This is a great place to learn about the areas wildlife, plants, and landscapes. Its definitely great for kids and seniors alike as its very easy to get around the property. Come on a nice day and the entire experience will be even more enjoyable. It was nice seeing the different birds and animals. The highlight was seeing the wolves. The mule deer was rather playful with his branch and ball and followed us, playing, as we walked away. Theres fish, javelinas, bison, a bear, wolves, elk, pronghorn, snakes, Gila monster, toads, tortoises, numerous birds, and plant life of all kinds

This is the nicest zoo and garden weve been too love it. And the people are so nice!

Easy to walk through and reasonable cost. Love that the animals there are ones that needed rescuing and are not able to live in the wild so they have a safe haven. Some neat info inside the visitors center. Gift shop has some cool things and the manager is really nice and friendly.

After a horrible experience with Carlsbad Caverns we visited here. It was amazing. There are definitely improvements being mad and several of the exhibits were closed for renovations, but the Staff was amazing and accommodating. Our greeting was friendly and welcoming. All of the indoor exhibits were closed but we enjoyed walking and enjoying the views. The Ladies in the Gift Shop were very helpful and accommodating. The bathrooms were clean everywhere. Beware of snakes during your walk as you are literally journeying through the living desert.

The park is pretty run down. Many exhibits were shut down. Practically ALL the vegetation is brown and dead or dying. A little bit of water and some trimming and sweeping would help a lot.Visited in mid Oct 2020.

This Is A Beautiful Place To Take Yah Children Veiw Beautiful Views. The Employees Are Very Friendly

Great out of the way place to visit. while Im not overly fond of zoos, they seem to take very good care of their animals and they have plenty of room + toys and other items to stimulate them. The plants were fascinating.

Love it! Makes for a nice walk. An awesome way to spend an afternoon and only spend $5.

This zoo is so well kept and you can see the love that goes into it. The animals have great enclosures. The walking path was beautiful. Be sure to get one of Maggies paintings!

I gave a star just because staff was very nice but food was terrible... I had a stuffed sopapilla filled with asado and my friend an omelet... Taste, was not good and red sauce was without flavor and made my stomach upset. It is sad that food is neither Mexican or New Mexicadn.. Im Not going back to that place prices are hight for the food they serve.

It was awesome, even with two toddlers! It was a pretty warm walk quite a bit of the way, but there are plenty of shady spots, and places to sit and cool off. Definitely bring some water, we were glad we did. Our favorite part was the new baby javelinas. There are three little cuties that were very active the morning we went. We even ended up taking a stuffed one home. There are so many beautiful plants as well; it will make you see the desert in a whole new way.

This place was super cute. It is a small zoo and garden curated with wildlife indigenous to the area. It is a lovely walking trail with wonderful information about local habits. I will definitely be back absolutely love it.

Really nice park. Needs a little TLC. Animals look well-maintained and were fairly active for as hot as it was.

This is the.most beautiful little place for adults and kids you can visit. Inside visitor center is near. The outside is lovely. The park is a small zoo and botanical park. We visited there so many times.Located on a hill and overlooks the city of Carlsbad, N.M. A most stunning little place. It will haunt you to come back.

This place was closed to travelers so we didnt get a chance to visit. Pandemic is making it hard for all to enjoy life as it was.

Most of the animals were not in their cage but it was a nice walk its about an hour walk around everything plants and animals everyone is very nice

Great place to visit for a nature lover. The park is nicely laid out and can be explored in 90 minutes. The staff at the visitor center were very helpful and it shows that they care for animals. From plants, cactuses, bob cats and Falcons. There is something for everybody to see.

Beautifully setup, small outdoor zoo. Very kids friendly.

Seemed beautiful from the outside. We even stayed an extra day on our vacation to visit but were turned away because we arent New Mexico residences but Texas Residents. Even quarentining 14 days like the New Mexico website said to, if you arent from New Mexico and live 40 miles south in Texas, cant visit. Perhapse they should update their website? Or give some other warning? Dont waste your time like we did.

