Schreiner Farms

Kati Cooke
Mar 15
4 min read

If I were to show you a photo of a zebra peacefully grazing in a grassy plain, with Mount Hood in the background, would you think it's photoshop or AI?

Believe it or not, this is an actual photo I took this past weekend, in the small Columbia River Gorge town of Lyle, Washington.

A zebra grazes in a green field at sunset. A bare tree stands nearby with mountains in the distance, creating a serene atmosphere. — A zebra and his friends enjoying the Mount Hood sunset views at Schreiner Farms

Schreiner Farms is a little-known, completely free drive-through safari park just off SR-14 on the Washington side of the Gorge. You've probably driven past it several times without realizing there are giraffes, zebras, camels, bison, and more, just a few hundred feet off the highway.

Skip to the Fast Facts

Why are there exotic animals in the middle of the Gorge?

After I got past the initial excitement of finding my favorite animals in an unexpected place, I had a lot of questions... why are they here? Is this ethical? Is this owned by Joe Exotic or Carole Baskin?

Because of my skepticism towards people who keep exotic animals as pets, I did some research on Schreiner Farms. They are an operating cattle ranch that also raises about 18 species of exotic animals, which are mostly for sale. To be honest, I have more questions than answers after reading the minimal information on the Schreiner Farms ancient-looking website. Mainly, who are they selling to? Do people eat zebras? Keep them as pets? Are they sold to zoos, or used in filming movies?

Questions aside, the animals do have a lot of space to roam, and look very healthy and happy. They have way more land than the same animals at the Oregon Zoo, which is renowned for it's ethical treatment of its animals. I can't find anything sketchy about Schreiner Farms, so unless I learn otherwise, I think it's okay to visit.

Where to Find Schreiner Farms?

The small town of Lyle, Washington is just across the Columbia River from The Dalles, Oregon. It is close to the trailheads for Catherine Creek, Coyote Wall, and the Klickitat bike trail (all amazing places which I will write about soon!).

As you're driving along SR-14, you can easily miss the turn onto Schreiner Farms Road. Google Maps will take you here no problem, and if you miss it, there are plenty of parking lots to turn around in. It is marked by a large gate with some ground rules for your visit.

Sign for Schreiner Farms with animal silhouettes overhead a rural road. A car approaches under a blue sky, surrounded by hills and rocks. — It's hard to believe I've driven past this gate hundreds of times without thinking, "huh, why are there zebras and camels on that random farm's gate?" Only took me about two decades to discover!

Rules for Visiting

The best part about Schreiner Farms, is that it's completely free! It is fairly small (at least the public portion), so it's nice to not pay admission. It's definitely worth whatever you make of it: if you only have a few minutes, it's a perfect quick stop, or if you are a huge animal lover like me, you could be here for quite a while.

Car view of a fenced field with camels, green grass, blue sky, and a tree. A sign reads: "Stay on main road only, stay in vehicle." — There are signs throughout the drive reminding people of the rules

A reminder that this is a functioning family farm, so it's incredibly generous of the owners to allow people to view their animals for free. They only ask for a few rules to be followed:

Open hours are 9 am to sunset
Stay in your vehicle
Follow the speed limit
Stay on the main road and turn around at the giraffe barn (very easy to know where)
No smoking
Yield to farm traffic
Do not litter, throw anything from your vehicle, or attempt to feed or pet the animals

Animals at Schreiner Farms

Schreiner Farms has raised at least 18 different species of exotic animals, but the ones you might see can vary as the farm buys, sells, and moves around their herds.

I have consistently seen buffalo, camels, deer, zebras, llamas, and yaks. Occasionally the giraffes will be out, and sometimes I even see animals that I still can't identify. The website states that they also have antelope, emu, ostrich, muntjac deer, reindeer, elk, donkey, mule, and wallaroos - but the site doesn't look like it's been updated since the 1990s.

Recently, the buffalo herd has been moved to a nearby pasture, so you'll have to stop nearby if you want to see them. Bison are my absolute favorite, so I was dissapointed and assumed the farm sold the herd... until I realized the funny looking cattle behind the nearby neighborhoods weren't actually cattle!

To see the buffalo, turn onto Ash Street (just a few seconds west of the Schreiner Farms gate). The buffalo herd is grazing in a pasture just behind the houses.

Field with buffalo grazing, surrounded by a wire fence. Hills and a clear sky in the background, creating a peaceful rural scene. — The buffalo herd behind the nearby houses - so easy to mistake for cattle!

Plan Your Visit to Schreiner Farms

Whether you're driving east to Spokane, hiking in the Gorge, visiting wineries, or making a trip purely to see Schreiner Farms, these are the facts you need to know:

Open from 9 am to dusk every day (at owner's discretion)
Stay in your car, drive carefully, and don't harass the animals
Completely free!
Located here in Lyle, Washington (90 minutes from Portland, just across the river from The Dalles)
Zebras, camels, deer, yak, and even an elusive giraffe are visible from the main road, and the bison herd is in a nearby pasture
Website here

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you check it out! I started Kati Explores with the intent to share places exactly like Schreiner Farms - quirky, little-known, affordable, and adventurous. I hope it brings you as much joy as I feel when I visit!