Reviews of Cougar Mountain Zoo (Zoo)

David Best

Friendly staff, awesome bird show, wonderful animals (we loved seeing the wolves up close, the cougars and tigers; kids loved feeding the alpacas and emus too) and facility is great.

Elena Starkova

Weekday

Irina Generalova

Small but cool. The price is perfect. Get there at opening as it gets crowded around 11. Awesome African Grey Parrots.

Heather Johnson

My young children and I enjoyed seeing the large cats (tigers and cougars), lemurs, wallabies, cranes, wolves and parrots. Some of the parrots talk to you! We adopted an animal and signed up for a family membership we (well, I) liked it so much.

Allyson Plaxco

Great zoo for kids to see animals up close!

Colin Fahey

Weekend

Melinda Johnson

This place was so much fun! I got to see cougars, tigers, lemurs, parrots, alpacas, emus, and so much more. I even got to feed some of the animals fruits and vegetables. The whole zoo was very clean and compact (not too much walking). There were plenty of zoo staff around to answer questions. There was even an art gallery to see paintings of animals. How fun! I'd come back here in a heartbeat.

Chad Dennis

Wonderful place to visit very educational. All the staff are extremely nice and helpful. We did the the Tiger Feeding and that was something you will never forget!

Amber

I picked this place for my 4yr old and it’s worth visiting the place amidst COVID. Well maintained and professional staffs around and crowd is very minimum. Small place and if you don’t have an expectation like a zoo, then this place is worth for kids.

Jim Reichert

Nice small zoo. Able to get close to animals

Chungmin Jeong

Nice small zoo with some beautiful mountains views. It gets busy after 10:30 am so we usually leave by then.

Evan Shields

My children loved this. We are from NYC and go to the Bronx Zoo often. My children this local zoo with great staff and fantastic animal exhibits.

Roxy Doll

Small but delightful zoo. In covid times it feels very safe: no crowds, staff are being cautious, there are arrows and things for easy social distancing. The cougars and tigers are the stars but the wolves, emus, and alpacas are what we end up gazing at the longest and enjoying the most. Really friendly staff will tell you about the animals in general and about the specific individual creatures at the zoo.

Soul Wolf (soulcraft13)

Great assortment of animals with some of the best staff around! 100% worth a visit to see the cool critters

Kassy Stuart

Really nice assortment of animals. 3 beautiful cougars. GO COUGS!

Dave Kurtz

Small zoo but lovely, got the 1 year pass

Danielle Knudson

$16–20

Ghost Squad Blog

Easy to get to. No tolls! And not crowded. Had a great time feeding the critters with my 2 year old. 4 and up can feed the tigers. Check out the reindeer festivle in Dec.

Trenice-Gilliam Talking It Out With T

Love the Cougar Mountain Zoo , all of the natural right in the middle of a concrete jungle. The Holiday Lights were amazing, definitely going back next year.

Leydis Eawaz

My favorite place. Invest in a yearly membership. Great for all ages - everyone loves furry babies... and feathered ones too!

simon Knight

Really small but intimate zoo. I had a much better experience here than any other zoo in recent history.

Shahida Choudary

This is a Great little zoo, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's tucked away in a neighborhood, surrounded by beautiful houses, with a great view of the lake. The layout is very well thought out and flows nicely, with a good mix of predators and non-predators alike.

Rachel Jenkins

This is such a fun place to go! The kids loved feeding the reindeer. This zoo is the perfect size...not overwhelming. We will definitely be back.

Yoshi Golfer

Yes

Jeff Roubal

A bit pricy for its size, but it's well maintained and clean throughout. The staff are friendly and helpful. They have a small but unique collection of animals and you can get really close to most of them. Worth the visit.

Ginger Larson

WRONG HRS 9AM-5PM NOOOOOO ITS NOT 24HRS LOL DROVE SO FAR...... AND WASNT ABLE TO SEE SIMBA,,, THEY ACTUALLY CLOSE 9AM 5PM

Leah Russell

Good place for kids to spend some time. Macaw's and other birds are entertaining. Cougars and tigers mostly rest and sleep so it's your luck of the draw if they are active. Overall it's alright to spend a couple of hours at this place. I would still recommend the woodland zoo if you want a more immersive experience.

John McDermott

very clean and organized but small

TheCHIEF BIGFAITH

Really fun zoo. Nice volunteers walking around to tell you about the animals.

Brian St.Pierre

$11–15

Ward Bisson

I love Cougar Mountain Zoo! It's more of a fabulous habitat than a zoo. The animals and birds there are getting to be just like family that we visit. We'll be back many times more to visit!

AJ Arms

Price for adult entry

Adam Van Meter

Wonderful place. Great and informed people.

Laurent P

$11–15

Sarah DH

No

Aaron Sturm

Small in size but great on animal viewing. Easy to feed the non carnivore animals. Nice spot to sit and eat lunch or grab an ice cream from the gift shop.

monica nesan

Small zoo but very nice!

Cammi McLain

Note to bring walking shoes and some water. I enjoy seeing animals well loved. Yes all the animals are not in huge in closer but they all look have he's were they feel safe and enjoy their care. Everything is well cared for and clean for animals and visitors. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We asked way to many question and never felt like they were bothered to answer or it was a dumb question. Would recommend for families of all ages and a great date spot. Not a late zoo but a must visit.

Armin Isarian

Reservation recommended

Amol Thorat

A very small and poor zoo with very few animals, seems unhealthy and depressed. It was really sad to see two depressed and lethargic tigers. Also three bored wolves. Two sleeping kangaroos and some shed wool deer. The llamas, like the deer, were lethargic. The design of the zoo is very poor and old style and nothing can find to eat. except a vending machine. In general, we regretted going to this zoo. My kids don't want to go back there.

