizona, on its conservation work · bearizona.com
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in recent Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp reviews
Bears right by the carDrive it twiceGo earlyFort Bearizona is worth the walkFriendly keepersPricey for big families
Reviewers who went at opening or after 3 pm saw far more activity than those who arrived at midday, and the walk-thru gets the most praise from people who nearly skipped it.
When the animals are moving
Our read of recent reviews, not park data. Summer midday heat sends most animals into the shade; winter days are more even.
Good to know
Adults (13–61)$30 weekday · $35 weekend
Seniors 62+$27 weekday · $32 weekend
Children 4–12$20 weekday · $25 weekend
IncludedDrive-thruWalk-thruShowsParking
Children 3 and under are free. Prices from Bearizona’s ticket page, checked September 2026; holiday hours and prices can differ.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Bearizona Wildlife Park
- Address1500 E. Route 66, Williams, AZ 86046
- Hours9 am–5:30 pm
Open daily; last car in at 4 pm - Phone(928) 635-2289
- TicketsBuy online or pay at the gate
- Getting thereI-40 Exit 165 in Williams, at the AZ-64 (Grand Canyon) junction. 25 miles west of Flagstaff.
- ParkingIncluded. Large lot in front of the ticket booth with room for rigs and trailers.
Hours can vary on holidays. Call before a long drive, and note there is no re-entry once you leave.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Bearizona Wildlife Park
Williams has its own campgrounds, but these are the parks we have visited and written up. All three are an easy run down I-40.
Village Camp Flagstaff
Resort-style park in Bellemont with 50-amp sites for rigs up to 85 ft, a pool and a clubhouse. The closest of our parks to Williams.
Woody Mountain Campground
Seasonal, shady sites under the pines on West Route 66, on Flagstaff’s quiet side and straight up I-40 from the park.
Flagstaff KOA Holiday
Open year-round at the foot of Mount Elden, with 50-amp pull-thrus, cabins and trails from camp.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Open year-round · 9 am to 5:30 pm
Ready to meet the bears?
Buy tickets online or at the gate, roll into the forest with the windows up, and give yourself the afternoon.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Bison photo: RV Roundup. Park photos: Lauri Väin (entrance arch, wolves; CC BY 2.0) and Christopher Amrich (barn owl, black bear by the road; CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were cropped and resized. Video: Travel USA Explorer on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Bearizona Wildlife Park unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the park’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the park and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Bearizona Wildlife Park at bearizona.com or (928) 635-2289. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
We will always do our best to keep this page up to date. Thank you to everyone who contributes; we truly appreciate your help and support.