This past October my wife and I had a free day in Boise. It was a little bit cool, but a nice sunny fall day so we decided to be outside and enjoy the weather. Having never been to Boise’s Zoo before, it seemed a good option for us. That’s where we spent about 3 hours, enjoying the fall colors, sunshine, and the animals.
Boise is one of the larger cities in the northwestern USA, although tiny when compared to the likes of New York or Los Angeles. It has a smallish 17 acre zoo located in a nice park, the Julia Davis Park, near its downtown. Zoo Boise attracts about 350,000 visitors a year and is home to 300 animals representing about 100 species. I wasn’t really sure what we’d find. I expected to see a lot of American animals like bison, elk, moose, grizzly and black bears, cougars, wolves and the like. But I was very pleasantly surprised that almost the entire collection was of African or Asian origin. I learned later that the zoo had constructed several multimillion dollar African exhibits (African Plains and Gorongosa National Park) fairly recently, which explained the type of animals which provided the highlight of our visit.
Boise has cold winters, so the animals enclosures are usually of two parts — an open air one for warmer days, and an enclosed heated one for cold days. This time of year the gates between the two halves of the enclosures are usually kept open. Some animals were enjoying the sun and resting outside — others were in their enclosures, often quite hidden. So photography was a bit hit-and-miss. But I got a few decent photos to share with you.
Here’s some of what we saw:
There were a variety of African birds, some of which I’d never seen before.
A few notable Asian species:
I love tigers and had hoped to see the zoo’s Amur tiger, but he was sleeping behind a log and in dispose.
The zoo has play areas for children, including swings, slides and a merry-go-round….
There is river/lagoon in the zoo which in the summer offers boat cruises….
And a few interesting signs I spotted during our wandering….
We enjoyed our visit to Zoo Boise! It’s easy to get around in, clean, and has an interesting collection of animals. There certainly are better and more diverse zoos in America but this one would be fun to visit with kids. Later this year the the Virginia R. Bartak Red Panda Passage will open — with great exhibits and a facility for red panda breeding (as they are an endangered species).
If you Visit:
Location: 355 Julia Davis Drive, Boise. (In Julia Davis Park)
Free Parking is available (if you plan on staying more than 2 hours (and you should), ask for a free extended parking pass for your car window as you enter the zoo
June 1 – August 31: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Labor Day – May 31: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Admission Fees:
Refer to the ZooBoise website, Admissions on Thursday are discounted. You can purchase your ticket online or in person at the zoo.
- Options for close animal experiences can be purchased for a separate fee(e.g. feedings)
- Part of every admission goes to the Zoo Boise Conservation Fund which supports the protection of wild animals in Idaho and around the world.
