San Diego Zoo Parking Information

Racking your brains for a perfect weekend outing spot in Southern California? How about probing into the wild and get some up close encounters with animals? If it sounds appealing to you, then take San Diego Zoo into account. As the shooting scene for the documentary television series Zoorama, San Diego Zoo stands above the rest for its extensive collection of rare and endangered animals as well as exotic plants.

San Diego Zoo takes great pride in housing their world famous celebrities - the Giant Pandas. In their Panda Carn, you'll be greeted by three fluffy, adorable friends named Yun Zi, Gao Gao and Bai Yun. Apart from the star attraction Panda Canyon, some other signature sections of the zoo are Discovery Outpost, Lost Forest, Polar Rim, Elephant Odyssey, Urban Jungle, Africa Rocks, Asian Passage and Outback. To help you navigate the zoo better, a zoo map is offered:

San Diego Zoo Map

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/zoo_map

Or you can download the map of pdf format here:

Zoo Map PDF

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/images/zoo/zoo_map2010a.pdf

Now you're scheduling a trip to San Diego Zoo? Before setting out, you should know the fact that San Diego Zoo has a sister park named San Diego Zoo Safari Park. San Diego Zoo is located at north of downtown San Diego at 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park. San Diego Zoo Safari Park is approximately 35 miles from the San Diego Zoo. It takes you nearly 1 hour to get there from the zoo. To make your trip hassle-free, driving directions, locations and hours info are provided below:

Hours & Directions

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/plan_your_trip/hours_directions

Conveniently located just south of downtown San Diego, San Diego Zoo can be easily reached via mass transit. To learn about bus and train schedules, routes, hours info, you can contact San Diego's traffic and transit information service at 511 or visit sdmts.com. Public transportation is strongly recommended since parking is limited at San Diego Zoo, especially during peak season. If you insist on driving by yourself, you can find a free parking lot at the entrance of San Diego Zoo. Here is a parking map:

San Diego Zoo Parking

http://wikimapia.org/12528751/San-Diego-Zoo-Parking

San Diego Zoo Safari Park has got a large open parking lot in front of its entrance as well. Yet it's not free. Parking rate is $7 per vehicle for members and $10 per vehicle for nonmembers. RV parking costs $12 for members and $15 for nonmembers. You can locate the lot in the following map:

San Diego Zoo Safari Park Map

http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/planyourtrip/map.html

Numerous smaller lots distributed throughout Balboa Park offer plenty of additional parking spaces for zoo visitors. Maybe you can try the Inspiration Point parking lot, which can be found between Presidents Way and the Balboa Park Activity Center, east of Park Blvd. Valet parking is available Tuesday through Sunday at the House of Hospitality, just front of The Prado Restaurant. Hours of valet parking services are:

Tuesday - Thursday: 5:00PM - 10:00 PM

Friday: 5:00PM - Midnight

Saturday: 10:00AM - Midnight

Sunday: 10:00AM - 10:00PM

For additional info on Balboa Park parking, please visit:

Balboa Park Parking

http://www.balboapark.org/visit/parking

The free tram operated by Balboa Park offers easy access to all major attractions in the park including San Diego Zoo. The tram arrives every 8 to 10 minutes generally. It might be a little longer during peak times. Hours of operation are from 8:15 AM to 8:00 PM in summer and 8:15 AM to 5:15 PM in winter and fall. You can download the tram schedule and route at:

Tram Schedule & Route

http://www.balboapark.org/sites/default/files/trammap-1.pdf