Jennifer Baker

Wonderful outing for kids and adults alike. Friendly staff. Friendly animals. It was the perfect activity for Father's Day. The facilities are well maintained, the animals well cared for, and the atmosphere educational.

Susan Conrad-Wang

Price for adult entry

IamKen

Just passing threw when my family decided to stop by this little zoo. If you don’t have time to tour the bigger zoo in Seattle this zoo would definitely work for you. It’s smaller then most zoo but they have so many cute animals. You can also feed some of the animals apples which was fun. I definitely recommend this place if your on a time crunch.

Auto Carrier LLC

Interesting spot. Interesting collection of animals. NOT busy at 3pm on Friday. It's not a large location, but a wide variety of signs of seemingly varied importance regardless of size,, color,, simplicity,, made it confusing about the best and right path to visit the reindeer. I definitely visited at the wrong /hot part of the day, since everyone was hiding from the sun. The person selling tickets explained in rocket-speed, as if I'd been there before. After I bought the apple chunks and entered to park I forgot where I was supposed to use them. Glad I bought the apples, emu and alpaca seemed entertained. I've been chased by wild emus trying to steel hotdogs off the grill, glad you have a buffer zone so no one tries to hand feed those VERY aggressive birds! It was smaller than I anticipated, but I didn't do much homework. I could envision volunteering there, but probably wouldn't otherwise need to return.

louis l

Beautiful zoo with a focus on endangered species. Make sure you talk to staff - they are super knowledgeable and passionate about their animals! The tiger falls and wolf exhibits are particularly beautiful, but each area was clearly designed/landscaped with the particular species in mind.

sh al

Weekend

Angelique Connell

Good place to spend an hour - do not expect the grandeur of a large zoo. Most fun was to feed apples to the alpaca’s

Ernest Huntress

Nice little zoo where the animals have spacious, well maintained habitats.

Jeremy W. Hodges

Beautiful place, kids enjoyed so much. Would love to go again..

Leah Ingram

What a lovely small zoo so great for all ages but the littles it's the best cause they can feed the animals

Bay Bati

Neat and tidy little zoo with great employees.

Direesh Kumar Kandakatla

No wait

Lindsay Decker

Visited on

Amanda Song

Visited on

Becky Yandrasitz

Weekend

Danni Farnsworth

No wait

J Williams

A family favorite! The tiger exhibits are definitely thought provoking and difficult to get enough of. Another excellent reason to come here is the large collection of vibrant macaws.

Shell Braasch

Pretty good, no frills, small, child-friendly zoo. Very basic, but nice for a small kid with a short attention span.

Jitendra Keswani

Reservation recommended

anoop jose

Very nice small zoo. Animals looked good with only a few pacing. Looks like they are doing the best they can to make natural habitats.

ravi kiran

Amazing! So many amazing animals too look at, all pretty close to you! We loved feeding the alpacas and deer, they are very gentile so your kids can feed them too! The tigers were so close! And beautiful. Would go again!

Geoffrey Lin

Awesome experience... hope to come back in the summer to meet all the birds

Jason Pankow

The zoo is in the middle of Issaquah closer to south Bellevue . It’s so great and the enclosures are pretty cool . We saw cougars , tigers , wolves , deer , reindeers and lots more ! They have a full areas for parrots and it was glorious ! This is the perfect place for younger children and the staff was super friendly

Page Dearborn

The Zoo is nestled on the north facing slope of Cougar Mountain with a breathtaking view of the Cascade Mountain range and blue color Lake Sammamish(On a sunny day). A must visit place for kids. This zoo has a small collection of wild animals but they are so cute. During this Pandemic the crowd was less so we got more time for ourselves and at peace, no rush. I really enjoyed time with so many parrots and few of them are not even in cages.

Aqib Bhat

Very friendly staff. Zoo is not big but very well maintained

Sandra Colón-Pierce

Price for adult entry

Carly Hess

Ample parking though no shade from the midday sun. Employees wandered and engaged with us, telling us about the animals we saw which was nice. It wasn't very busy at all, we saw maybe 10 other families the couple hours we were there. The wolf viewing room was a cool shaded break from the hot sun, and concrete benches inside it were cool. Animals were pretty active for a hot Wednesday afternoon and we could see many of them. It was very fun to feed some of them bites of apple, my toddler especially enjoyed it. We plan to return enough we bought a membership, nice that this comes with a keychain of our choice to remember our fun!

Marcus Birju

Employees nice and helpful on how to start your walkthrough

Sashi rachakonda

This is small amazing zoo. Very friendly staff and well kept animals.

Babitha M

Yes

Brookie Kookie

Visited on

Yogendra Voggu

It's super small, but very worth it. Everything is just so up close and personal. Ha

Pushkar Pahare

Wait time

Adrienne Jordan

Visited on

Alena Pushkina

Great for preschool or elementary kids. Fun for others too. AAA and Passport discounts.

Curtis Stine

Visited on

Edwin Bjore

Delightful. It took about an hour to see everything. Clean zoo

Sara Hinson Bond

Visited on

Sneha Tendolkar

Great local and low key zoo. Buy your tickets in advance and buy apple slices to hand-feed the alpacas!!

Kevin Long

Knowledge friendly staff and very convenient location. Very reasonable entry fee, good for all ages. Mostly stroller friendly, great little gift shop, perfect place to hold birthday parties. Many animal interactions come as part of the entrance fee but for a small fee you can feed lions. Our kids loved it, well be back for sure!

