Knowland Park in Oakland

My family and my service animal and I all visited the Oakland Zoo and enjoyed ourselves while there and definitely will always come back to visit this iconic Zoo of Oakland,CA.My family and I have been coming here visiting the park for many years and now Im able to bring my nieces and nephews such a great feeling to be part of this family tradition.My family and I even my service animal highly recommend that you gather your family and friends and make the trip to the Oakland Zoo.* I wish that the gondola was longer and higher into the sky furthermore I wish that the Zoo would be in a financial place to expand several more acres bringing us many other animals and creatures of all kinds.

Beautiful way to spend a couple of hours!

Perfect for animal lover. We have their annual membership. Its worth it with free parking and no reservation requirement after 2pm. No hassle visit.

Got to ride on the air lifeter.at the zoo.

My first time at this place my favorite is the mirador ( Gondolas)

Husband and I drove around on our ECVs while grandkids walked all over. We brought one ECV from home and rented one at main entrance. Made for an enjoyable day.

Watching animals playing in the rain is awesome. Wearing ponchos and roaming around was the best experience

Beautiful park and awesome views from the gondola

Love it

Animals were all out and enjoying life

Awesome view and great place to relax and see wild life

This place is a great getaway with family and kids. The place itself is on a very high altitide and the view of the bay is breath-taking. I would def advice and recommend this place. Especially when the weather is great, you will have an amazing time.

Fantastic

Glowfari was fun for all ages. Plan to go when it reopens this fall.

I grew up going to this zoo and have loved the changes made over the years. The emphasis is on the animals and their habitats and education of the visitors.There are so many animals to see. There is information available about the animals and conservation. There were also docents available at many locations with additional information or to answer questions.The new California trail is wonderful. The gondola ride is a nice treat and the restaurant has good food and a nice view.All around the zoo are play areas for the kids just when you need them. Also some areas have footprints of the animals in the cement. That gives another view of the animal and is that a neat way to keep the kids interested.The Oakland Zoo gets better every time we go: for the animals and the visitors.

Aside from children ages 2-11 having to wear a mask at all times after the mask mandate was lifted. It was a very memorable day.Its almost a tradition now as I as a younger child, my three children (ages 14.5 through 30.5my first Granddaughter 1st time was 6 years ago and now our 2/1/2 year old has experienced this special zoo as well..So, we thoroughly enjoyed our day. Made more special memories. The new Gondola ride that we all could safely ride on together was great! The restaurant and view at the top were nice as well..Considering all that we as a community have been through and still not really knowing how to be around people again, the day was outstanding!Animals and grounds clean, maintained AND cared for..

We had an awesome time we really enjoyed ourselves this is truly a place where you can bring your family and kids to have fun

Awesome visit, the ride on the gondola up to the top tier of the zoo was super exciting for the kids. A bunch a beautiful animals to see.

The new California exhibit at the top of the hill at Oakland Zoo is FAB. The gondola ride is so clean inside and beautiful views. At the top theres so much to see. Its like having a 2nd zoo inside the zoo!

Brought one of my closest friends here for the first time and she loved it! It was a beautiful 😍 day to go see the animals. I love the Oakland Zoo!

A phenomenal place which should be visited by all Bay Area families. Were lucky that Dr. Joel Parrott chose to reinvent the concept of a zoo here in Oakland. There is no better experience for the viewing public or for the animals, most of whom are rescues.

This is a new find for us. Easy slopes with either dirt or gravel trails for unimpeded walks, or you can roam and meander across the goat-trimmed fields. Lots of oaks and bay laurels to provide intermittent shade. Bonus access to the back side of the Oakland Zoo with views of bears and grey wolves. Be respectful!

The zoo is beautiful and I think more important now.

Safe and fun.... must if the animals were out and active!Unfortunately the smoke resurfaced and forced an early closure for health and safety. 😉😷😎

I love Knowland Park! It has a gorgeous view of the Bay and the sunsets are absolutely insane to witness here, regardless of clouds (in fact, its better if there are some clouds). Although Ive found a special entrance that usually has no one around, I often bring my clients here to photograph their families as it has diverse locations and fields for children to run in. It never disappoints.

Ive been coming here for more than 10 years.. The animals seem well and safely kept. Lots to see and do. Its possible to entertain a family of multiple kids of different ages! however, the food in the rides area is very unhealthy. Theres not even one healthy option to counterbalance the churros and fries.

Nice Zoo with lots of animals. But when you get on the ride and go up the mountain, there aren’t many animals there, most of the cages look empty.

Beautiful site. Loved the gondola ride. Excellent view.Expensive, bland food. Remember no straws here if you have kids so bring your own if needed.

Oakland zoo a must see for all. New grizzly habitat at the top of the FREE gondala ride. Make sure you take this opportunity to see all of zoo and the East Bay from the top. Good eats and breath taking views. Much better than the tickedted skytram ride thats been there for decades. New animal bird habitats as well. Enjoy

Superb day at the zoo. Enjoyed the wild animals. The humans behaved well also. Nice to see such a well maintained habitat. Lots of shade and benches and bathrooms. The California trail is awesome. Dont miss this. Amazing to see the HUGE fauna that we humans nearly killed off. Happy to see the wolves and grizzly playing. Even on a crowded summer day it was not bad.