This was a perfect way to experience desert plant life for the first time.

Saw the sign and decided to check it out! Wow!! This is truly the best exhibit of dessert wildlife and plants, and it only cost us $5 each as seniors! Also had electric carts for rent @$5.Great when you cant walk far. This is definitely a place to visit and experience the beautiful desert!

An Oasis with so much to teach and impress you with! We spent 2 hours here. The plants and there uses kept us engaged for the first hour! Then the wolves, elk, pronghorn, bison, birds and reptiles were such an informational delight. If you are really wanting to see NEW MEXICO then this wont disappoint!Clean restrooms, gift shop [closes an hour before the park does!?] nice walkways and great views await your arrival.A must experience if you are in the area!

WONDER-FULL! The desert IS FULL of LIFE and this State Park does a GREAT job of displaying it. Great for adults and children...but expect the heat and bring plenty of hydration!!

This is a really unique zoo and gardens experience that you won’t forget. It features plants and animals from this arid region like the majestic mountain lion and a whole building full of beautiful succulents. Very informative and fun for the whole family!

Awesome place. Some animals were hiding due to heat but the ones that were out were great. A bit of a drive from the caverns but a good time for a family.

Its really nice,but very hot. Best time would be early. Also not all animals come out either.

Beautiful desert gardens and zoo. Most of the animals are rescue animals and couldnt survive in the wild. Path is easy to walk on and is very open and outside, not surrounded by animal enclosures. The zoo says it will take an hour to an hour and a half, but you could never read all the signs and identify all the plants and animals in that time. It took us four hours.

I wasnt allowed into the park because I didnt have a NM license plate. I checked out the website and nowhere does it say anything about this requirement. 40 minute drive for nothing. Thanks, living desert.

Fun place to walk around and learn about the animals and plant life in Carlsbad!

This place is great to take your family to and have fun and enjoy time with all different types of animals

I loved this place. So beautiful and peaceful.

A wonderful little hiking trail that incorporates what is essentially a small zoo along a nature walk. Very pretty, worth visiting if youre in the area

Beautiful state park on top of a mesa overlooking Carlsbad. Probably best to go in April or May when everything is green but early March was wonderful. Animals are nice too, especially for kids.

How better to appreciate the desert than a leisurely stroll through this idyll? Great flora and fauna. Plus a cute gift shop. Well worth the unplanned detour after touring Carlsbad caverns.

Was turned away because of NM Governors non-resident rule at state parks. Went to Sitting Bull Falls instead.

The park offers a unique look at high desert life. It is a great place to come to see the native plants and animals or just to come and relax and view the beautiful scenery. Highly recommended!!!!!

Nice walk, saw some of the animals in the zoo. Would of probably been better in the spring when all the cactus is blooming. ....OK if you dont have much else to do. Price is cheap at $5 per person. They did have some construction going on and some of the exhibits were closed.

Great place! Go and enjoy the animals.

Family outing the day after Christmas 2017. It was an amazing experience for all of the family. We were able to go at our own pace, see a variety of animals up close & personal. It was very clean, the animals appeared healthy & no smell that is commonly found in such places. The staff was friendly & knowledgeable. Definitely a place to return to. Reasonably priced. Great for family adventures.

We happened to go for a Halloween event which meant that all around the zoo things were covered in fake cobwebs and cheap Halloween decorations. Some of the cobwebs and sponsor cards completely obstructed the descriptions of the plants so you couldnt read the placard. I found the native plants displays truly fascinating. Although the animals were few and far between. A large number of the exhibits were closed or under renovation. I felt this shouldnt really be considered a zoo at all. Considering the $5 entry we felt that we got what we paid for and we had a good time. I highly recommend hats with strings so they wont be blown off, sunscreen, and lots of water.

Awesome park and honestly learned a lot. This place does a great job of showcasing the beauty of the southwest. We came expecting a little more park than zoo but the exhibits and trail were wonderful, even though many exhibits were closed for construction. Definitely plan on coming again and hope they can find more funding.