Nicholas Godfrey

I did liked the zoo even been smaller one, after visiting other bigger zoo are Washington and California. I like the walk way structure which is shorter and gives different views from both side of the cages. Also, they have very limited variety of animals but the range of ???? is more. They have expansion in progress for World of lemur now. They do offer annual membership and also have one time entry valid for a day.

Lori Pak

Cozy, small, beautiful zoo! Macaws are amazing speaking creatures. Also I saw cougars , tigers, mule deers, alpacas, lemurs , wallabies, wolfes, cranes. There are pretty gallery and shop at the Zoo. Magic forest has bronze animal statues - very impressive. Must see, especially designed for small kids.

maxy cheriyan

We had an amazing time at the Cougar Mountain Zoo, we were able to see all the animals and birds! The zoo was well maintained and it was quite exciting to see the Tigers and feed the animals as well. We will definitely be visiting again!

Scott Henderson

Staff was super friendly, place was clean. Price was a bit high, but you have to remember it's a small zoo and I'm sure maintenance is high and I don't think they get as much support as others like woodland or Port defiance. The animals are limited and it's mostly birds. But it was still cool for my 2.5 year old to see the tigers and wolves way closer than you could in Seattle or Tacoma

Sheila Massingale

Might be smaller but the kids will love it ! Beautiful animals and a staff that knows them so well. We had a great intern explaining the wolves to us today, and the cougars. Kids talked about it all the way home - gorgeous birds , happy alpacas and much more

Gregory Burton

Beautiful Zoo. The animals are out where you can view them. Friendly helpers. Beautiful grounds and well maintained. I can hardly wait to go back in warm weather.

Rebecca Godinez

Price for adult entry

Richelle Kala-Lufulwabo

One of the best zoo's I have been too so far and a great place to bring the kids and family as well I will be coming back in the spring or summer time to see all of the animals.

Marlene Reite

Price for adult entry

Jessica Habbe

Very cute zoo. We all loved it. And especially how close we could get to the animals. Hope you add more exhibits. Will come back????

Lauren T

Not a large zoo, but very unique. We were able to feed some of the animals, which we haven't been able to since we were kids. Very hilly, but nice places to stop and rest. The bird area was fantastic. You have to see Milo dance!

Jeff Miller

Wait time

John Carvalho

Good zoo for small kids 2-5. Not too overwhelming. They have about 5-6 animals and about same birds. My 2YO enjoyed walking upto animals. You can also feed some herbivores there. You can pay $2 a small cup of apples at the counter or bring €50s to use the vending machines installed at stalls. There are more life-size animal statues than live animal itself, which is also ok for learning kids. Usually zoos are big and tiring, this one is small (good for the price you pay) and big enough to make your kid sleepy by the end of it. My LO liked the Macao birds. They were colorful and out in open.

Brigitte Donohue

Love it! Small but super cozy zoo. You can feed animals :)

Chelsea Thatcher

On the smaller side when it comes to zoos but it was worth the visit! Beautiful enclosures, talkative Macaws and even got to feed some animals!

Garrett Steele

A surprisingly nice zoo! We got very close to the animals. Kids love it more than the woodland.

Jason Lukas

Such a fun time at reindeer fest the other day. Not a lot of people. Santa was great.

Cindy Coleman

Great place to spend a sunny afternoon. You can feed some of the animals, including the wallabies and alpacas! The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend a visit.

Marina Sergacheva

My daughter had fun running around and feeding the Alpaca.

Kubie Q

Well maintained. Good amount of animals and birds compare to the zoo area. Safetywise good. They provided sanitizing wipe at the ticket center, also they have hand sanitization station. Little pricey compared to the size of the zoo, cutting one star for that.

PRATHAMESH GOVEKAR

Nice little zoo, was meters away from the cougars!

James Visevoan

Weekend

Hephzi

Love This Zoo ! Had a great time I really wish they will Add More animals in the future and make it bigger.

Ashley Cortese

Our office was at the Zoo today helping with a number of items that they needed repaired or built. We got a lot done and a good time was had by all.

Suzanne C

This is a very nice zoo. It's well kept. The staff are very friendly and informative. You can also feed some animals.

Papa zimmerman

Beautiful zoo with endangered animals. You can see the majority in close proximity. It also has a nice view of Lake Sammamish.

samuel berdinner

Great zoo and the zoo keepers are so kind and knowledgeable which really enhances the experience!

Alexis Bradley

We brought two of our Grandkids and all four of us had a great time. It was a Beautiful day. Would highly recommend coming here to Cougar Mt Zoo.

Donniell

Wait time

Bri Larin

A small but nice to visit zoo. It took us like an hour and half to tour it all. They have a nice gift shop by entrance and my kiddos always like to pick up some stuffed animals before we leave. We visited at 1:30pm and unfortunately many of the animals were sleeping (the tiger, the wolfs which are my fav). However, we enjoyed seeing the parrots and the lama and many other animals there. Really worth the visit for your little ones to connect with nature and God creatures who u really don’t common see any where else. They have rare parrots there that are extinct or threatened. Happy to know this zoo is contributing to making a safe habitat to them.

Byron Jennings

Very very small for its prices. Wish there was more to see. Kids liked that you can feed some of the animals. Not stroller friendly lots of gravel

Queenie Sunshine

Very cute zoo. It’s not big so max of 2 hours to spend there. Large variety of birds. The best part is the kids were able to feed some of the animals which was a plus . Very nice view of the mountains as well . We come here once a year . The kids love it

Lucinda Day

Very small and the food that you feed to the animals you basically have to throw to them except for the deer

Robert Kim

Small zoo, would be easy to walk for a family with small children. There are activities that you can do (though you have to pay extra). Will come back. This place does offer group discounts and military service discounts.

