Enjoy it while visiting Oakland in California
Oakland Zoo sits on 525 acres of hillside habitat in the Oakland Hills, offering one of the most engaging wildlife experiences in the Bay Area. Home to over 850 native and exotic animals, the zoo has transformed from a modest menagerie into a nationally recognized institution focused on conservation, education, and animal welfare. The zoo’s naturalistic habitats allow animals to roam in environments that closely mirror their wild homes, making each visit both educational and inspiring for visitors of all ages.
The zoo was founded in 1922 by naturalist Henry A. Snow, who began with a small collection of animals in Downtown Oakland’s Snow Museum before relocating to the current hillside location. The facility was originally named the Oakland Zoo but underwent a major transformation following a 1958 county bond measure that provided funding for significant expansion and modernization. The Knowland Park location, named after former Oakland Tribune publisher Joseph R. Knowland, has been the zoo’s home since the late 1950s and now serves as one of the East Bay’s most popular family destinations.
A pivotal milestone arrived in 2012 with the opening of California Trail, a sweeping 56-acre expansion focusing on species native to the Golden State. This ambitious addition brought grizzly bears, gray wolves, jaguars, and mountain lions into spacious hillside habitats with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay. The expansion also introduced the Gondola, an aerial sky ride that carries visitors from the main zoo up to the California Trail, offering panoramic vistas of six Bay Area counties along the way. Visitors can watch grizzly bears fish in a running stream and observe California condors, one of the world’s most endangered birds, soaring within a massive flight aviary at the summit.
The zoo’s commitment to conservation extends far beyond its borders through the Oakland Zoo Conservation Fund, which supports field projects protecting wildlife in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and serves as a leader in animal welfare science, pioneering enrichment programs and habitat designs that prioritize the physical and psychological wellbeing of every animal in its care. Educational programs including ZooSchool and Wildlife Theater connect thousands of Bay Area children to the natural world each year.
Younger visitors will love the Wayne and Gladys Valley Children’s Zoo, an interactive area where kids can climb a spider web structure, pet gentle farm animals at the contact yard, and watch river otters playfully swim and slide through crystal-clear water features. The Bug House introduces curious minds to the fascinating world of insects and arachnids, with giant walking sticks and colorful beetles on display in well-lit terrariums. Families can cool off at the Adventure Landing play zone, complete with giant tortoises, a reptile discovery area, and a splash pad for hot summer days when temperatures climb into the eighties.
The African Savanna exhibit brings visitors face to face with giraffes, zebras, elephants, and lions roaming across a vast multi-species habitat designed to mimic the East African grasslands. Watch the chimpanzee troop in the Tropical Rainforest exhibit as they swing through trees, groom one another, and use tools to extract treats from enrichment puzzles designed by the animal care team. The Sun Bear Exhibit showcases one of the rarest bear species on earth, while the Malayan Tiger enclosure features these critically endangered big cats in a forested habitat with a running water feature that mimics their natural Southeast Asian range.
The Veterinary Hospital offers a behind-the-scenes viewing window where visitors can observe zoo veterinarians performing check-ups, surgeries, and treatments on the animals in their care. This transparency into animal care is a hallmark of the zoo’s commitment to education and allows guests to understand the depth of professional veterinary medicine required to maintain a modern accredited zoo. The Education Center hosts rotating exhibits on wildlife diversity and conservation, including touchable specimens like skulls, pelts, and feathers that bring learning to life for visiting school groups.
The zoo’s location within Knowland Park provides access to miles of hiking trails that wind through oak woodlands and chaparral habitats connecting to the broader East Bay Regional Park District trail system. The Outdoor Classroom and picnic areas shaded by mature oaks make the zoo a wonderful destination for family gatherings and school field trips throughout the academic year. Multiple overlooks along the zoo’s winding paths provide quiet spots to sit and enjoy the view from 1,800 feet above sea level, where on clear days visitors can see from the Bay Bridge past the Golden Gate out toward the Farallon Islands.
Spring wildflower displays paint the surrounding hillsides in yellow California poppies, purple lupine, and blue-eyed grass from March through May, adding a spectacular natural backdrop to any zoo visit. The zoo’s landscaping incorporates native California plants and drought-tolerant species throughout the grounds, demonstrating water-wise gardening practices that visitors can replicate at home in their own gardens. The Bison Overlook on the California Trail offers a chance to see America’s largest land mammal grazing on native grasslands against a backdrop of rolling East Bay hills.
The zoo is open year-round, with the most pleasant weather occurring from April through October when temperatures in the Oakland Hills range from the mid-60s to mid-80s. Summer mornings offer the best opportunity to see animals active and energetic before the midday warmth settles in, and the splash pad at Adventure Landing is especially popular from June through September during the warmest months. Fall brings crisp, clear days with exceptional visibility from the gondola, while spring coincides with baby animal season when newborns can be spotted throughout the zoo’s many exhibits.
Weekdays are significantly less crowded than weekends, making them the best choice for visitors seeking a relaxed experience with shorter lines for the gondola and closer views of popular exhibits. The zoo hosts special events throughout the year including ZooLights during the winter holiday season when the grounds are illuminated with millions of LED lights and festive displays, Boo at the Zoo in October featuring themed activities and costume parades, and Earth Day celebrations in April that draw enthusiastic crowds for conservation awareness and family-friendly programming.