Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Is it the most beautiful zoo in the world? There is a very compelling argument to be made for that distinction. Decide for yourself, but as others note this world-class location ranks right up there with the zoo in Sydney Australia. CMZOO should really not even be compared to flatland zoos.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is built in to the side of a mountain. It's safe to say from its various vantage points you can see Kansas 125 miles away. Wonderful exhibits, several great restaurants and a wonderful diversity of animals. If your time in Colorado is limited, it's an easy choice if you're deciding between CMZOO and the Denver Zoo. Pass on the latter and get a view with your zoo! This home to the great animals of the world is just another reminder why Colorado Springs is routinely named the number one most desirable place to live in the United States.

Our family loves Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! It's so expansive that you could roam for hours!

Each time we go, we discover something new. Some of our favorites are seeing the giraffes, feeding the birds, and watching the hippos.

Definitely pack snacks or a lunch and bring water (they have refill stations) or grab a bite to eat at one of the on-site restaurants.

After exploring for hours, you might need a break. If so, there's a large green area with picnic tables and hills for children to play.

If zoos are your thing, definitely give this one a shot and bring a layer (jacket, etc.) while you're at it. When it's shaded, it can get pretty cold. And sometimes windy, too!

It's less crowded during winter than summer but that's a given. If visiting during the summer, plan ahead. I don't believe you'll regret it!

My husband and I visited on a winter weekday afternoon. Due to the weather and day of the week it was pretty quiet and the perfect time to visit. Almost all of the animals were active and it was really cool to see some of the mountain dwelling animals in their snowy natural habitats.

The animals looked great and it appears like they are well taken care of. Many of them were taken from other zoos and the bald eagle is unable to fly, making life in captivity necessary.

The layout of this zoo is amazing. They used the natural landscape of Cheyenne Mountain to create different levels. This allowed for large spaces for the animals and an impressive number of animals for the area. When you arrive take a note of the feeding times and be sure to watch a few. Watching a lynx "hunt" and then eat its chicken dinner was really awesome.

I'm a zoo person but I wasn't impressed with this one. For starters it was way too crowded. I know it was a Saturday but why reserve time slots if it doesn't help crowd control. We did the giraffe feeding which was $3 for lettuce or $5 for two piles of lettuce. The area was crowded and they didn't clear the giraffe area in the inside in one spot which prevented the giraffes from coming close to get fed. The zoo is more on the spread out side so we were just confused just walking all around: I didn't see any petting zoo. Matter of fact didn't see much animals there to be honest. We spent probably no more than an hour and 15 minutes there and left.

We learned from the "salty" woman at the ticket booth that "everything in Colorado Springs need reservations." Despite the initial attitude, she sold us the last tickets of the day. We paid $74.25 for 2 adults and 1 child ticket. We had an amazingly fun day. We will visit again next time we are in town, but will remember the reservations!

The zoo is about a quarter the size of our San Diego Zoo, but the exhibits were fantastic. The mountaineous back drop was also quite beautiful. We loved how close you can get to the wallabies and that most of the animals were out and about. The best part of this zoo is the raised walkway at the giraffe enclosure. The walkway allowed you to be at eye level with the giraffes. You can also purchase a bundle of lettuce for either $3 or $5 to feed them then pet them. Inexpensive for such an experience. Pathways in the zoo didn't loop around. The way you went to see an exhibit, is the same way you get out. Some walkways were narrower so some parts felt cramped. We also thought the signage around the park could have been more prominent and clear.

Did you know that CMZ is ranked #4 as one of the best zoos in North America? No? Do yourself a favor and visit if you haven't! We've had family from out of state visit and they truly enjoyed it. We've been coming here for years when my son was 1 and he's 10 now. I love that they've added some exhibits that now have penguins and hippos. Feeding the giraffes is a huge part of the zoo that all kids love. You will definitely get your steps in walking along the mountainside.

Amazing zoo! This place is incredible- from up close and personal encounters with animals to friendly and knowledgeable staff - we will definitely be returning!

Feeding an elephant and the giraffes was the highlight! Such a cool experience and so fun for kids! All of the other animals were quite active in their enclosures which was neat to see. The tiger spent lots of time by the glass and the mountain lions and grizzly bears were walking all around...maybe waiting for feeding time? We'd never been to a zoo and seen so many active animals.

There is a big kids play area too - so if you have little ones that need an open space to run keep your eye out for that area.

As others have mentioned, there are some inclines as you walk around so be prepared! The facilities are nice and clean with several easy to find restrooms and plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Had such a blast on this excursion!

Bestie and I went made our reservation for 1300 and we're in the gate by 1330 as stated necessary on the website.

We were advised to ride the gondola up, then walk down the zoo from the gondola. Unfortunately, we rode up and then we were informed that we cannot walk down the zoo, but instead take the gondola back down and then explore the zoo. God ola ride still worth the $5.

In honesty, this zoo doesn't have tons of animals and it doesn't have lots of kid excursions, but the animal exhibits that they do have are phenomenal and the animals to view are extremely well kept.

Most importantly, the scenic mountain views make it the most unique zoo experience that I've been to.

Had a great experience as a first timer! Many animals to touch and see! Unfortunately the sky loft wasn't working when I went. Look forward to riding it in the future. The animals weren't in bad conditions and they have volunteers/staff actively with them feeding and talking about the animals. We were able to feed giraffes, birds, and chickens, for a fair price. They accept both cash and card but I recommend bringing cash. They range from 1-5$ to feed. They had a lot of activities for kids as well. Definitely have to pre order tickets if you want a faster entry. Overall I enjoyed my day at the zoo! I will be bringing visiting family members in the future.

It has been 11 years since we've visited and this experience did not disappoint!! We knew it was uphill and prepared with snacks and drinks on hand. The food trucks and cafes were all open as well.

We loved watching the lions getting fed, they were adorable! My daughter said she didn't realize how big they are in real life. I am so happy she got to see them! While the wolves were at the doctor, which are her favorite animal, the cougars and snow leopards were out. She was definitely not upset, so fun!!

I say pay the money and go! Make a fun family day (you might want to rent the scooter though! It's a bit of a huffer and puffer chugging up the hills!) and drink lots of water. OH! There are water refill station if you bring your own water bottle, super convenient.