Jasdeep Singh

Not sure

sudhakar pattabiraman

Good place, not too big of a zoo...better go early when cats are active, afternoon they are sleepy and not very exciting.

Susan C

Wait time

Chava Fay

No wait

Karen Lunde Hertzberg

It's a good place ????❤

Ambika Sabeshan

No

Viktoriia Zubarieva

Such a cute zoo! Wasn't very busy, and loved being able to feed some of the animals.

Lerika Mallayeva

Weekday

Victoria Kurtz

Clean and several hand sanitizing stations throughout. Zoo employees did learning exhibits and enforced social distancing guidelines. It felt like a “safe” outing for the kids.

Christopher Bryant

Such a small, perfect and peaceful zoo. Haven’t been here in forever and realize how fun it is. Huge selection of entertaining birds. Beautiful to see cougars and tigers.

Zach Denton

Weekend

chelsea cornett

The place was very nice, but the Wolf area make me scared about the kids, I think they need to be more secure than that.

Fred Roberts

Great little zoo to visit...nicely set out and staff are very nice.

Yade Cai

This is a great zoo for kids of all ages. We fed alpacas and reindeer and watched tigers and cougars eat. My kids enjoyed the Magic Forest due to the wonderful docent. He had them complete a game that involved matching feathers to their owners. Very fun and he was great with the children!

Andre White

Superb place. It's a small zoo with 4 tigers, 4 cougars, 4-5 wolves, bunch of mountain deers, few macaos, few cranes. The fun part about this place is you can feed all these animals. Do check them out on website for timings of feeding before going.

Blake Stephens

Good and well maintained one. We spent around an hour there and kids had a nice time.

Sleepy Q60

My favourite little zoo in the town! Never gets tiring. Despite being borderline tiny, they have some of the best animals and cleanest enclosures. The main attraction is of course the Tigers section but my personal favorite is the one with Wolves. They have regular programs for kids, guided tours and shows that are neat. Note that because of covid 19 those shows are mostly canceled. You can still enter the zoo and walk around. Overall, pretty little place for you to take kids and guests for half a day outing. They also let you arrange small celebrations and parties in designated areas. I guess kids would love their birthdays being celebrated here. 10/10 place. Do visit. Friendly and knowledgeable staff just adds to the already great experience.

Jennifer Bodkin

This is a sweet little zoo with the friendliest staff. A great place to see some interesting animals and learn about them.

Nikki Savage

This zoo is pretty small and has very few animals. The habitats are small, especially for tigers. Habitats are cage like and are not very open or natural. Visitors are very close to the cage walls and so are the animals. Overall feels like a private menagerie made into a zoo. Considering the admission fee is similar to other zoos, there is no reason not to visit a larger and more humane zoo instead

Gadde Maruthi Rao

Good fun. Especially with younger kids

Kevin Coughlin

Yes

Lindsay G

No wait

Ayah Abdelbaki

If you live nearby the annual membership is worth it. With COVID you’re advised to buy from the available slots ahead of time. Microsoft PRIME gets you $2 off. The animals were lively in the AM slot.

Norma Pomber

Nice little zoo. Animals seem well attended, and cared for. Lots of parrot type birds. Staff seemed knowledgable. Alpacas were a hoot

Shamsa

Cougar Mountain Zoo is an amazing place not many people know about. Great selection of animals and the staff is both friendly and informative

Patti Wiley

We got to feed the tigers--so awesome! The animals look healthier and happier at this zoo than a certain other zoo around here. We always feel like we're a lot more up close with the animals here. It hasn't been crowded the two times we've visited.

Mahesh Chittaranjan

Yes

M DP

Non profit status bumps this from a 4 to a 5.

Vivek Raman

It maybe smaller than I have been in, but absolutely wonderful. The staff is a wealth of information and so pleasant to talk to. Great way to introduce young children to wild animals. Thank you

Kayokun

$16–20

Ayman Afifi

No wait

Gayathri Sreekumar

Incredible experience to be so close to tiger in tiger encounter. Feeding also wonderful.

Debbie Johnson

No wait

Dylan Braverman

Great small zoo! Wonderful cats and birds! The wolf exhibit is better from the top viewing area.

YEN SHI

Small but very interesting and entertaining. The animals seemed to be very well cared for and the zoo has a committed message about conservation and care for endangered species. I appreciated the tiger talk and the animal walkabout, it was great to speak with the keepers. The bronze statue garden is really beautiful as well.

Kara Drew

It was a great place to take younger kids (stroller friendly) and the price was amazing. Loved being able to walk around and see the animals. Truly a great experience.

Ella Staniford

The staff are fantastic! We brought our little preschool there for a field trip.

Sachin Kulkarni

I always love this small but animal packed zoo. I feel like I get to be so much closer to the animals and get to feed some too! My Son (6 years old) loves this place so much and never wants to leave. We usually go through it 2 times at minimum before we leave. The staff I always so friendly!

Aniket Oak

Wait time

Barb H

Very good prices , big selection of animals

Tracy Benjamin

We enjoy visiting the zoo, staff and environment is great, all the animals are amazing to watch.

Aldo Porcallo

Beautiful zoo, a pleasure to visit!

Mubashir Koul

Okay, so wow! This was such a fun place to visit! We went today around 130 and spent a few hours here. It wasn't too crowded at all and the staff and volunteers/interns were super friendly and nice and knowledgeable about the animals. The big cats were pretty calm today but I think this place has feeding times where maybe the public can view it. This is a great place to bring kids but man, adults would have a good time too. You can adopt animals and I'll be doing that in the near future. Oh, and you can buy cups of apples to feed certain animals (there are signs where it's acceptable and where it's not). Cups cost 2 dollars each so the girlfriend and I bought 10 cups and had a blast feeding them. You're allowed to hand feed a few of the animals too. Man, just go there. It's cool. =)

Music101

Price for adult entry

Timothy Hatter

Great Zoo, really enjoyed our time here.