So pretty. I enjoyed being able to overlook the city from up top!

We spent Terrific afternoon at living desert state park

This was a really nice treat. They open at eight am (instead of 9 as it says on their website) so get there early. We had a bit of excitement with a loose bobcat (not sure if it was a visiting wild bobcat or an escaped zoo bobcat). The keepers at the zoo were quick to respond when we allerted them to the bobcat. The kids were pretty excited to see that! The animal enclosures allow visitors to get really up and close to the animals. Watch out for snakes and bugs on the trails. Maggie Oso (the bear that paints pictures) was indoors napping. She was the only animal not seen. I would recommend going on a cloudy or rainy day. The animals were all very active.

Its a great resource to learn about native plants and animals. Beautiful views

This was a nice little walk through! The greenhouse was neat, and all the animals are beautiful!

My favorite part was learning about the efforts to support population growth in highly endangered species, such as the wolves. Saw a pretty silly prairie dog feeding... beautiful scenery and friendly staff! Per usual at any zoo, the animals are free to be as seen or as hidden as they would like so you may not get to see all!

Its very beautiful. Great way to enjoy a walk and learn about the animals and diffrent kinds of cactus and trees.

We spent an interesting two hours walking the trail and looking at the exhibits. Excellent displays of native birds, animals, reptiles and flora. The lady keeper at the first peccary and bird exhibit was very helpful and told us the stories about the animals she cared for. We also also liked the cacti and succulent greenhouse.Nice gift shop. A good outing for $5 per person

Awsome place to check out, and not out of the way. Tickets are cheep and you get to see a lot of really cool animals. Smooth easy walkways. Recommend you go in the cooler morning.

Unless you are a new mexico resident dont waste your time here. All state parks are closed to out of state visitors.

Mid scale botanical garden and zoo. animal shelter can be larger, then animals can be happier. junior ranger program is very nice.

NOT KID FRIENDLY.... DIDNT MIND TAKING OUR MONEY FOR THE KIDS BUT GOT MAD WHEN OUR 4 YR OLD LOOKED AT AN EXHIBIT AND ASKED US TO LEAVE.

Very nice presentation of what you may see in the desert but more compact. There is a lot of desert life and geology to see. Very informative. There is A/C in the museum. There are bathrooms. There is a fee, but it is worth it to see. There is shade along the paths as well. There is a gift shop and they have art shows as well.

Was nice but some of the exhibits were closed.

Love it! A lot of walking it was great fun!

Beautiful landscape. Saw more blooms here than in botanical gardens Ive visited.

Loved this place. So much information. Great exhibits. And so affordable. Take the family.

The place is set out as a series of different plant habitats and then many animal exhibits (a lot of which were empty at the time we visited). The visitor centre and the signs were very informative and the prairie dogs were very cute.

Very nice place and very reasonably place. We spent about 90 minutes here. In the summer, go early in the morning before it gets extremely hot. Its a nice walking tour of variety of large and small animals as well as birds, and desert vegetation.

Great little zoo. Our 12 & 13 year olds even loved it. We were there in the winter so the animals were pretty active.

Outstanding! Love this place. Wear walking shoes and have water if in summer. Clean with very friendly staff. Gift shop lady was so friendly and helpful.

A great place to learn about the plants and animals that survive and thrive in the desert.

My girls loved it. Small... most exhibits down. :(

Great place to spend time with the family. watching the prairie dogs chirp and bark youll wish you could take one home with you! The animals were all fun to watch and the gardens were absolutely beautiful.

Absolutely Amazing! Great for kids! Bring your own snacks, drinks and make sure to wear good walking shoes

Great experience. Wonderful way to learn about native plants and animals to this area.

Its a really nice trail. I went by the a couple of days back but it was kinda late so I didnt go down the trail. But this time I went during the afternoon the sun was out and it was hot but wanted to experience that. Was there for about an hour or so. Its so quiet and not a lot of people around. Most definitely will be coming back while Im down here working.