Park did not meet expectations! $ 20 for the entry for each person, $ 10 for the car. The level is very low, everything is very old. What liked the cable car, beautiful cabins !!!

A great place to go and see animals. I suggest taking your kids here on a weekday when it less busy because you have more time to enjoy the animals and Lounge a bit more. Overall great experience.

This new opening has a lot of well placed large exhibits. The design makes for very large enclosures for the animals. This also makes for large viewing areas so lots of people can have views at the same time. Try the old tiger are for the opposite effect. The gondolas are top notch, and you also get really good views going to Know and park.

Just keeps getting better. Just did Boo at the Zoo. Suggest family pass. Be careful on weekends. Ever since they opened the new California trail and the restaurant with observation deck its nuts. Freeway backs up and parking lot overflows into neighborhood. I wish they would limit crowds, but I guess greed is more important than customer satisfaction or being a nuisance to their neighbors. So for best enjoyment, please, go on a weekday.

Our trip was great as always! Getting as membership is totally worth it if you live close! Who doesnt like the zoo. Most animals are almost always visible here. Not like some zoos where you dont see animals. Granted some animals like the big cats and the bears take patience but if you use the feeding schedule youll definitely get to see them. Food is pricey but its a non-profit so its worth it. The view is as mazing for the top of the zoo where there is as whole new set of animals that are new to California as well as z great new play area with sand and water play, a zip line and some other fun things to do for the kiddos. The top is a quiet area so the animals will come out. The only animal I have never seen is the wolf on the way up to the play area. There is a fun petting zoo area for hands on kids. The train ride gives you access to animals you wouldnt see otherwise. Likewise the Skyride which is different than the gondola also gives an amazing view of the lions that are good at hiding. The new gondola is free but the Skyride is $3 per person. It doesnt go as high as the gondola but it takes a different route so the view is different. Also, there are rides that you can purchase tickets for. There is a roller coaster (kind of jerky), a merry go round, a little car ride, an airplane ride that goes up and down like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland. The zoo is very big. Its hard to do it all in one trip especially with little ones but getting the pass makes it easier to come back as many times as it takes to see it all. For adults this makes a good day trip. Like all day. To do the train ride, the Skyride and the gondola, grab a bite and of course see the animals and read about them.

Beautiful park inside Oakland zoo. Fun for kids to run off steam and to rest while exploring the animals. Amazing view.

Really great part of the Oakland zoo. It was the highlight of our visit. The grizzly bears were playing in the water by the glass then getting fed, a cougar was walking then Jumped in a tree, there was a fun small little playground with a slide and zip line. The kids loved the playground more than the animals.

Ive been to a lot of zoos and I must say that Oakland CA zoo is the worst one Ive been to thus far. The lack of parking after being charged for it, no shuttle service, a super lack of accessibility to the food court, not to mention the lack of seating, super expensive lunch for mediocre food, and most of the animals exhibits were dirty. For example the crocodile tank had just as much green algae buildup on the glass to the point we where almost unable to see the fish in there with it.

Great place to visit.. Good place for kids.. Entire day will go here. Tasty food in restaurants...The restaurant is little crowded..But waiting time is less..Rest rooms are available..The view outside the hotel is too good...So many varities of animals are present here..The gondola trip was awesome..We should stand in queue to go down or to come up...

Many many long trees and different flowers are so beautiful through out the park on either side of the walk ways. All animals are in the huts and enclosures between the trees.

Well maintained, friendly staff, lots of attractions. Only zoo in the state that I consider more expansive is San Diego Zoo. Were season pass holders for 3 years now.

Just one of the best zoos to see animals in a more natural settings. The food is actually good, and better in the Godola Restaurant. Play area has great young workers.

We love the Oakland Zoo as we are current season pass holders. Its a great time out ! Theres a great cafe atop the gill and you can get there via gondola! What a blast !!!!

Had a great time with the family and the gondola was a cool experience! I cant wait until the second part of the Oakland zoo opens up!

March 11, 2018. If you decide to explore the park beyond the walking trails be mindful of the poison oak. I dont regret in the least the great meandering walk I had. I guess I have to appreciate my evergrowing outbreak of rash as an ongoing reminder of that beautiful day!I went to the parks website the other night curious about the history and plant identification. Cant ignore the the concern over Zoo expansion proposals. They seem extensive and invasive, taking over the natural habitat like a non native vine.

Perfect day in a well designed and humane zoo. Wandering paths. Stunning new gondola ride up to a hilltop cafe. Knowledgeable docents and staff. Looking forward to my next visit. Great for kids and adults.

A city park that surrounds the Oakland Zoo. With a few short trails. You cannot enter the zoo from the park.

Our six year old enjoyed the small assortment of rides. At 1-2 ticket per ride it wont break the bank. The train ride and Carousel Ride are adult-friendly so you can enjoy the fun with your child

Never crowded and a hidden little gem if a park with pkenty of trails and views to die for! Spring time is best with all the wildflowers and zero weed stickers to worry about getting stuck in poor puppies fur. Park off the residential areas and walk towards the open spaces to find the hard to find trailheads.

We have the membership starting from 2014, and like the place so much for its convenient layout and variety of animals. The gondola and restaurant is great. Looking forward to the new park opening in 2018.