Danny Velazquez

Wait time

Ken Lee

$16–20

Brandon Hall

Yes

Mark Corrigan

Very fun. Nice zoo. Just big enough to keep grandsons interest.

George Mathew

The staff was wonderful and feeding the alpacas was an absolute unexpected joy. I should warn you, though, that the signage about how exactly each animal can harm you using very specific language was both hilarious and alarming. There’s also a weird castle looming over the zoo and the vibe is definitely “someone owned these animals illegally and we quickly made a zoo about it.” All this said— worth the trip

lellieu

Wait time

Shan Gao

Price for adult entry

Janis Ann

$21–30

Damien Frye

Such a cool zoo, in a set back and secluded location! All the rare birds are fabulous. Their golden Bengal Tiger Taj is so beautiful. The staff and handlers are informative, always around to have questions asked and answered. Will be sure to come anytime we can!

Randi Thomas

Awesome zoo! While it is smaller than most- you are able to enjoy all the animals so much more!! Plus the staff is super friendly!

Justin H

A great zoo for little ones. My 2 year old and I went two times around the zoo in 2 hours. Love how you can see all the animals up close and that they have so many statues of other zoo animals. Hoping to come back when more features are open like feeding animals or seeing presentations.

Pavel Glukhov

A small yet very busy mini zoo, cougars, tigers, many other small animals, great vistas. A non-profit zoo. Great for little kids, the macaws were many and very loud.

JasMon B

Price for adult entry

Dominique Scott

Albino Tiger is Awesome. Animals look healthy , wolves look happy. Now the bad , A few parrots are stressed and shivering in the cold. Tigers are fed Horse meat consistently. Overall it’s a Great facility.

Whiskey Juliet

It's a great place to visit with family. They have good collection of animals, especially tigers, wolves and macaws.

Becky Wachtman

we enjoyed our visit to the zoo. ????????

Chris Shroff

Small zoo with knowledgeable staff and clean facilities. Parking is a challenge in the morning as the lot is packed and the ditches just off the street make parking outside difficult. One person had gone into the ditch with the roadside wheels a little in the air and needed to call roadside assistance. The parking lot does start emptying towards noon and that is perhaps the time to visit. The zoo has a some nice exhibits especially the Cougars, Tigers and Macaws. You can feed the tigers for a fee or watch the zookeeper feed the tigers for free at 1:00 pm. There are 4 tigers in all, 2 white, 1 orange and 1 golden. The bird show at 1:30 pm in the main arena is a treat that is not to be missed. The macaws really do put up a performance that is worth watching. Cougars are on at 2:30 pm and again is something worth staying for. You get to feed some of the animals like the Llama, Emu, Deer and Reindeer. The animals come up right up to take the food from your palm. A nice experience, especially for kids, so don't forget to get food for the animals at the ticket counter. There is seating in the main arena which includes some in the shade and others open to the sky where you can enjoy your lunch. As there is no cafeteria, do pack your own lunch.

Ramanathan Kathiresan

No wait

Mikel Borgaard

We had a great experience! Such a knowledgeable and friendly staff. You can see the animals at a pretty close distance and feed apples to the reindeer and mule deer. My 4 yr old loved it.

Mehul Rajput

Small zoo in a residential neighborhood near Lake Sammamish. Not a very well known zoo in this region, but this place has a lot to see. Gorgeous views of Lake Sammamish. Good place to kill time or go for a walk and see the tigers, wolves, birds and other animals. No aquarium or elephants here.

Kris Strand

It’s pretty small, we only spent an hour or so, and there’s not much to see. A lot of the animals, especially the birds seem to have pretty small habitats. I did enjoy getting to feed some of the animals, especially the alpacas.

Donald Oster

Amazing experience! Very small, very very clean lil zoo with an array of endangered species. Lots to do here including feeding the tigers(cost more but worth it I'm sure). We will be back!

ABrr -

Good variety of animals despite how small the zoo is. Kids had fun! Wolves were cool to see, moving around. Kids liked throwing coins into the wishing wells/ fountains! Kids got to feed reindeer/ deer! Gift shop was really small. Overall good!!

BiG PAHA

Reservation recommended

Jantzen And Nancy Hunsaker

The front desk lady was SO rude and disrespectful. I took the kids I nanny here and we’re members, just like we have many times before. I walk up and she starts by saying tickets? I said “we’re members here’s the…” and before I could even finish my sentence she rudely interrupted saying “ID! Give me your ID!” Which I’ve never done before at this zoo. I I said “should I just give you my ID next time?” She rolled her eyes and huffed and gave a snobby chuckle. I told her I’m just trying to understand what we should do for next time. Cougar mountain zoo, please put your genuine staff up front.

Jeannie Sams

AMAZING! We had a great trip and it was an awesome experience feeding the animals is a great way to interact. If you're considering coming know it's going to be smaller but a really fun experience and unlike the bigger zoos someone is always around to answer questions.

John Buzzard

Weekend

chuck baker

Great little hidden place.

Bill Merrow

We had a good time.. Smaller zoo, but you can get a lot closer to animals than larger zoos. My 10 yr old daughter had a blast.

Justin Kendall

Pretty zoo with a nice variety of well-cared-for animals. I especially enjoyed the macaw exhibit. The only reason for the 4-star rating is that there is no food (other than sugary/salty snacks in the gift shop) or cafe... or even drinking fountains (that we saw). We'll pack water next time! ????

