Unearth The Voyage
Tucked into the wooded hills of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, one family-owned wildlife park offers unforgettable encounters with animals from around the world in a setting unlike a traditional zoo. Visitors come to feed a giraffe by hand, watch majestic white tigers and snow leopards up close, stroll shaded forest trails, and meet everything from colorful parrots to giant tortoises, but many leave talking most about how personal and interactive the entire experience feels. It’s the kind of place where every turn introduces another memorable animal encounter and every visit becomes a family adventure.
The experience extends far beyond simply viewing wildlife. Interactive feeding experiences, a walk-through lory aviary, a lively petting zoo, daily animal presentations, forest walking trails, seasonal events, and more than 120 species have made this one of northeastern Pennsylvania’s most popular family attractions. Whether you’re planning a Pocono vacation or looking for a memorable day trip, it’s easy to understand why generations of visitors continue making the journey to this woodland wildlife park.
Here’s why Claws ‘N’ Paws Wild Animal Park has become one of Pennsylvania’s favorite wildlife destinations and one of the best places in the Poconos to enjoy unforgettable up-close encounters with animals from around the world.
The Zoo in the Woods: Setting and Location
Hidden along Ledgedale Road in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, Claws ‘N’ Paws Wild Animal Park sits at 1475 Ledgedale Rd, Lake Ariel, PA 18436, tucked into the Pocono Mountains like a secret the locals have kept for decades. The nickname “Zoo in the Woods” is not just clever marketing; it genuinely describes what you experience the moment you walk through the gate.
Thirty acres of shaded forest trails replace the concrete walkways you might expect from a traditional zoo. Tall trees form a natural canopy overhead, keeping the temperature noticeably cooler even on humid summer days, which makes the whole visit far more comfortable.
The woodland setting gives each animal exhibit a naturalistic backdrop that feels calm and unhurried. Founded in 1974 by Vince and Bobby Hall, this family-owned park has grown steadily over five decades while maintaining the kind of personal, welcoming atmosphere that larger commercial zoos rarely manage to hold onto.
More Than 120 Species Calling This Forest Home
The animal roster here is genuinely remarkable for a park of this size. Over 120 different species and more than 300 individual animals live within the park, ranging from white tigers, lions, snow leopards, and cougars to wolves, bears, and a resident camel.
Primates are well represented too, with capuchin monkeys, gibbons, ringtail lemurs, and marmosets offering plenty of entertaining moments as they swing and chatter near their enclosures. American river otters and Asian short-clawed otters add a playful energy to that section of the trail.
Bird lovers will appreciate the hyacinth macaws, blue and gold macaws, and emus scattered throughout the park. Reptile exhibits featuring Burmese pythons and various turtles round out a collection that covers an impressive range of the animal kingdom. The naturalistic enclosures are designed to reflect each species’ native habitat, giving guests a genuine sense of the animal’s natural behavior rather than a staged performance.
Hand-Feeding Jethro the Giraffe
Jethro is the undisputed star of Claws ‘N’ Paws, and every visitor who has ever offered him a baby carrot seems to agree. The giraffe feeding experience takes place on a raised platform where guests can get close enough to feel his long tongue curl around the carrot right from their fingertips.
For an additional fee, the interaction lasts just long enough to feel magical but leaves you wanting more, which is honestly the mark of a great wildlife encounter. Jethro is reportedly friendly enough to let guests pet his nose and scratch near his face, which is not something most people get to do with a full-grown giraffe.
The experience costs extra beyond general admission, but families consistently describe it as the highlight of their entire visit. Arrive early if you want a good spot on the platform, especially on busy summer weekends when the line for Jethro can grow surprisingly long.
Lory Parrots That Actually Land on You
Few zoo experiences match the sheer delight of walking into an enclosure and having a dozen colorful lory parrots immediately decide that your arms, shoulders, and occasionally your head are the best perches in the room. That is exactly what happens at the lory parrot aviary at Claws ‘N’ Paws.
Guests can enter the enclosure and hold out apple slices while the birds swoop in and help themselves, all while climbing across hands and arms with surprising confidence. Petting the birds is not permitted, but that rule barely matters when a parrot is sitting on your shoulder inspecting your ear.
The feeding fee is modest, and the experience runs throughout the day at scheduled times. Kids and adults alike tend to emerge from the aviary grinning and slightly disheveled in the best possible way. This is one of those moments that photographs well but feels even better in person, so plan to linger a little longer than you think you will.
Turtle Town and the Giant Tortoise Encounter
Turtle Town is one of those exhibits that sneaks up on you. You round a corner on the trail, spot a cluster of enormous tortoises lumbering toward the fence, and suddenly realize you are about to have a genuinely tender wildlife moment you did not see coming.
During scheduled feeding sessions, guests can extend leafy greens toward the tortoises using a clothespin, a clever detail that protects small fingers while keeping the interaction feeling natural and hands-on. The tortoises respond with slow, deliberate enthusiasm, and you can gently rub their leathery heads as they eat.
