Zoo/ Walking (landscaping, to live, price)

[sidrah]

Any of you live nearby and take advantage of a year pass so you/family can walk the zoo at night/ in the AM. Must be more fun than a plain track. I was thinking about it. For me it is worth the price and I love seeing the animals.

Has anyone done it before? How was it?

[Jenkay]

It's actually pretty great, although this year I didn't renew my zoo pass.. Cutting back on stuff due to furloughs and pay cuts at work Instead I walk the park every few days, there's a ton of areas to walk/run which you may not be aware of- and it's FREE!! (yay!!)

Here's a map of trails in the park: http://www.balboapark.org/maps/TrailMap-6th-Upas.pdf

[sidrah]

Thanks! Yeah, I considered walking the park, too. I thought maybe seeing some animals would be more fun. Honestly, I can't rememebr the last time I was in the zoo. Sea World, yeah, not so much the zoo.

[NYSD1995]

We have had a pass since our son was born and go quite often. We know the place like the back of our hand and it's great to walk and wander. However in the summer the parking is terrible and the park is extremely crowded. A trick is to go early in the AM and go directly to the back of the park via the secret Fern Grotto stairs > . Then you are reverse commuting out of the park while everyone else is walking in.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by sidrah

Thanks! Yeah, I considered walking the park, too. I thought maybe seeing some animals would be more fun. Honestly, I can't rememebr the last time I was in the zoo. Sea World, yeah, not so much the zoo.

Seeing the animals *is* great, but like Sassberto said, it can get crowded in the summertime, so you're having to weave around tourists. The winter is perfect for that, though, and realistically if you go even a few times your pass is paid for, so even if you're avoiding it during the busy tourist months I'd say it's worth the price of a year's admission.

The people-watching while walking the rest of the park can be just as fun- maybe do the park trails in the summertime and the zoo when it's less crowded?

On a side note, I love to see people taking advantage of the park, including the zoo. I swear every time I'm there I think about how lucky I am to live near enough to such a place that I can almost take it for granted

[sidrah]

I agree! I feel like everything is right outside the door- even if you just want to walk over at night and sit in the park.

Good idea about mixing trails with parks, with pay to get in zoo/sea world-type places.

I think this area, unlike some others I've been around, has a safe feel, so it begs you to go out and do more.

[soymabelen]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

We have had a pass since our son was born and go quite often. We know the place like the back of our hand and it's great to walk and wander. However in the summer the parking is terrible and the park is extremely crowded. A trick is to go early in the AM and go directly to the back of the park via the secret Fern Grotto stairs > . Then you are reverse commuting out of the park while everyone else is walking in.

Ok, we got our annual membership too and we have definitely already recouped our money, but we don't know where these secret Fern Grotto stairs are found... will you share?? This evening we took the cable car, which was really fun, and walked back to the exit following the Elephant trail.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by soymabelen

Ok, we got our annual membership too and we have definitely already recouped our money, but we don't know where these secret Fern Grotto stairs are found... will you share?? This evening we took the cable car, which was really fun, and walked back to the exit following the Elephant trail.

From the entrance, take the path to the right behind the flamingos. You will see a small staircase on your right. Follow it to the bottom and you will be at the Pandas. From there you can either take the escalator to the Elephants or walk up to the Polar Bears.

[T. Damon]

Love Fern Canyon, it's where we always take the out of town guests first thing- gives them a nice jungle rain forest experience to start things off, also, I think the aviaries are under appreciated-most folks rushing right through them, if you just stop and take it all in for a while it becomes pretty magical in my experience.

We live right across the canyon from the zoo; close enough to hear the Siamang (howler) monkeys occasionally- that's kind of cool, wish I could also hear the tigers roar but I think that's only happened once. We renew the membership every year and treat the zoo as just a pleasant walk amongst the landscaping for an hour or so more often than as a longer half-day trip to take in the animals. As Sassberto says, you get to know the best times to make a quick trek, and where to get to quickly to enjoy some areas before the crowds take over.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by soymabelen

but we don't know where these secret Fern Grotto stairs are found... will you share?? .

look for Hugh Heffner