Charls

Nice zoo. Loved the Bengal tiger

Meagan Swanlund

Lots of great animals. Nice staff. Was surprised our 2 year and 1 month old grandson had to pay. Should be free for under 3.

Aiden

Weekday

R Chu

Nice small zoo near to Issaquah. There is an entry fee of around $20. The highlight being the Bengal tigers.

Aidan/kx James

Visited on

ʞɔnq ᴉʞsuɐlod

Great zoo for toddlers. They can see variety of animals and birds but it doesn't take the whole day so they don't get cranky by the end. Plus you can feed lamas and emus, which is also an interesting experience for the little ones.

Ben Scofield

Fun way to get out of the house, even on a wet day.

Melanie Russell

Easily a 5 star rating. These people are awesome! Yes its small, its not a place that will take up your whole day but you sacrifice the big and more diverse animal viewings for a much closer look at some truly magnificent beings. Every place we stopped to look, there was a employee who was more than willing to impart their knowledge of not only the species but the specific animals (by name) who did what, looked like what, what personality traits each animal had, it was so intriguing, interesting and enlightening. Not to mention you could tell that these caretakers really enjoyed their jobs. We will definitely be back. My 4.5yo kiddo absolutely loved it.

Kate Norman

great little zoo - small exhibits with you close to the animals. Fine photo opportunities.

Karin V

Nice little zoo compared to the woodlands park zoo. You get to feed the animals, which is a big plus and my kid enjoyed that most.

Henrietta Hughes

Great little zoo with the best tigers and wolves I've ever seen!

Wendy Swanson

Such an awesome place, even with covid! The staff were amazing. We miss being able to see the bird show and be able to feed the animals but the trip was absolutely worth the it!

Jaelee Crow

We were a little bit hesitant to go there as sometime we could not see most of the animals in a zoo. But that was not the case at Cougar Mountain Zoo. We reached there around 11 with our toddler baby. Every animals were in front of us and our toddler baby fef the alpaca and mule deer and we.enjoyed so so much. Really fortunate to visit there and have such a wonderful time

Kris Grin

No wait

Ashlie Miller

Cute spot to take the kids. Not very big and therefore not too overwhelming for smaller kids.

Kendall McConatha

Recommended visit!!! The only thing is say is the Leemers (small monkeys) need more space. Other than that pretty nice little zoo. I was here on a quick random date.

Dianne Aguilar

Such a great place to bring the kiddo (almost 3)! We had a great time feeding the animals and the staff was incredibly friendly and personable. Can't wait to come back!

Ken Matzkin

It is very clean and the animal selection is very interesting. It is great that they seem to be expanding, saw a new structure that was under construction.

Jessica Beecher

Its a relatively small zoo. But the animals seem treated well, we got to feed alpaca's and some other animals and it has lovely views. Good for atleast an hours entertainment even with some parts closed.

Shae Rinke

Best small zoo ever. I have never before been so close to the tigers and so many of the others animals. This zoo has everything you would want like a bird show and tiger talks without the crowds.

Cindy M

Visited on

Tim Morrisey

Can't believe I hadn't visited here yet! It's a beautiful park with fantastic facilities for the animals. If you make it out there to visit, absolutely book the Tiger Tunnel!! If you're lucky the tigers will come and sniff/lick your hands through a thin metal sheet with holes. Feeling one so close, breathing on your hands and chuffing hellos was absolutely breathtaking!

Maggie Lyttle

Great place to visit with small children. Small zoo with roughly 10 types of animals. Staff were friendly as were the lamas. This guy was the life of the party.

Theresa Smith

Absolutely fantastic! Loved it! Well maintained and organized. The staff were all polite, courteous, and knowledgeable. The animals looked clean, calm, and majestic. The Bengal Tigers were truly a treat to watch. One of cougars was much more massive than the others and awe inspiring. The cranes were gorgeous. The wolves were also beautiful while macaws were creating quite a ruckus with their noises. Hats off to everyone at the Cougar Mountain Zoo!

Mary Scramlin

It was super fun seeing and feeding the animals. Specially the Tigers! They were so amazingly Beauty. I really loved going then and would definitely go again. ????

Daniel Peterson

Comfortable sized zoo with decent attractions. Worth a visit if you are in the area or need to kill some time.

Danielle Cox

Reservation recommended

Teri Brown

This was a super clean superb experience. Lots to see. A good variety of animals. But the real show is the birds. They are beautiful. Oh and the reindeer.

Eila Pergiel

$16–20

Sean L

$11–15

Alex Gillespie

Lovely small zoo that gets you up close and personal with the animals. We came for the reindeer festival and Santa. The kids loved getting to throw apples to the reindeer, and Santa was so warm and friendly.

Rebecca Culver

When I get to feed the tigers I'll give it five stars. The animals are so so close to you but there aren't that many to see. However the won't matter when you get to feed them. We will see...

Patty Brown

This place was such a hit with the grandkids. It's a little small, so don't expect anything really robust like other big-city zoos, but it is done really well. The exhibits were really fun and quite different from what I grew up seeing. I know the family had a terrific time.

Liss Vale

A great place for young kids. Keep in mind it's a small zoo when you go.

Kileigh Clough

What a cute little zoo! Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Had a great time!

Janna Sadulla

Small but really nice - our toddler especially loved all the birds and alpacas! We can't wait to go back again.

Ana Balam

Amazing place to take you kids for a few hours out. Good place for kids who are interested in animals. Best to go early in the day, animals are more active.

Irfan Sheikh

Fun place to bring the littles. A little on the pricey side for the size if the zoo.

