ZooLights Visitor Shares His TriMet Experience

Who knew that a silly little Explore Washington Park TikTok video would save the day for me. I was taking my girlfriend on a date to ZooLights. Neither of us had been in years, and knowing how crazy it gets, I was worried we would spend more time in traffic or looking for parking than actually at the Oregon Zoo. As we got close to the exit on the freeway, my heart sank. I saw a line of 20–30 cars, stopped, waiting to take the exit, and I knew my worries were right. 

What did this mean? Would we get to ZooLights in time? 

I pictured people searching the parking lots for spots and figured the only way we’d get in was if enough people left to clear parking spaces. It was impossible.

What could we do? I wondered, do we just wait and hope that traffic starts to move? This is the kind of thing that makes people turn around and go home—date ruined! But then I remembered that only two exits past the zoo is a TriMet MAX stop with a large parking structure (thanks, TikTok!). 

I turned to my date and brought this up. We thought, well, anything is better than staying stuck in this immovable traffic. So we eventually found a gap and split away. To be honest, it doesn’t feel great deviating from your plan. What if it doesn’t work? What if it’s more complicated and takes even longer? But we didn’t have anything to lose. In the end, I couldn’t have been happier that we took this risk—not just for me and my future visits to ZooLights, but for those of you reading this. It saved the day!

We pulled into the Sunset Transit Center Park & Ride garage that still had plenty of open spaces—and was free to use! I spent a good five minutes looking for a pay station and was pleased not to have to pay to park. We hopped right down to the MAX and got on board! 

The MAX was full of people in holiday gear heading to ZooLights, and we had a blast people-watching and being on the train! It goes so fast through the tunnel—it immediately made us feel like we were on an adventure. It was new, it was fun, and who doesn’t love a little train ride? It was how I imagined the experience of getting to Portland Timbers soccer games: everyone in the right gear, and goofy outfits, all planning to enjoy the same thing. It’s a special connection you get to have with other people around you.

What made the MAX the most special was the ease and the people—so many people in a good mood and excited to explore! I also love cool places, and the station at the zoo being in an actual tunnel was rad. It felt like we were on a vacation somewhere in Europe, hopping out of the train and into a whole new world. 

We got into the zoo with plenty of time left. I think the reroute took about 15–20 minutes. (We would have still been on the freeway if we hadn’t changed course.) 

We then had an amazing night! Drinking cocoa, checking out animals, lights, and food! We got about 100 pictures and great videos to remember the night by. Then we just popped back down to the MAX with a bunch of other people, all in good moods, and got back to the car quickly. What makes this method so great is that, since it’s still somewhat underutilized, getting in and out is ridiculously easy. I had expected traffic and the frustration of endlessly searching for parking, so being able to completely skip that was such a lifesaver.

I don’t think I’ll ever plan to get to ZooLights a different way. Next time, I may even use a MAX stop closer to my house and ride the MAX all the way there. 

I used to have a lot of worries about taking the MAX. I always figured driving my own car was the easier option, but eventually, it just became impossible. Trying the MAX gave me the confidence to look for transit options in the future, so I can avoid those frustrating times when I can’t find parking and the stress that comes with it. I’ve always been the kind of guy who maps out parking options before heading to an event, but realizing how easy it is to just hop on the train has opened me up to new ways of getting around—and doing it without the worry!

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