October 8, 2025 (Wed.) – Wilderness Trails Zoo.

We had a slow start to the morning—Lynn slept in until 9:30, and Kirk rolled out around 10:15. The air was cool and damp, with lingering drizzle from yesterday’s rain. It was our final full day in Birch Run, and we still hadn’t booked our next campsite.

So, Kirk spent the morning researching options in Indiana. We’ve absolutely loved our time in Michigan—five weeks of exploring and relaxing—but it was time to head south. Our goal was to find a spot near Shipshewana, IN and Kirk landed on a campground in Wolcottville, just about 30 minutes away. With that task checked off, we set out to make the most of our last day.

At 12:45 PM, we drove over to the Wilderness Trails Zoo—just across the street from our campground. From the outside, it looked small and unassuming, but inside it was surprisingly spacious with a wide variety of animals. Thanks to the wet weather, we practically had the place to ourselves. Admission was $20 each, plus $5 for a cup of carrots so Lynn could feed the animals.

We spent about an hour and a half wandering the zoo and snapping tons of photos with our new Canon camera. Most of the animals were behind fences, so we didn’t expect much from the shots—but Lynn discovered an app that removes fence lines in seconds! She’d heard about these apps on KTLA (from Rich DeMuro, the tech guy). It’s a bit pricey at $50 for the year, but totally worth it. We just wish we’d known about it earlier—we skipped a few photo ops thinking the fences would ruin the shots.

The lions were the highlight. One of the lions kept roaring—directly at a nearby family with a baby, no less. It was quite interesting and captivating. Lynn tried to capture the moment on video, but just as the lion let out a loud roar, her phone ran out of storage! She managed to get one second of footage, which still felt like a win. It’s not often you hear a lion roar in real life. The lemurs were a close second in entertainment, with one doing wild, dizzying circles that had us laughing. Both videos are included below. It was a great day at the zoo with no crowds, the sun shining and wide variety of animals that were actually visible and active!

After the zoo, we grabbed lunch at Comet Diner, a classic old-school diner right next to the campground. The food was decent—nothing fancy, but it hit the spot.

Later in the afternoon, we made one final trip into Frankenmuth to explore the River Place Shops, which we hadn’t visited yet. Naturally, we picked up a few more goodies.

The evening wrapped up with a peaceful campfire under a sky full of stars—a perfect end to our time in Birch Run.

Weather – High 58*, Low 42*. Wind 10-17 mph. Light am drizzle, no humidity.

Traffic – None.

Food – Nothing notable to report.

Notable – Wilderness Trails Zoo.