Sara

Wait time

Samah Magid

Pretty good. Parking is free & only a few steps from entrance. However, this is a VERY SMALL animal habitat - NOT your typical public zoo. I was expecting a LONG day at the zoo but quickly realized i saw everything already. So i repeated my loop several times - & tried to see some of the special events they have listed on the map with times ⏰ included. It's a pretty casual environment - so i tried to mellow out. Lots of great birds - some will say 'hello' back to you. Great bengal tigers. Cool cougar. Wolves. Cranes. Emu. Alpacas just got their hair cut. Bird show NOT included on weekdays ( they DON'T tell you unless you ask). Tiger feeding was pretty tame - just a palm branch ???? which he enjoyed - but i was hoping to see him eat a big chunk of meat ????.

Shirlene Burton

It was very nice, clean. People were moved a long with distancing due to Covid. Staff were awesl.e

Jen Owen

All the animals were interesting to learn about and your able to feed certain ones with treats provided but the only problem is the low amount of animals to see which makes it about a 30 minute viewing

Kellie Mattingly

A perfect Zoo for the entire Family It's a must see. ????❤️

Dina Crump

Check it out, it's a small zoo but they do a good job with what they have

Melody Dougherty Anderson

This place can be misleading but you should only expect to be here 30 mins - 1 hour. It is a very small zoo but it provides a great variety of animals. Their birds are the star of the zoo. I enjoyed them the most The had lemurs, wolves, 3 tigers, 2 cougars, deers, and many birds. We had a field trip here with some kids and we expected to be here for 2 hours but we had to try hard to find some things to do for that long. It it very clean and did not stink at all. They had shows but were fairly short. Worth a visit if you're around the area.

Corey Birch

Cougar Mountain Zoo was a great place to spend a couple of hours with the kids. It was easy to get around and the animals were all within view and fairly close so the kids got a great chance to see them. When you get your tickets you can purchase a cup of apples to feed some of the animals and my kids loved feeding the deer. The zoo was very clean, no animal poop odor even in the PNW heat wave and the animals all seemed very well cared for. The employees were all extremely friendly and helpful.

Sheeva Khastoo

Even with the rain pouring down, this was a beautiful zoo, well worth the trip! Absolutely loved it!

Jon Leckband

Small zoo, you can literally finish in about 2 hours. Staff isn’t very friendly and they don’t post the map on their website… I wonder why. Don’t waste your time with this zoo, unless your kids are under 3. Most of the big animals are sleeping and appear drugged. Gift shop is small and is selective on what they sell, mainly things for kids vs keepsakes.

Bianca Malone

Price for adult entry

Kenneth Morris

Not a lot of walking which is nice if you have little ones. Great tiger exhibit and lots of macaws of all kinds. The bronze statues of animals were fun and the enclosures were open and easy to see animals.

Karen Garcia

Pretty cool zoo, it is a little small but nice.

CHRIS MEDINA

Everyone in the family liked it, & we range in ages 8 mths-35 y/o, w/ a 5, 10, 12 & 13 yr old kid also. Not much can entertain all that. Ticket prices were to much for what was offered. Animals in 85% of the viewing areas. Lots of parrots, macaws, etc. Kids loved talking to them, & were surprised when one said hello. Fun feeding some animals apples, although I feel the apples cost should be included. It costs $2 for each cup of apples. The zoo could be rather blah without that experience. We went later in the day, only gave ourselves 1 hour. They started closing down (beginning @ back of park, working their way up) by 4:40ish, when they didn't close until 5pm. That sucked, seeing as there wasn't much direction given via posted maps, signs, guides, etc so we did some back tracking. The esthetics of the animal viewing cages could be improved greatly. Would be nice to have some better photo ops with the animals, instead of through cage bars or glass. Also, there is a huge birthday chair in front of a beautiful mountain & field view. ???? You'll want a pic there for a memento, as will the kids. Only you will be disappointed as it's chained off & only for birthday party guests.

Jaimie Sullivan

I love this place! Beautiful animals and scenery!

Christopher William

Reservation recommended

jessica sode

Reservation recommended

Annie Durbin

We had a great time seeing all the animals and feeding the Reindeer!

supriya dubey

$11–15

Anwar Ali

Nice small zoo to bring your kids to.

Jodee Rogers

Beautiful zoo to take kids. Loved the view of natural beauty from up there. They have cougar, royal bengal tiger, white tiger, wolves, deer, alpaca/ llama, cranes, emus, macaws (really beautiful and loud ones ????), reindeers. You can feed alpaca and deer with your hand. You can also feed reindeers, emu and wallaby by throwing food in their pen. Zoo sell one small cup of cut apples for $2 to feed animals.

Glen Booker

Beautiful, hidden gem of a zoo! Breathtaking views and gorgeous, well-cared for animals. Woodland Park regulars might be shocked at how tiny Cougar Mountain is, but it is a treat to experience the smaller, quieter atmosphere at least once. Don't miss the Tiger talk/feeding! (parents with young, preschool-aged children: we went on a Fall weekday and pretty much had the zoo to ourselves! We got to sit right by the fence and watch the tigers without fighting through crowds - so great!)

Donald Bowell

Reservation recommended

Magno Alvaes

Great place for the kids to go and some wildlife!

Richard Hart

Visited on

kevin phillips

The zoo is definitely on the smaller side as zoo's go. It's beautifully designed and landscaped. The animals are mostly awake and happy. My children had such a great time.

Amy Righetti

Reservation recommended

Deanna Nelson

Small but cozy local Zoo.

Krittiya Mahakrittiyadhorn

The zoo itself was not that large, but it still had amazing animals. There were: Tigers, Cougars, Reindeer, Parrots, Emus, Cranes, Lemurs, Llamas and more! The staff are nice and there are lots of places to make donations to the zoo. Exploring the whole place will take a little more than an hour so don’t come here and expect your whole day to be spent here. It’s a great place to come with your kids and family. Recommend to animal lovers!

darlene alfonzo

It's a great little zoo. Get the apples; the animals in the second half love them. Also, the family/season pass makes more sense than the single pass.

