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Journal · Phoenix · Arizona

The Phoenix Zoo and ZooLights at an easy pace

Which trails are paved and flat, where the shade and air-conditioning are, and how to see ZooLights without the crowd. My review, checked against the zoo's own access guide.

By Travis Estes · Updated November 2026 · Moderate

I reviewed the Phoenix Zoo on January 1, 2026, and gave it five stars: "One of the best zoos. You'd have to go to San Diego for a better one." ZooLights impressed me too. I hadn't seen it since my teens, and as I wrote then, "they made major upgrades. It was cool."

The zoo publishes an unusually detailed guide to its trails, written with mobility in mind. That's what makes it a good big outing for a mixed-age group: you can decide at home which loops to walk and which to skip.

  1. Arizona TrailPaved and mostly flat, with places to rest
  2. Tropics TrailA paved loop, the shadiest in the zoo, with two short climbs
  3. Tropical FlightsShaded, paved and flat, with a walk-through aviary
  4. Desert LivesUnpaved, with steep hills and little shade: the one to skip if walking is hard

The trails, easiest first

From the zoo's accessibility page:

  • Arizona Trail: fully paved and mostly flat, with multiple places to rest. Its two walk-through aviaries are wheelchair accessible, though the doors are a little heavier to push than most.
  • Tropical Flights: heavily shaded, paved and flat, with a walk-through aviary. The aviary is accessible but small, and it can feel crowded on a busy day.
  • Tropics Trail: the main loop is paved with asphalt, with two short uphill climbs. The zoo calls it the shadiest trail in the zoo, with several places to rest and some cooler exhibit areas.
  • Orangutan Bilik: an indoor, air-conditioned viewing space with benches, where you can see both outdoor yards.
  • Africa Trail: a large loop. The path up from the Savanna habitat has a steep uphill section with little shade, so the zoo recommends that wheelchair users and anyone with mobility concerns start from the camel rides instead.
  • Children's Trail: designed to be wheelchair friendly, but with curves, switchbacks and two short, steep hills. The zoo doesn't recommend the covered-bridge entrance for wheelchair users.
  • Forest of Uco: unpaved, narrow and crowded on busy days, with a brief climb you can avoid by entering near the invertebrate exhibits.
  • Desert Lives: unpaved, with multiple steep hills and limited shade, and you may have to double back to see everything.

Rentals, rest and quiet

  • Rentals: strollers, wheelchairs and electric scooters are rented first come, first served, immediately to your right after the turnstiles. It's card only, scooters have to be rented by someone 18 or older, and riders must be at least 16. Everything goes back before closing.
  • Curbside help: on some busier days the zoo may bring a wheelchair or scooter to the curb, but it can't guarantee it. If it isn't there when you arrive, call the zoo's Contact Center at 602-286-3800.
  • Safari Cruiser: the zoo's tram has a wheelchair lift and room for one wheelchair per vehicle. If you can move to a standard seat, the zoo asks you to.
  • Quiet Zones: five spots with less activity and places to sit: the Arizona Trail between the coyote and condor exhibits, the Rose Garden near the greater flamingos, Emily's Butterfly Garden on the Children's Trail, the Tropical Flights trail, and between the Forest of Uco and the Thunderbirds Charities Equine Facility.
  • Sensory support: sensory bags with fidget tools and noise-canceling headphones can be checked out at Reception and the Safari Cruiser Station, and weighted lap pads are available on request at the Safari Cruiser Station. The zoo also lists "Headphone Zones," the noisiest spots, including the Arizona Trail aviary near Stingray Bay and the petting zoo in the Big Red Barn.

Heat and hours

The zoo is open every day of the year except Christmas, and its hours change with the seasons. When I checked, daytime hours were 9 AM to 4 PM, and the zoo lists a shorter early schedule, 7 AM to 1 PM, for the summer. Guests under 14 have to come with someone 14 or older.

A small white pyramid on a desert hilltop behind a railing, with palo verde trees and desert scrub on the slope below
Hunt's Tomb, the white pyramid in Papago Park next to the Phoenix Zoo, October 21, 2018. Cropped to keep another visitor out of frame.

The zoo sits in Papago Park, among red sandstone buttes. My photo here is from the park, next door to the zoo, on an October afternoon in 2018.

ZooLights

  • This season: November 25, 2026 to January 15, 2027, 5:30 to 10:30 PM. Children 2 and under are free. A ticket is good for one night, it's separate from daytime admission, and it's non-refundable.
  • It's a long walk: the zoo describes five million lights across more than two miles of trail.
  • Most animals won't be visible at night. Come in the daytime if the animals are the point.
  • Quieter nights: the zoo says Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are usually least crowded, and that the first two weeks of December and all of January are less popular. Most people arrive when the gates open, so it suggests coming around 7:30 to 8 PM, after the first wave.
  • Sensory Friendly ZooLights is Tuesday, December 8, with smaller crowds, quieter music and fewer flashing lights. It needs a separate ticket.
  • Cruise ZooLights is Sunday, January 17: you drive through the light tunnel and see the floating light show on the main lake from your car. It also needs a separate ticket.
  • Parking: if the main lots fill, signs send you to the overflow lot at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, at the southwest corner of Van Buren and Priest. The zoo says the walk from there is well lit, paved and takes about 15 minutes.

Who this suits

Every age, with a plan. The flat, paved Arizona Trail and Tropical Flights, the indoor orangutan viewing, the rentals and the Quiet Zones cover grandparents, strollers and kids who need a break. If hills are hard, skip Desert Lives and start the Africa Trail from the camel rides. For a cooler evening nearby, there's the splash pad at Tempe Marketplace.

Gear that helps

The zoo's steepest climbs have the least shade, and ZooLights is more than two miles of trail at night. A few things that could help:

Affiliate links: the Amazon links here are tagged, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. They're suggestions for this kind of trip, not products I've tested, and prices change, so I don't list them. Disclosure

Walking & rest

Drive Medical Adjustable Folding Cane with Seat

The Arizona and Tropics trails have places to rest, but ZooLights' two-plus miles of lights and the gate lines don't always. A seat you carry fills the gaps.

Check price on Amazon Details

More ideas, grouped by need, on the accessible travel gear page.

Sources

Official pages read November 2, 2026.

Opening hours, routes and rules change; check the official pages before you go. Planning links for every guide are on the Plan page.