The experience carries a small additional fee but runs multiple times throughout the day, so timing your visit around a scheduled session is easy. For younger children especially, the up-close access to animals this large and this prehistoric-looking tends to spark a level of wide-eyed fascination that no exhibit photo could replicate. Turtle Town earns its reputation as a crowd favorite every single time.
The Petting Zoo Where Goats Have No Personal Boundaries
The petting zoo section at Claws ‘N’ Paws operates on a refreshingly honest premise: the goats are enthusiastic, the deer are charming, and at least one goat will probably try to climb you. That is not a complaint; it is part of the appeal.
Visitors can walk among the animals and purchase feed from dispensers nearby, typically for around fifty cents per handful of pellets, so bringing quarters is a smart move. The deer in particular offer a quieter, more magical counterpoint to the goats’ exuberant energy.
Staff members keep a watchful eye on the area, especially around young children who can occasionally be caught off guard by an overly ambitious goat making a bid for their snack. The enclosure is spacious enough that you never feel crowded, and the combination of soft animals, open space, and tactile feeding makes this area a consistent hit with the youngest visitors. Plan to spend more time here than you originally budgeted.
Big Cats Viewed From Just a Few Feet Away
One of the most striking things about Claws ‘N’ Paws is how close you actually get to the large predators. White tigers, lions, snow leopards, and cougars can be observed from as little as two feet away through their enclosure barriers, a proximity that most major zoos simply do not offer.
Watching a white tiger settle into a stretch or a snow leopard pace along the fence at that distance is a different experience entirely from viewing big cats across a wide moat. The scale of these animals becomes immediately real in a way that photographs never quite capture.
The park’s male lion is a particular showstopper, especially during evening feeding time when keepers bring in the meal and the big cat makes his presence known in a way that carries across the entire park. For families with kids who are fascinated by predators, this section of the trail tends to generate the longest stops and the most animated conversations on the walk home.
Dino Dig, Animal Shows, and Activities Beyond the Exhibits
Animal viewing is the core of the experience here, but Claws ‘N’ Paws layers in enough additional programming to keep the visit feeling fresh from start to finish. The Dino Dig area gives younger children a hands-on excavation zone complete with life-size dinosaur models, which provides a welcome burst of imaginative play between animal encounters.
Daily Animal Ambassador shows feature keepers presenting live animals while sharing educational information about species behavior, diet, and conservation. These talks are informative without being dry, and they tend to draw a crowd that stays longer than expected once the questions start flowing.
Special seasonal events add another dimension to the calendar. Kids N Critters days in July and August let children create enrichment items for the animals and potentially meet them up close. The October Boo at the Zoo weekend brings Halloween costumes, discounts, an animal parade, and a pinata party that transforms the woodland setting into something festive and memorable.
Five Trails Through 30 Acres of Shaded Forest
The park lays out five distinct nature trails across its 30 forested acres, giving the visit a sense of genuine exploration rather than a simple loop around a series of pens. Each trail section leads to different animal exhibits, so there is always a reason to keep moving forward and see what comes next.
The wide pathways accommodate strollers and large groups without feeling congested, and the natural tree canopy overhead keeps the shade consistent even on the warmest days. That said, the terrain is genuinely woodland in character, meaning some areas feature uneven ground, rocks, and occasional mud after rain.
Comfortable closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended, and light pants are a smart call near the goat and mule area where biting flies can be an issue in warmer months. The overall walking distance is manageable for most families, and the average visit runs between two and three hours depending on how long you linger at the interactive feeding stations and animal talks along the way.
Seasonal Hours, Pricing, and What to Budget
Claws ‘N’ Paws operates seasonally from early May through mid to late October, open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM with last admission at 5 PM. That window covers the heart of spring, all of summer, and the early weeks of fall color in the Poconos, which is a genuinely beautiful time to walk through a forested animal park.
Admission is tiered by age. Adults aged 12 and up pay $23.50, juniors between 2 and 11 pay $18.50, seniors 65 and older pay $22.50, and military personnel with valid ID pay $20.50. Children aged one and under get in free. The park’s website occasionally offers discount coupons worth checking before you go.
Budget beyond admission for the interactive experiences, which typically run between $5 and $10 each. A family of four who feeds the giraffe, the parrots, and the tortoises will spend meaningfully more than the base ticket price, but most visitors describe those add-ons as the best money they spent all day.
Tips for Making the Most of Your Visit
A few practical details can make a meaningful difference in how the day unfolds. Arriving early, especially on summer weekends, gives you quieter trails, shorter lines at the feeding stations, and the best chance of catching animals active before the afternoon heat settles in. The park tends to get busier as the day progresses.
Bring cash or confirm card availability for animal feed purchases, since the interactive feedings are where most families find the experience really comes alive. The snack bar operates daily through Labor Day and on weekends after that, but packing your own lunch or snacks is permitted and appreciated by parents with picky eaters.
Check the weather before you go, since the park is entirely outdoors and some trail sections become muddy after rain. Sunscreen, water bottles, and a hat are worth tossing in the bag even with all that shade overhead. The gift shop sits at both the entrance and exit, so consider setting a budget for souvenirs before the kids spot the stuffed animals on the shelves.
