Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Tickets and Hours: What to Know Before You Go

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo does not sell walk-up tickets at the gate like it used to. Every ticket is a timed e-ticket now, bought in advance on the zoo’s own site. Show up without one and you will be standing in a parking lot instead of looking at animals. Here is what the zoo’s own visit and ticket pages say, checked October 2, 2026, so you can plan the morning you actually go.

The Broadmoor is about 2 miles away by car, so the zoo and a walk around the lake fit in the same outing.

Before you drive up

• Timed e-ticket only, members included. Ages 2 and under are $0 and still need a reserved ticket. No walk-up.
• Prices on the form Oct 2, 2026: adult $29, child $24, senior $27, military adult $26, military child $21, plus 75 cents Quarters for Conservation on every ticket. Recheck the day you go.
• No refunds and no exchanges. A gray day is not a reason the zoo gives the money back.
• Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily unless the zoo posts an alert. Address: 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd. From I-25, exit 138, west on Lake Avenue, right at The Broadmoor roundabout, then follow the zoo signs.
• The grounds are steep. Wear real shoes and bring water, sun protection, and a layer. The Mountaineer Sky Ride has been listed about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is not guaranteed.
• Giraffe feeding times move. Check that day’s schedule on cmzoo.org. Electric Safari is a separate nighttime ticket.

Tickets Are Timed. Buy Them Before You Drive Up.

Everyone needs an advance timed ticket, members included. The time on your ticket is your earliest entry, and you get a half-hour window to get in line. A 10:00 ticket means be there by 10:30. Miss that window and you are turned around, but once you are in you can stay until closing.

Every person needs their own ticket, including kids age 2 and under. The ticket form lists that age band at $0, but it still has to be reserved like any other ticket, and a 75 cent Quarters for Conservation fee gets added per admission, even on the free ones. Do not assume a toddler walks in free with no ticket at all.

There are no refunds and no exchanges once you buy. The zoo stays open in most weather, so a gray sky is not a reason to expect your money back. Buy directly on cmzoo.org/visit. The zoo has said third-party tickets are not guaranteed to get you in, so skip resale sites for zoo admission. If the day you want is already sold out, the zoo runs a rideshare ticket option as a fallback.

What It Costs on the Ticket Form Right Now

These are the non-member daytime prices the ticket form was showing on October 2, 2026, not a promise of what you will pay in July or December: adult $29, child $24, senior $27, military adult $26, military child $21, and ages 2 and under $0. Add the 75 cent Quarters for Conservation fee per ticket on top of every one of those. Pricing changes by date, so check the 2026 pricing calendar on cmzoo.org/visit for the day you are actually going instead of locking in today’s number.

Hours, Address, and Getting There

Daytime hours run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, year-round, unless the zoo posts an alert saying otherwise. Older write-ups online still say summer until 6 and winter until 4. That is out of date. Check the visit page the week you go.

The zoo is at 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Phone is (719) 633-9925, and the ticket desk email is tickets@cmzoo.org. Coming from the interstate, take I-25 exit 138 at Circle Drive, head west on Lake Avenue toward The Broadmoor, turn right at the hotel roundabout, and follow the zoo signs the rest of the way up.

The Grounds Are Steep. Dress for a Hike, Not a Stroll.

This is the part a lot of write-ups skip past. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is built on an actual mountainside, not a flat city lot. Bring comfortable shoes, water, sun protection, and a layer, even in summer. Wheelchairs and strollers can be rented at the entrance, which helps, but the grades on parts of the property are real and rental gear does not flatten a hill.

The Mountaineer Sky Ride chairlift has been listed on the visit page running roughly 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting. That schedule is not guaranteed, so check that day’s visit page before you count on riding it instead of walking.

Giraffes and the Holiday Lights, Without the Guesswork

People come here for the giraffe overlooks, and that part still holds up. What we won’t do is hand you a feeding time or a feeding price, because that schedule moves and we are not going to guess. Check the day’s animal schedule on cmzoo.org once you have your ticket time.

Electric Safari, the zoo’s holiday light event, is a separate nighttime ticket. It is not included in your daytime admission, and we are not going to hand you 2026 dates we have not confirmed. If you want to go, look it up closer to the date on cmzoo.org.

Skip It If

Skip it if you do not already hold a timed ticket, since there is no walk-up plan that works here and showing up without one just means a wasted drive. Skip it if someone in your group cannot handle a steep grade and you have not confirmed the Sky Ride chairlift is running that day, because walking the hill is the fallback either way. Skip it if you are trying to wedge the zoo between a downtown lunch and Garden of the Gods, since the hill plus the entry window makes this a half day, not a quick photo stop. It is the right morning if you have a 9 or 10 a.m. ticket, real shoes, and water, and you are starting from the south side of town or left early enough to clear I-25 exit 138 without rushing.

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Do you need tickets in advance for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

Yes. Every ticket is a timed e-ticket bought in advance on cmzoo.org, members included. There are no walk-up tickets. Showing up without one means a wasted drive.

How much are Cheyenne Mountain Zoo tickets?

On the ticket form Oct 2, 2026: adult $29, child $24, senior $27, military adult $26, military child $21, ages 2 and under $0, plus 75 cents Quarters for Conservation on every ticket. Pricing changes by date, so recheck for your day.

What are Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hours?

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, year-round, unless the zoo posts an alert. Older guides saying summer until 6 are out of date.

Can you get a refund if the weather is bad?

No. No refunds and no exchanges, and a gray day does not change that.

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Author: Dominic

Author: Dominic