Salt Lake City's zoo, with free autism backpacks at Guest Services: noise cancelling headphones, fidget toys and nonverbal communication cards, first come, first served.
Sensory supports. Free autism backpacks with headphones at Guest Services.
Hours
November through February: 10 am to 5 pm. March through October: 9 am to 6 pm. Thanksgiving Day (Thu Nov 26 2026): 10 am to 2 pm. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The zoo might also close in part for bad weather or special events. The train and carousel open at 10 am; their lines may close 15 to 30 minutes before the zoo closes, the train can't run with rain, ice or snow on the tracks, and some attractions, like the train, close seasonally.
2600 Sunnyside Ave (840 South), Salt Lake City, UT 84108
“Kits are free for checkout during your zoo visit but a valid driver’s license and contact information are required to ensure the backpacks are returned for future guest use.”
“Please note that some attractions, such as the Train, close seasonally and that some exhibits may be loud on days that are crowded.”
The backpacks are at Guest Services, first come, first served. The autism backpack also holds “I have autism, if lost please call” stickers, a laminated list of the zoo's sensory exhibits, and animal artifacts and models with labels.
For questions about your visit on a particular day, the zoo asks you to call member services at (801) 584-1700.
The zoo's sensory backpack for guests who are blind or have low vision holds laminated copies of the Zoo Social Stories.
Free autism backpacks at Guest Services, first come, first served, with noise cancelling headphones, fidget toys and nonverbal communication cards. You need a valid driver's license and contact information to check one out.
Some exhibits may be loud on crowded days.
You can leave and come back the same day as long as you keep your entrance ticket.
Daytime tickets, October through April: adults (13+) $22.95, children (3 to 12) $18.95. May through September: adults $26.95, children $21.95. Kids 2 and under are always free. Buy online to save $2 per ticket.
Discounts: guests with EBT and SNAP benefits can buy up to 6 tickets at $12 for adults and $10 for children, only at the ticket window during regular daytime admission. Military personnel with valid military ID get $3 off general admission at the ticket window, and military personnel and their immediate families get free daytime admission on Armed Forces Day in May, the 4th of July and Veterans Day. Licensed foster families can get a Basic Family Membership for $49, in person at the Membership Desk with a current state foster care license. Groups of 20 or more paying people in one transaction get $3 off each adult ticket. The zoo's other official discounts are the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass and the PBS KIDS Utah Adventure Pass. Discounts can't be combined.
Food drive, through Sun Nov 22 2026: bring a non-perishable food item to the ticket window and get one free child admission (ages 3 to 17) per item with each regular-price adult ticket ($22.95), up to three free children per paying adult. In person at the ticket window only, 10 am to 5 pm; online tickets don't count.
Wild Wednesdays, a lower daytime general admission price, are Wed Nov 25 2026, Wed Dec 30 2026, Wed Jan 27 2027 and Wed Feb 24 2027. They can't be combined with other discounts. Call (801) 584-1700 for this season's price.
Refunds: the zoo doesn't refund admission or special event tickets because of weather. Tickets bought online are non-refundable, non-exchangeable and non-transferable; if an event is canceled, the zoo refunds the face value. Group tickets are non-refundable once bought.
Rentals, first come, first served, no reservations: single stroller $9, double stroller $11, wagon $11, wheelchair $10, electric wheelchair $25.
Parking spaces are first come, first served and can't be reserved. The zoo map shows the main parking lot by the entrance and more parking on the north side of Sunnyside Ave. The map also marks restrooms, nursing rooms, first aid and security, and stroller rental.
Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Wear shoes; bare feet aren't allowed anywhere. Not allowed, including: balloons, selfie sticks, Bluetooth speakers or any loud music player, Segways and hoverboards (motorized wheelchairs are allowed for medical reasons), scooters, skateboards, bikes, Heely-type shoes and roller skates, toy guns, Nerf guns, slingshots, water guns and water balloons, glass, alcohol, laser pointers, flashlights, flash photography, grills, whistles, air horns or any loud noisemaker, stickers, confetti, sports balls, yo-yos, frisbees and beads, and any other item the zoo deems unsafe.
Service dogs check in at Guest Services every visit and can't go on the train or into the center rainforest exhibit in the Small Animal Building; other areas may be off-limits day to day, and Guest Services can hold the dog while you visit them. You sign the zoo's service animal policy, and service dogs can't relieve themselves anywhere on zoo grounds. Pets and emotional support animals aren't allowed, no exceptions.
Feast with the Beast, Thanksgiving morning (Thu Nov 26 2026), 10 am to 2 pm: animals stomp, roll and chomp pumpkins and themed items. It's included with daytime admission, and the zoo closes at 2 pm that day.
Hogle Holidays: A ZooLights Experience runs 5:30 to 9 pm on select nights: Wed Nov 25 2026, Fri Nov 27 to Sun Nov 29 2026, nightly Dec 3 to 31 2026 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and Sat Jan 2 2027. Tickets are $19.95 to $24.95, members save $2, and weather is no reason for a refund. It's an outdoor light walk with a holiday dance party; most habitats are closed or dark, and the zoo suggests at least an hour and a half. The carousel runs 5:30 to 8:45 pm ($3.50 a ride); the train is closed for the season.
