Spend a Day at Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo
Are you looking for a pleasant family activity in Salt Lake City? If so, we have a perfect place for you. The Hogle Zoo, overlooking downtown Salt Lake City is a great place to escape and visit some friends from the animal kingdom. Join us, as we explore how to spend a day at Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo.
About Hogle Zoo
The Hogle Zoo is a 42-acre facility located in the Emigration Canyon, above downtown Salt Lake City.
The Zoo opened in 1931. It has more than 800 animals on site, representing more than 130 species.
Hogle Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with ticket prices ranging from $18.95 to $22.95 (but you do get a $2 discount if you reserve tickets online).
Basic Impressions During our Visit
As a smaller-size zoo, we found a more intimate, personal experience to get up close to many animals. And, since we went in a winter month, we met with smaller crowds which gave us opportunity to spend a good deal of time at desired habitats without feeling forced to move on.
However, a winter visit did also limit the number of animals we could see and we found the animals to be more lethargic than during a warmer-weather visit.
Getting the Lay of the Land at Hogle Zoo
We easily found the zoo, using directions in Google Maps. There was plentiful parking on site.
Since we visited in winter, it felt like there were fewer crowds, which also meant a expedited check in at the entrance.
I purchased tickets online for me and my daughter, and the check-in process was smooth.
Upon entering the facility, we saw a board listing the times for daily encounters and talks.
From the zoo entrance, we discovered the Wild Utah habitats and the education animal center to our left.
In front of us lay the African Savanna habitat.
All other habitats, including the Primate Forest, Asian Highlands, and Rocky Shores were located to our right.
We took a left and headed to the Wild Utah Habitats first.
Wild Utah Habitats
My daughter and I felt that the Wild Utah habitats gave us the best opportunity to see the animals up close in a more intimate setting.
And while these animal may not be the main draw of the zoo, we still found plenty of animals worth watching.
We also visited during the bobcat feeding time, which gave us the chance to see the small cats pounce on their food, and engage with their zoo handlers.
The Education Animal Center gave us a short respite from the cold (the temperature was about 40° Fahrenheit), as we witnessed birds and reptiles.
From here, we made our way to the African Savanna.
African Savanna
The African Savanna is probably the most popular region of the Zoo. Here is found the classic animals everyone goes to a zoo to see – lions, zebras, giraffes, etc.
It was too cold for the Giraffes to be out and about during our visit. And the lions were lethargic due to the cold temperatures. However, we were entertained watching the animals resting or huddling up near each other to fight off the cold.
Primate Forest and Great Apes
These habitats were more enclosed than the Savanna, so the apes and primates were more active.
And, we were treated to seeing a baby gorilla. At first, we did not see the tike, as it was tucked away in mom’s arms. We were delighted when we spotted the baby.
High Desert Oasis
Making our way round to the High Desert Oasis, we came upon animals found in the desert regions of Africa and Asia, including Mongolian Wild Horses and Bactrian Camels (one of the most endangered of the world’s animal species).
Rocky Shores
The animals of the Pacific Northwest roamed the habitats of the Rocky Shores.
It may have been cold during our visit, but that was nothing to the polar bears, bald eagles, and seals we discovered actively moving through their zoo homes.
This was probably the most enjoyable region we visited because the animals were so active.
Small Animal Building
My daughter and I needed another break from the frosty air, so we next headed to the warm and humid small animal building. My glasses fogged up once I entered the building.
The building is subdivided into tropics, temperate, and desert zones with birds, amphibians and reptiles from all regions, including snakes, toads, and crocodiles.
The aviary section allowed us to walk among the lush tropical foliage while birds freely roamed in this section of the building.
Asian Highlands
At last, we rounded our way to the Asian Highlands, to admire the snow leopards (including two young snow leopards), Amur Tiger and Red Panda (which, unfortunately, was not out during our visit).
Stopping for Some Grub
We arrived at the Hogle Zoo at opening time of 10 a.m. After spending a couple of hours roaming through the exhibits, we were ready for something to eat.
And that meant our final stop was at “The Beastro” an indoor seating restaurant with views overlooking the zoo.
The Beastro offered us many food options, including pizzas, burgers and fries, and more. It also was reasonably priced compared to other zoo restaurants we frequented.
I dd anticipate after warming up and filling our bellies that we would head back around to some of the habitats. My daughter, however, was averse to spending more time in the cold, and opted instead to leave the zoo for our next adventure.
Honestly, she was probably correct. Hogle Zoo is a smaller zoo, and two or three hours is probably enough time to spend. Of course, you could chose to spend more time, loading up on the featured feedings and talks on any given day.
Video Highlight
Enjoy this video of some of the action we saw while at the Hogle Zoo.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Wander around the Honolulu Zoo with us in the heart of Waikiki.
We enjoyed a road trip stop at The Rolling Hills Zoo in Kansas.
Explore an underseas shark reef in the middle of Las Vegas.
All photos and content are by Family Well Traveled and use of photos or content without permission will result in legal action.
