Slimed, Kissed, Slobbered (& Boogered!) At Olympic Game Farm In Sequim, WA

To say I have a certain reputation amongst our friends (and probably you, dear readers) would be an understatement. It’s well known that I love the animals. It’s also been established that if there’s a chance to touch an animal, I’ll be at the front of the line.

I particularly love seeing animals in the wild, living their best animal lives, but understand that the Pandora’s Box of captive animals has already been opened, and captive animals do provide the best opportunity for touching since you need to follow the “rule of thumb” with wildlife.

However, we always try to find locations to meet animals that are ethical and treat the animals with the respect they deserve. After checking the reviews for the Olympic Game Farm, we decided to stop by as we left the Olympic Peninsula. The history of the farm is fascinating; originally it was the holding facility for the animal actors for Disney Studios and their explanation detailing how it started gives you insight into why they exist today.

What About Pets?

It was moving day which meant that Truffles was with us in the car. Pets are welcome on the grounds and in your car. I wish that I could say Truffles was one of those dogs like our friend, Hershey, who loves other animals as much as I do. But alas, that is not her pawsonality.

As such, for our visit to Olympic Game Farm we put her in her travel carrier (for planes) and covered her with a blanket to try keep her, and the animals, as calm as possible. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts this didn’t go to plan. She barked whenever the animals put their heads in despite being covered; she could smell them, sense them and sense our own excitement/nervousness in the car. You can here her vociferous defense of our car in the video later on… the animals however didn’t seem to care at all.

No, What About PETS?!

The Olympic Game Farm was different from anything we’d ever done before. It shared similarities with a few experiences (a drive-through safari and petting zoos, but never together!) but it was still its own unique experience. As a result, we didn’t really know quite what to expect and after years of the National Park Service saying not to pet the fluffy cows, it was exciting and nerve-wracking to have giant bison just stick their whole head in the car.

You drive through and the herbivores come up to the car to take bread (purchased onsite) from your hand. So be aware, when you go, that the animals will come into the car through open windows.

Don’t want them? Roll that window up. Watch for horns and antlers. And tongues, mostly watch for tongues! It was an incredible opportunity for someone like me who’s a proud, card-carrying member of a Facebook group entitled “I Just Know I’ll Die Trying to Pet Something I Shouldn’t.” All of the animals seemed pretty happy to have a scritch scratch and pet or two while we fed them, but always stay aware of the animals’ behavior – no one wants llama spit on them.

The Olympic Game Farm Experience

We arrived and there’s a large parking lot, gift shop, bathrooms and an area to get food and ice cream. Once we’d figured out what to do with Truffles and were ready, we drove towards the ticket booth. There we purchased our tickets which are good for the whole day to go around as many times as you’d like, and we purchased some bread.

The bread is specially made for the Olympic Game Farm and has no additives, preservatives, etc. You cannot bring in any of your own food or bread to feed the animals. The bread is not their main diet either. They come up to the car if they want it but they have access – during and outside of business hours – to a diverse diet that meets their needs. It was recommended that 2-4 loaves ($4 per loaf in May 2024) should give you a good experience during the drive. I can also confirm, writing this 2.5 weeks later, that we are still finding small pieces of bread in our car!

We started with 3 loaves and drove towards the entrance of the paddocks. First we met the llamas and yaks. One llama was the initial greeter, but soon yaks began to make their way over. As much as I loved meeting the bison later, the yaks had a special way about them and might’ve been my favorite animals on the day overall.

Next we drove through some of the deer paddocks and they were resting in the shade. We carried on to the predator area. The bears had a delightful enclosure with lots of space, shade and long grass. The bears that used to live here would sit and wave as people drove by – probably because of their Hollywood roots – but today’s bears just do the bear necessities. They were still really fun to watch and interact with. They do not come to your car and you’re not allowed to get out to get closer to them.

There are other predators here. We drove by slowly and saw them in passing. This was the one area that I was less excited about. The enclosures felt really small and there isn’t any specific information about them on the website other than that they come from licensed facilities or are rescued.

They do have a sign that says the predators are senior citizens so maybe they don’t require as much space, but I’m hopeful that they either use these enclosures as a temporary measure or have plans in the works to change this area. The rest of the animals had a lot of space and seemed really happy so I don’t think the Olympic Game Farm would suffer without these predators onsite or on display.

It was then time to enter the elk and bison enclosure. Unlike the llama and yak paddock, you’re expected to keep moving at all times through this area. Slowly, but keep moving. This is on signs and given as special instructions when you drive up for your ticket. The bison and elk will walk or jog alongside your car and still grab the food, but it helps with the natural instincts of the bison to crowd or jostle your vehicle if you keep moving.

The bison love to wait in the road. Stephen kindly offered to drive through so I could enjoy the animals thoroughly. He was feeding, recording and driving – multi-tasking like a champ – as the animals wandered and stood in front of the car throughout the park.

Originally, knowing it was moving day, we’d only planned a short-ish visit and planned to get back on the road. That was before we saw HOW AWESOME IT WAS! So much so that we decided to go around for a second loop.

First, we let Truffles out at the parking lot to deal with her nervous feels and have some water. We also took a short breather because having the bison so close was a really intense experience for the first time and our heart rates were up. We were better prepared for what to expect this time. After grabbing our GoPro (affiliate link) to get better videos from multiple angles, we also bought 4 loaves of bread AND tore the slices in half to make the bread last longer and feed more furry friends.

This time we took one small turn that we hadn’t before on our way into the llama and yak paddock (a car had been there the first time around) and we saw the prairie dogs. We’ve seen quite a few on our travels but there was a baby one which was a lovely surprise.

As we headed back into the llama and yak enclosure, the yaks were much more active. I got some great selfies during this loop and some nice pets and scratches in too.

We drove through the bears again and past the predators once more. During that drive I split our bread more into the empty bags so we were ready for the deer, elk and bison in the final paddock.

This will come as no surprise to anyone, but just feeding the bison and getting licked on the arm was not a sufficient experience for me. I wanted to see if I could feed a bison “Lady and the Tramp” style (you can decide who’s the lady and who’s the tramp) with the bread. You can see it in the video – I got a nice lick right up the side of my face! My day was made.

We were at the end of the bison and elk paddock when the final bison came up. It had a runny nose and its deep breaths meant that I ended up covered in bison boogers! Totally worth it.

It was only right to get a special souvenir to commemorate this momentous occasion. They have a wide variety of items for sale in the gift shop including sweatshirts, statues, toys and more. However, we’re short on space and usually only get a postcard in places. I treated myself to the perfect sticker to end the trip.

After our second loop we had lunch and grabbed some ice cream before getting back on the road. We had a wonderful experience overall at the Olympic Game Farm and would highly recommend it, although we’d like to see them without most of the predators in small enclosures. It’s definitely worth the time, and money, to stop in if you’re on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Here’s the video of our experience. You can hear us talking to each other, and you’ll hear the stress in our voices, that was mostly from the first time around when we were really nervous. You’ll also hear Truffles barking throughout. But I hope you enjoy our chatter, laughter and fun seeing what it’s all about at the Olympic Game Farm.