The Phoenix Zoo in Papago Park is the largest privately-owned, nonprofit zoo in the country, home to around 3,000 animals across a very walkable layout. It’s a Valley institution — most Phoenix kids have a birthday-party memory here.
The four trails
The zoo is organized into loop trails you can mix and match:
- Africa Trail — lions, giraffes, zebras, and the savanna.
- Tropics Trail — monkeys, big cats, and the rainforest.
- Arizona Trail — desert natives, including the Mexican gray wolf.
- Children’s Trail — the petting zoo, the carousel, and the splash pad the little ones will not skip.
Plan on two to three hours. Strollers, shade, and water stations are easy to find.
Beat the heat
In summer, arrive at opening and hit the Africa and Arizona trails first — the animals are most active early, and so are you before the afternoon sets in. In winter, ZooLights turns the whole zoo into a walk-through light display (one of the biggest in the Southwest); fall brings Boo at the Zoo.
Make it a Phoenix day
Papago Park packs a lot in — you can pair the zoo with the Desert Botanical Garden next door. It’s about 25 minutes from our North Phoenix salon, so families coming in for a trim or color often make a morning of it. Got school pictures or a family shoot coming up? Book the kids’ cuts a few days ahead.