Planned for wheelchair riders
The Red Line stop the National Zoo recommends if you have limited mobility. Take the elevator up to the east side of Connecticut Avenue, then go about half a mile south to the Zoo’s main entrance.
Written for riders who want the easier way to the National Zoo.
Station A05
The choice that matters
East side with the elevator · or the west side
Both entrances are on Connecticut Avenue, north of Ordway Street. Only the east side has an elevator.
Disability & mobility
Cleveland Park has two entrances, one on each side of Connecticut Avenue. The street elevator is on the east side, the same side as the Zoo. From there, the Zoo’s main entrance is about half a mile south.
East side
Two elevators: platform to mezzanine, then mezzanine to the street on the east side of Connecticut Avenue, north of Ordway Street. From there, head south about half a mile to the Zoo’s main entrance.
Accessibility page for Smithsonian National Zoo
Must work: both elevators
West side
The west-side entrance has an escalator and stairs, but no elevator. If you need the elevator, come up on the east side and cross Connecticut Avenue at street level.
No elevator on this side
Same Red Line, one stop farther, and the Zoo’s own pick for visitors with limited mobility.
If the Cleveland Park elevators are out, Woodley Park is the other Zoo stop, but the route from there is uphill. Check both before you ride. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
Three steps: the station, the sidewalk, the Zoo gates.
01
This is an underground station with long escalators. The elevators run from the platform to the mezzanine, then from the mezzanine to the east side of Connecticut Avenue. If either is out, escalators and stairs are the only way up.
02
Head south past the Cleveland Park shops on the east side of the avenue. The Zoo says the uphill route is the one from Woodley Park, not this one.
03
The Zoo sits on a hill, so paths inside go up and down. The Zoo says every exhibit can be reached by ramp, elevator, or escalator. Check its accessibility page for the day you visit.
Why this stop matters
The Metro map names Woodley Park for the Zoo. The Zoo names Cleveland Park.
Woodley Park has the Zoo in its name, so that is where most visitors get off. But the Zoo’s main entrance is about halfway between the two stations, and the Zoo tells visitors with limited mobility to use Cleveland Park.
WMATA says the same on its station page: consider Cleveland Park for an easier trip to the Zoo. The one catch is the entrance. Only the east side has an elevator.
On the street
Cleveland Park station
Connecticut Ave NW, north of Ordway St NW
Washington, District of Columbia
East side of Connecticut Avenue · elevator entrance
Red Line
Nearby: National Zoo, about half a mile south. When elevators are out: Woodley Park is the other Zoo stop, but the route from there is uphill.
Open Cleveland Park on the live mapLive elevator status at Cleveland ParkAfter the elevator
Times are our own estimates at a wheelchair or stroller pace. They are not live directions.
At the venue
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
Source: Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
Both elevators have to work: platform to mezzanine, and mezzanine to the street.
Only the east entrance on Connecticut Avenue has an elevator. It’s also the Zoo’s side of the avenue.
Paths and building access inside the park are separate from Metro. Check them before you count the gate as the end of the trip.
Getting back to the station when you’re tired is also an access problem. Know how you’ll get back before you go.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.