Greta Harris

The zoo is little bit too small for my toddler , but good for small children .

Lauren Plante

Family and I had the very best time. Wolves, tigers ,cougars, reindeer just to name a few!!! There's also animals that you can feed .The gift shop is accommodating,, with great items for lasting memories! Wasn't very crowded. The staff is very friendly. Highly recommend & will be purchasing membership :)

Pepper Pociask

It was very entertaining but only a couple hour trip

Theresa Crecelius

We enjoyed feeding the deer, their soft cheeks made my littles giggle. The alpacha were cool too. They had 4 beautiful wolf's and we fed several animals.

Linda Ramos

Small, but professional, clean place with classical music playing to sooth the 'residents'. Offer options to feed herbivores inexpensively. Also offer additional pay options for close encounters with tigers, cougers, and lemurs. Loved my tiger tunnel and feeding experiences. Staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and put both safety and needs of animals first.

Debra Robles

For $20 more take your family to woodland park zoo... A real zoo. This feels like a Carol Baskin project in Issaquah... With some cool birds ????

Alfred Ng

No wait

M. P.

Wonderful zoo. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Can't wait to take my young toddlers back very enriching experience.

Mercedes Crabtree

Love it..! Me, my wife and 18months old daughter had great time. Well organized in smaller area and amazing Sammamish lake view. Few collection of wild animals, all are healthy, happy and active. Macaws are super entertaining, and they also have timely session where they explain about animals/birds and patiently answers guest's questions.

Kellie Masters

What an incredible place to visit, especially on a beautiful day. Views are gorgeous, animals are incredible, and staff s great!

Sarah Lorang

An absolute GEM tucked into the hills south of I-90 near Lake Sammamish. Beautiful + well kept zoo. Very clean enclosures and the animals look content + happy. We loved it so much we bought a membership!

Zander Sawyer

Been to this zoo a couple times. As other reviewers have posted, it's not very big, you can complete the whole thing in a couple/three hours. The nice things are: It's well laid out, you can get really close to most of the animals and both times we've been, it was very clean. It is fun to hand-feed the animals and there is a nice variety. The negatives are the admission price, which is pretty high for what it is (I say that understanding these places aren't cheap to operate), and they have no shame in plugging requests for donations and gift shop purchases. We watched one of the bird shows and they must've asked for some form of financial contribution (photo op, donation, gift shop purchase, etc.) about 6 times during the show. Additionally (I acknowledge this is strictly a personal preference) they blast classical music over the loudspeakers, especially at the entrance gate. I get the theory of relaxing music but everyone in our party of seven agreed it was just waaaaay too loud and there was no real escape from it.

Andrea Marshall

Fun, small zoo. Perfect way to spend a few hours with kids

Sathyaraj G

Truly extraordinary. My wife and I got to feed bengal tigers, have conversations with birds, and feed beautiful mule deer. My wife even got chuffed at by a crazy alpaca! Expensive, but the price is worth it.

Christina Hendricks

The zoo is small, but great me and my Fiance had fun, however there are some spots where wheelchair access is not available, or hard to traverse when we went. So if your like me and have to use a wheelchair keep that in mind. But it's a great zoo you get to clearly see all the animals.

Rounak Morsalin

Such a hidden gem! Wish I had known about it back when I lived in the area and my son was younger but my daughter loved it. Covid protocols were carefully enforced. Grounds were clean, adequate space for distancing and clear directions for guests to follow. The zoo animals are a great mix of species and ample ways to view them. We will be back! Definitely recommend this place for littles.

Joe Iannarone

Wonderful and lively Zoo with a variety of birds and animals.Don’t miss out on the tiger feeding activity.

Laureen Kroeker

Admission is a donation to Zoo and tax deductible. Kids love it

Ashish Singh

Wait time

Soukna Hamade

Don't be fooled by the small acreage (relative to larger venues), there is a LOT to do and experience here. The animals are front-and-center for almost all the enclosures, offering up close views you're not likely to get elsewhere. The staff is interactive and friendly, and the open spaces are ideal for walking little ones around to look at their favorite animals. Stop by and spend a few hours learning and enjoying the experience!

shelby glazier

Social distancing in place. All birds exhibit is open. Make sure you say hi to the macaws. One of them will wave you. If you go at 4.30 feeding time for wolves, you can see them running around as they would in wild Dont miss the bengal tiger Get Apple treats , so you can feed the emu, illamas, deers ???? and magic forest area Takes about 1 to 2 hrs max. I recommend evening or morning. Avoid afternoons

Roger Vincer

This zoo focuses on rare breed animals that are endangered from becoming extinct. It is a small zoo and cannot be compared to the likes of Woodland Park zoo as an example. However, the zoo is really nice and well looked after and animals look in great condition. Great focus on so many different types of macaws, parrots etc as well as cranes. In addition Alpacas, magnificent Siberian rein deer, Wallabies, a few Tigers and of course Cougars. There were also a lot of Lemurs - ring tailed type but enclosure was closed to the public when we visited. Also saw a brief appearance of a beautiful porcupine from the animals hospital. Lots of interns, helpers and keepers on hand to ask questions and full program of daily talks about the animals and of course a short session showing off the antics of the macaws. Disappointed to see how small the separation enclosures were for the beautiful Royal Bengal Tigers.

Kirsten Harris

I love this zoo! The birds are amazing. The tigers & cougars are majestic. The Reindeer & Alpacas are fun. And more... A must visit!