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Sharing all the details on Deer Tracks Junction in West Michigan. Get ready for a day of hands-on animal interactions, playgrounds and countless memorable moments!
Deer Tracks Junction
Seriously, we love this place! We recently took our 4 kids to Deer Tracks Junction after a rainy, cool July morning to get outside and burn some energy. This was our second visit to the park (1st time for our youngest and my husband) and it was even better than we remembered!
When you first arrive you enter a main lodge area with amazing wooden furniture and a must try ice cream shop. There is also a gift shop area and ticket booth. You can buy tickets online at Deer Tracks Junction or wait to buy them until you arrive. Either way, we’ve never waited long to get into the park.
Once your through the gate you’re on your way to fun! We have 3 kids that LOVE animals and one that prefers to see them at a distance and all of them had a great time. For those a little less keen on personal interactions with animals, time would be best spent on the countless playgrounds, sandboxes and corn bin.
Check out my Instagram Reel below for some of the cutest animals we encountered at Deer Tracks Junction!
Deer Tracks Junction Q & A
Here are answers to some of the top questions about Deer Tracks Junction so you can be prepared for your visit.
1. What is Deer Tracks Junction?
Deer Tracks Junction is basically a giant petting zoo with playgrounds, an ice cream parlor and a souvenir shop with a separate Animal Safari called Site 57 Safari. You can pay to drive down a paved path and feed animals right from your car. It’s a pretty cool experience right here in West Michigan! That description really isn’t doing it justice but when it comes down to it, those are the basics.
One of the key points to take in here is that Deer Tracks Junction is made up of 2 parks – The Adventure Park where you can play on playgrounds, feed animals, hold baby bunnies & more AND the Site 57 Safari where you can drive through a fenced in area and have animals come right up to your car to eat. You can choose to do one or both of the parks depending on which tickets you purchase.
Find additional ticket information here.
2. Where is Deer Tracks Junction?
DTJ is located in West Michigan, more specifically Cedar Springs, MI. The exact location is about 4 miles off of 131N via exit 101. There is plenty of free parking once you arrive and at least 2 gas stations relatively close by.
3. Is Deer Tracks Junction a Safari?
Partly! You can choose to do the animal safari so you don’t have to get out and walk but I *highly* recommend going to the Adventure Park for a more hands on experience. The highlight for us has always been holding bunnies, having parakeets land on us and playing with the baby goats. Hands on animal interactions are what make this place so special.
4. What kind of animals are at DTJ?
In no way is this list all inclusive but here are the main ones that stand out to me..
- Bunnies
- Adult & Baby Goats
- Pigs & Piglets
- Parakeets
- Sheep
- Donkeys
- Horses
- Gators
- Brown & Black Bears
- Mini Cows
- Guinea Pigs
- Deer & Elks
- Camels
- Llamas
- Emu & Ostriches
If you want to see the full list of animals you can visit the DTJ website, navigate to their FAQs area and find the current animals listed there!
5. What is the best part of DTJ?
The hands on animal interactions. You can feed parakeet and they will land ALL OVER YOU, you can hold baby bunnies and guinea pigs and even purchase one to take home! Also, you can play with little piglets and baby goats as they roam around the play areas of the park. For an extra fee you can even bottle feed baby animals! We’ve never done that but we will at some point I’m sure.
If you aren’t into animals you’ll still have a great time but loving animals will make it an even better experience. I’ve listed my top recommendations to have on your to-do list during your visit.
- Feed parakeets
- Hold baby bunnies
- Play with baby pigs
- Play in the corn bin
- Watch alligators being fed
- Play with baby goats
- Feed emu’s by hand
- Feed the camel
- Play on ALL THE PLAYGROUNDS
- Grab icecream
- Visit the black bear viewing area
- Bring home a stuffed animal souvenir
This post was all about our visit to Deer Tracks Junction. If you have additional questions leave them in the comments below and I’ll answer as quickly as I can!
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