Big Bear Alpine Zoo

Big Bear Alpine Zoo The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is San Bernardino County’s only zoo and also serves as a wildlife animal sanctuary, rehabilitation and education center.
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BBAZ opened in 1959 and has been saving animals since then. Most of the animals in our zoo are the ones that have been injured or impacted by humans and cannot be released back into the wild. Guests will enjoy our state of the art 5 acre facility which offers a close-up and personal experience with our animals. The brand new facility opened on November 5th, 2020.

11/14/2025

We offer our animals a variety of enrichment; one of the more immediate reactions or responses we observe is from carnivores smelling the scent of other animals. In this long (worth it😉) clip, we offered Holly and Hazel some hay from Bobcat Shakespeare's enclosure. Their reaction was immediate and each took turns rubbing and rolling in the hay.

11/13/2025

The wolf pack was offered 4 bones at the beginning of the day. We separate them so that each can have their own time chewing and gnawing on the bone. After about an hour, we gave them access to each other, and quite quickly, Ivar had 2 bones to himself and was very protective of them.
Visit the wolf pack daily from 10-4.

And don't forget Wild Lights tonight from 5-9

We've been receiving incredible feedback from guests attending the Wild Lights events occurring Wednesday - Sunday until...
11/12/2025

We've been receiving incredible feedback from guests attending the Wild Lights events occurring Wednesday - Sunday until Jan 4th. Here are a few amazing pics from some of our guests.

Honoring Our Veterans Today we proudly salute those brave enough to who have served our country. Your courage and dedica...
11/11/2025

Honoring Our Veterans

Today we proudly salute those brave enough to who have served our country. Your courage and dedication help protect the freedoms and wild spaces we all treasure.

As a small token of our gratitude, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo offers a military discount year-round to all active-duty service members and veterans.

Mtn. Lion Mondays!Visit Holly and Hazel daily from 10-4.
11/10/2025

Mtn. Lion Mondays!
Visit Holly and Hazel daily from 10-4.

Ivar at night!Visit our Wild Lights event tonight from 5-9.$20 admission Kids under 5 free Members free
11/09/2025

Ivar at night!

Visit our Wild Lights event tonight from 5-9.
$20 admission
Kids under 5 free
Members free

Mule Deer Shamrock (Shammy) and Clover have settled in nicely since arriving on St. Patrick's day earlier this year. Vis...
11/08/2025

Mule Deer Shamrock (Shammy) and Clover have settled in nicely since arriving on St. Patrick's day earlier this year. Visit them daily from 10-4.

And don't forget, Wild Lights taking place every Wed-Sun 5-9 from now until Jan. 4th. $20 admission; kids under 5 free; members free

11/07/2025

Sound up!
We offer weekly bones to the carnivores and some of the omnivores at the zoo. This promotes healthy dentition and provides great enrichment. In this clip, Bobcat Shakespeare was offered a large beef knuckle bone. He became very vocal and possessive of it and spent nearly an hour gnawing on it.
Visit Shakespeare daily from 10-4.

And don't forget Wild Lights every Wed-Sun from 5-9 until Jan 4th.

Tonight!!
11/06/2025

Tonight!!

We finally got our last harvest of the year out of the zoo garden before shutting it down for the season, and the star o...
11/06/2025

We finally got our last harvest of the year out of the zoo garden before shutting it down for the season, and the star of the show was the carrot haul! 🥕 There were more than enough to go around for every animal that loves to crunch on them!

This was our first year planting a wildlife snacking/pollinating garden, and even with getting a late start in the season we still got many different harvests from of a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers! It was such a treat to provide the animals at Big Bear Alpine Zoo with extra special dietary enrichment that was grown from scratch with love and care, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Thank you to: the zoo team members who approved and coordinated the installation of the garden, the grounds caretakers who installed the structure and irrigation, DIY Home Center for donating seeds and plants, and last but certainly not least, the FOBBAZ gardening club members who took care of the garden all summer long!

Grand Opening was a huge success!! Hope to see you tonight.
11/06/2025

Grand Opening was a huge success!! Hope to see you tonight.

The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is lighting up the night — for the very first time! Visit Big Bear presents the inaugural Wild ...
11/06/2025

The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is lighting up the night — for the very first time!

Visit Big Bear presents the inaugural Wild Lights at the Alpine Zoo! 🌟🐻
Experience the zoo in a whole new way as you stroll through a wonderland of sparkling lights, glowing animal displays, and festive magic.

Wednesdays – Sundays, November 6 through January 4, 2026
5:00 – 9:00 PM
Big Bear Alpine Zoo

$20 entrance
Kids under 5 free
Members free

It’s our first year hosting this dazzling event — don’t miss your chance to be part of the beginning of a new Big Bear holiday tradition! 🎄✨

For tickets visit
https://bigbearzoo.org/wild-lights/

Address

42801 Moonridge Road
Big Bear Lake, CA
92315

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+19095841299

Website

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Our Story

The Big Bear Alpine Zoo was started in 1959 as an Alpine wildlife center to rehabilitate and release injured wildlife. Most of the non-releasable animals here at the Big Bear Alpine Zoo are here because of human interference. As residents of the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, these animals take on the important role of ambassadors, helping us to connect our guests to wildlife. Our commitment to our ambassadors begins with our pledge to provide the best quality of life possible, enabling all of our animals with opportunities to thrive.

Currently located on 2.5 acres, guests will enjoy an up-close and personal experience with our animals. Additionally, we offer enrichment talks every day at 12, 1, 2, and 3 PM.

Big Bear Alpine Zoo rehabilitates injured, sick, or orphaned native wildlife and releases healthy animals back into their natural habitat. Our goal is to provide the best welfare possible with minimal human interaction. When we accept wildlife from the public, we will use those opportunities to promote conservation education and stewardship of wildlife, habitat, and our mountain ecosystem.