Why the Tree of Life Garden Remains Closed Indefinitely at Animal Kingdom
The Tree of Life Garden at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will stay closed indefinitely. Disney tells us the reason is planned maintenance on the tree itself. Because the garden walk winds right under the Tree of Life, it sits inside the work zone for that maintenance. Here’s the latest.
Tree of Life Garden Closed Indefinitely at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Disney says the Tree of Life Garden pathway falls within the construction envelope for upcoming maintenance on the tree.
- A construction wall blocks the pathway roughly in line with the safety nets over the Zootopia: Better Zoogether queue.
- Disney has no timeline for the maintenance, and we have not seen visible work on the tree yet.
When the Tree of Life Garden reopened in 2016 after years behind walls, it gave guests some of the closest views of the Tree of Life in the park. That path is closed again, and has been for quite some time. This time, the closure comes from work planned on the tree above it, and Disney has now explained why the garden can’t reopen yet.
Garden Pathway Sits Within the Tree of Life Work Zone
According to Disney, the garden pathway that passes directly under the Tree of Life falls within the construction envelope for upcoming work on the tree. Crews will be working on the structure above the path, so it needs to stay clear of guests for as long as the work continues. We saw no work taking place along the pathway itself during our visit.
This lines up with what we learned last fall, when Walt Disney World installed safety nets over the Zootopia: Better Zoogether queue. Disney added those nets ahead of scheduled maintenance on the Tree of Life. Guests in the queue still walk beneath them today.
A green construction wall blocks the garden pathway. It sits roughly in line with the perimeter the safety nets established over the queue below. The nets cover the queue, where guests still need to walk, while the wall keeps the garden path empty.
No Timeline Yet for Tree of Life Maintenance
Disney says it does not have a timeline for when work on the Tree of Life will end. The tree opened with the park in 1998, so it’s nearly 30 years old now. Walt Disney World performs this kind of maintenance on all of its park centerpieces.
Honestly, we’re not sure the work has even started yet. We haven’t seen any visible work on the tree during our recent visits, and high-reach cranes haven’t shown up either. Back in early 2023, a high-reach crane arrived for the tree’s last repainting and refurbishment. Disney closed nearly every walkway around the tree at that point.
For now, you can still get clear views of the Tree of Life from the open walkways around Discovery Island, including across the water. The Zootopia: Better Zoogether queue also gets guests close to the roots and carvings beneath the nets. Nearby, the lemur habitat reopened in October.
Story So Far
- December 17, 2016: PHOTOS: Tree of Life Garden reopens after being closed for years.
- January 16, 2023: Tree of Life Repainting & Refurbishment Underway, Garden Walk Now Closed at Animal Kingdom as crews began repainting the tree overnight.
- January 24, 2023: More Walkways Closed Around Tree of Life as High Reach Crane Arrives for Repainting & Refurbishment closed nearly every path around the tree.
- October 31, 2025: Safety Nets Installed Under Iconic Tree of Life in Zootopia: Better Zoogether Queue ahead of planned maintenance on the tree.
- December 23, 2025: Imagineering Files Permit for Demolition at Tree of Life, But Don’t Expect Much listed Whiting-Turner for work at the Tree of Life.
- December 27, 2025: UPDATE: Walt Disney Imagineering Extends Tree of Life “Demolition” Permit at Animal Kingdom pushed the permit’s expiration to December 25, 2026.
- October 14, 2026: Lemurs Are Back! Animal Kingdom Exhibit Reopens After Months of Refurbishment while the trail near the Tree of Life stayed closed.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!