The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

  Like most older zoos this one has exhibits that are in need of updating to provide the animals with larger and more stimulating spaces. The giraffe and wallaby enclosures are good but the some of the other enclosures, like the one for the zebras, have barren, rocky ground without a blade of grass.

 

   

 Besides the animals there are about 20 small gardens that showcase plants from different areas of North America and Africa. A large model railroad features over a dozen trains that glide past miniature towns and landscapes of the southwest.

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  The zoo is partly accessible. The main paths are paved but the pavement ends before reaching the exhibits leaving a drop off and a sandy area to navigate through to get to the viewing areas. The main paths have slight up and down grades. The garden paths are sandy dirt. The nature trails are loose sand and not accessible. Visiting this zoo would be difficult for wheelchair users who do not have assistance through the rough patches.

  The parking lot is large. RVs can be parked across the spaces. Zoo  33.70044, -116.375