Zoo
Oregon Zoo · entrance
The main reason to use this stop. The train only gets you to the park. Once the elevators bring you up, the Zoo’s own accessibility page covers the rest.
Accessibility page for Oregon Zoo
Better for a Zoo visit
Washington Park
Planned for wheelchair riders
The deepest transit station in North America, on the MAX Light Rail Blue and Red Lines under Washington Park. You need the elevators to reach the surface before you can get to the Oregon Zoo or the park paths.
Written for riders who need working elevators to reach the Oregon Zoo.
- Red
- Blue
Station station-113
- Elevators
- 4 · only step-free way out
- Escalators
- Not a substitute for elevators
- After the elevator
- Zoo or park paths
Why this stop exists
Washington Park · Zoo and park entrances
The platform is deep underground. Without working elevators, you can’t make this trip.
Disability & mobility
Everything depends on the elevators.
Washington Park is a deep underground station on the Blue and Red Lines. For wheelchair users, the elevators are the only way out. If they are out, you cannot reach the Oregon Zoo from this stop.
Park
Washington Park paths
The same stop, for time outside in the park. Slopes and path surfaces vary. There is no indoor shelter if the elevators fail.
Accessibility page for Washington Park paths
Better for park or arboretum paths
At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working.
If the Washington Park elevators are out, do not ride the Blue or Red Line to this stop for the Zoo. Check our live map. TriMet status: trimet.org.
On the ground
What the trip actually feels like
Three steps: the deep elevators, the park, the Zoo entrance.
01
Check the elevators before you board
This is the deepest station, and the only other way up is stairs.
02
Come up into Washington Park
The elevators bring you up into the park. The Zoo is still a trip outside.
03
The Zoo takes over
Paths and building entrances are run by the Zoo, not by TriMet.
Why this stop feels like this
A deep station built for the Zoo
- 1998Westside MAX opens
- DepthDeepest transit station in North America
- ZooUp to the park, then the Zoo
- TodayNo elevator, no trip
Washington Park exists for Zoo trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.
The station was built deep under the West Hills so MAX could serve Washington Park and the Oregon Zoo. Step-free access depends entirely on the elevators.
If the elevators are out, change plans before you ride. At this depth, there is no easy other way out.
On the street
Where you'll come out
Washington Park MAX Station
Washington Park · Oregon Zoo
Portland, Oregon
Deep elevators · outside to the Zoo or park
Blue · Red
Nearby when the elevators work: Oregon Zoo, Washington Park paths. When they don’t: do not plan on this stop.
Open Washington Park on the live mapLive elevator status at Washington ParkAfter the elevator
Travel time from this station
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
At the venue
What each place offers
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.
Washington Park paths
- The free Washington Park Shuttle Loop connects every major attraction in the park. All shuttles have ramps or lifts and room for wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers.
- In Hoyt Arboretum, the three fully paved trails (Visitor Center Loop, Bristlecone Pine Trail, and Overlook Trail) are the most consistent. Other trails can have stairs, steep grades, or roots.
Source: Explore Washington Park
Oregon Zoo
- The Zoo sits on a hillside with about 150 feet of elevation change, highest near the main entrance. Most paths, exhibits, restaurants, and restrooms are accessible.
- Wheelchair and mobility scooter rentals at the gift shop, first come, first served, for a fee.
- The wheelchair loading and unloading zone is to the left of the Zoo gates, near the gift shop.
Source: Oregon Zoo
Last look
Before you go
Four things to check before you go.
Check the map first
Make sure the Washington Park elevators are working before you board the Blue or Red Line.
Pick where you’re going
The Zoo or the park paths. Same stop, different time outside.
Have a backup plan
If the elevators are out, wheelchair users cannot use this stop.
Check the Zoo’s access page
The Zoo runs its own paths. TriMet elevators are on our map. Check both.
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.