They people ate wonderful. Lots to see....

Really hot outside - bring water. Lots to see. They even have some fish in large pond. Saw my first 4 ft gar. Staff are friendly and helpful. Animals are spread out, not clustered together. View is very good. Lots of different plants. In Springtime many are in bloom.

Was expecting more animals. Too dry, not enough shade for the few animals or people visiting.

Kids loved it and and good prices.

We enjoyed our visit here. I recommend going when it is cool. The wind was blowing so it kept us pretty cool on the walk. It is very exposed. The desert landscapes are a sight to behold. The animals are interesting too. Some of the enclosures are pretty small which is quite sad. There is a good selection of animals to view from the Chihuahuan desert. Overall, worth the price of admission and a nice easy walk. The end stretch back up to the visitors center is uphill so save your strength and bring some water.

Love seeing local wildlife this is the place for you friendly staff always willing to explain and answer questions they also often have events going on for the kids

Great place to go, lots of things to see

We really enjoyed the park. The plant and animal signs have interesting content but are not so long that you feel like youre spending too much time in each section.

Is it like a small zoo, luckily it is not too pricey

This scene is so call and peaceful. You will feel like you are on a trail hike with all the plants they have in a natural setting. The trail is clearly marked and the map gives great explanations of the different zones to visit. We encountered several employees that were out checking on the animals and feeding them. Everyone was so knowledge and kind to put family as they asked questions. The park is very clean and the signs are all over to tell you what you are viewing.

Only NM residents where allow to enter to the zoo .. we traveled from El Paso for nothing.7/31/2020

Praire Dogs cute and fun to watch. 3 pens for elk and no elk. 3 bison. Cats & wolves were all napping/hiding. Nice walk.

Amazing place! Worth the drive absolutely! Its mostly outdoors, so be prepared with water and sunscreen. The layout includes plants and animals, so you really get a look at whats in the desert. It was well laid out, so the animals had plenty of space and there are lots of species.

Needs some serious updating. The plants and layout are excellent. The animals are in inadequate housing and look in poor shape. Very dissapointed

Awesome experience!! Do not miss it.

Fabulous place to visit. We enjoyed the different plants and it was interesting to read what they could be used for. Kids liked the animals.

I give them an A for effort but the place is quite rough around the edges. I think the people there do the best they can with what they have and are probably just very underfunded as is all of Carlsbad. I certainly thought the low entry price of $5 was well worth it and they do help injured animals. It is a good chance to learn about the plants and animals of the area.

Such a lovely little zoo. It wasnt busy at all when we went but it is such a gorgeous place. Highly recommend visiting.

Fabulous place! Active animals, great displays indoors, gardens are lovely with excellent views! Extremely reasonable entry fee! Definitely stop.

I work for a company that supports indidvudals with developmental disabilities and we go on outings as groups. This place was very welcoming and helped us through our tour. Gave suggestion on what trails they would be better for wheelchairs. Everyone enjoyed our trip.

Had a great time with the fam here!! Great views and awesome animals to observe!!

Gives a good idea of what lives in the desert

To semple put it beautiful

Loved it! Very educational and well set up zoo/park!

Beautiful natural zoo

For 5 bucks a person, its worth every dime. The walking tour at your own pace is good.(Tip, by the javelina pit is a nice cool,calm spot.) Best to go early, as after all it is the desert!

A little know gem of a zoo. Someplace fun for all ages

Beautiful, quiet! Coming from Louisiana, we wanted to know about desert animals, not exotics! We were not disappointed! What a jewel!

Natural desert beauty.

A fun place to take the kids to show them new mexico wildlife you wont normally see day-to-day. Also learned alot about the plant life as well worth the fee definitely go check it out

This is always an awesome place to visit! And today we got to see a tarantula just as we started our walk..

Such a pleasant experience, so much information and wonder to absorb; the staff is exceptionally friendly. This will always be a place close to my heart.