Utah Hogle Zoo

Utah's Hogle Zoo is the state's main zoo and one of the best places in the valley to spend a family day. Founded in 1931 and moved to its current home at the mouth of Emigration Canyon in the 1950s, it spreads across a wooded hillside, with tree-shaded paths, broad lawns for picnics and exhibits that range from African savanna to an arctic shoreline. The zoo's main attractions include Asian elephants, giraffes that can be fed from a raised platform, big cats, great apes and an excellent polar-region exhibit with seals and sea lions that swim past underwater windows. The zoo is manageable in size, which is a virtue: you can see most of it in four hours without exhausting small children, and the layout loops naturally, so there is little backtracking. A miniature train circles part of the grounds and is a hit with toddlers. The zoo is also active in conservation and education, and the keeper talks and feeding demonstrations that happen through the day are good chances to learn something about the animals and the programs that protect them.

The setting is part of the appeal. The zoo sits on the hillside beneath the foothills, so there is more shade than at most American zoos, and in summer the canyon breeze keeps the temperature a few degrees below the downtown core. Views from the upper paths look across the valley to the Oquirrh Mountains. Its neighbors, the Natural History Museum, Red Butte Garden and This Is the Place Heritage Park, make the east bench a natural family district, and a day that combines two of them is easy to manage.

Seasonal events add variety. In the warmer months, the zoo runs animal encounters, summer camps and concerts; in autumn, a family-friendly Halloween event draws crowds; and in winter, the zoo is lit with thousands of lights for a holiday evening event, with animals that tolerate the cold, such as snow leopards and polar bears, often at their liveliest. Some animals may be indoors or less visible on very hot or very cold days, so choose a mild morning if you can. The zoo's calendar changes by year, so check what is on before you go.

Allow three to four hours, or a full day if you also enjoy the keeper talks. For a larger outing, combine the zoo with the heritage park next door and a casual dinner on the east side. If you are visiting with a group, ask about picnic shelters and birthday programs, which the zoo offers for celebrations, and remember that many exhibits have shaded seating, so you can pace the day around rest breaks and the keeper talks that suit your children's ages.