The Lehigh Valley Zoo sits on about 29 acres inside the sprawling 1,100-acre Trexler Nature Preserve in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, a short drive from Allentown. The surrounding preserve traces its roots back to 1906, when local industrialist Harry Clay Trexler began buying up farmland to protect bison, elk, and white-tailed deer from disappearing in the region, eventually assembling more than 1,100 acres before his death.
Construction on the zoo itself began in 1974, carving a family-friendly wildlife park out of the larger preserve. Today the Lehigh Valley Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is home to more than 325 animal ambassadors representing over 125 species, including Grant’s zebras, Mexican wolves, American bison, red pandas, and African penguins.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
- Opened: 1974
- Size: About 29 acres (within the 1,100-acre Trexler Nature Preserve)
- Species/Animal Count: Over 325 animals, more than 125 species
- Annual Visitors: More than 215,000 (2022), plus around 55,000 for its winter light event
- Famous For: AZA-accredited zoo built inside Harry Trexler’s historic wildlife preserve
A Zoo Rooted in Conservation History
The Lehigh Valley Zoo’s story begins long before the zoo itself existed. In 1906, industrialist and conservationist Harry Clay Trexler started purchasing farms across Lowhill and North Whitehall townships to create a sanctuary where American bison and elk could roam protected, at a time when bison populations nationwide had been decimated. Trexler eventually assembled roughly 1,108 acres, land he bequeathed to Lehigh County, which officially became the Trexler-Lehigh County Game Preserve in 1935.
Decades later, in 1974, construction began on a children’s zoo within the preserve, introducing petting exhibits alongside animals from Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Lehigh Valley Zoological Society took over day-to-day management of the zoo in 2004, along with care of the preserve’s bison and elk herds, bringing the site into its modern era as an AZA-accredited institution since March 2006.
What Visitors Can See Today
Spread across 29 acres carved out of the much larger Trexler Nature Preserve, the zoo is compact enough to explore in a few hours while still housing a diverse collection of more than 325 animals across over 125 species. Highlights include Grant’s zebras, Mexican wolves, American bison descended from the preserve’s early conservation herds, a pair of red pandas that arrived in 2024, and African penguins, with the zoo also participating in Species Survival Plans for species like the scimitar-horned oryx and mongoose lemur.
Because the zoo sits inside the larger nature preserve, a visit can extend beyond the exhibits themselves, with the surrounding 1,100 acres offering a glimpse of the landscape Trexler worked to protect more than a century ago.
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Cheap insurance for splash zones, water rides and surprise showers.
Rubber-armored for small hands, so kids can find the snow leopard before the adults do.
Lehigh Valley Zoo FAQs
Where is the Lehigh Valley Zoo located?
The Lehigh Valley Zoo is located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, inside the 1,100-acre Trexler Nature Preserve in the Lehigh Valley region.
When did the Lehigh Valley Zoo open?
Construction on the zoo began in 1974, within a preserve that Harry Clay Trexler began assembling back in 1906.
How many animals live at the Lehigh Valley Zoo?
The zoo is home to more than 325 animals representing over 125 species, including zebras, Mexican wolves, bison, red pandas, and African penguins.
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Photo: Hshuvaeva / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.