Colorado Springs, CO

My family and I just returned from a trip to Colorado and a visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The zoo was absolutely spectacular!

This zoo is located 6,800 ft. above sea level and is built on the side of a forested mountain with breathtaking views. It was founded in 1926 and is the highest zoo in the nation. It has recently been voted the 4th best zoo in the United States.  There are 15 main exhibits that cover over 140 acres and house over 170 different species of animals.  Each exhibit “mirrors” natural habitats in the wild and makes you feel like you are transported around the globe. 

One of the first areas after you enter the gates will be Encounter Africa. This award-winning exhibit puts you face-to-face with a dozen or so reticulated giraffes. These gentle, long-necked animals are eye-level and you can hand-feed them zoo-provided lettuce ($2-$5 purchase). Beware the long, slimy tongues but try to enjoy all the surprised looks when lettuce-feeders are freaked out! The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has the largest giraffe herd of any zoo in the country (16 of them!) due in part to their prolific breeding program (200 births in 6 years). This was an unforgettable experience for everyone in my family.

There are a number of other animal feedings that are offered throughout the park. We happened upon the elephant feeding ($15 for an apple and carrot).  This a once-in-a-lifetime experience and great photo op! We also fed seed-encrusted, peanut butter sticks to rooms full of parakeets in the Budgie Buddies exhibit. There was another feeding exhibition we happened upon in the Rocky Mountain Wild area. A zoo attendant was illustrating what one specific grizzly bear preferred to eat (she liked meat, watermelon, and peanut butter but did not like cucumber!). These bears were HUGE and frightening! We watched as this one female bear swatted away undesirable food offered by the attendant while the other grizzly swam, ran around, and scratched itself on a dead tree.  They were pretty entertaining….but still scary as hell! 

The one experience that my family will not soon forget was our animal encounter at the Australian Walkabout. This habitat houses emus and a tree kangaroo and is located on the uppermost part of the zoo. This is a fairly steep, though gradual, walk (beware calf muscles!). The main section is a grassy, gated-off area where adult and baby wallabies hop all around you. They recline, bask in the sun, dig in the grass, take baths, sit next to you, and jump all around with no fear whatsoever. Being up close and personal with wallabies is not something I get to do everyday in Texas! We loved this!!

I was also quite impressed with the Reptile House. I have never seen such artistic and beautiful reptile enclosures – backdrops, shiny tiles, glass sculptures, etc. It was most unusual and very interesting. A few of my other highlights included seeing a baby meerkat and wallaby, taking a selfie with a giraffe, getting up close to a moose and grizzly, and stopping every now and then to catch the gorgeous views of Colorado Springs below us. It was prefect weather and made for a great day!

There is so much more to write about this zoo, but I was just impressed by how extensive the park was and how well it is constructed. I honestly do not like even calling this a “zoo” since it doesn’t have that feel to it. It is rather compact, easy to navigate, and feels more like a wildlife sanctuary.  All the animals appear to be healthy and happy – though I certainly can’t speak for them. There are none of the small, concrete enclosures with distressed, pacing animals that have always bothered me and given many zoos a bad name. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo seems to give people a real sense of a natural habitat and doesn’t simply enclose the animals in cages for viewing. My family was impressed.

I hope that you get to visit Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the future. If you get the opportunity, I suggest you wear comfy shoes, take water and apply plenty of sunscreen. You will be glad you did!

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a non-profit and does not receive any local or public tax support. They participate in more than 30 Cooperative Species Survival Programs. The zoo is open 365 days a year.