Guests at the Minnesota Zoo will be able to reach new heights when the Treetop Trail, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian loop, officially opens. Beginning Friday, July 28, 2023, the 1.25-mile Treetop Trail will bring guests up to 32 feet above the ground and provide them with an immersive and accessible naturistic journey.
This opening date of the Zoo’s new pathway to nature appropriately coincides with World Nature Conservation Day.
As a worldwide leader in wildlife conservation, the Minnesota Zoo created the Treetop Trail to give guests year-round access to hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, ponds and marshes, and the diverse wildlife that call Minnesota home.
The Treetop Trail will provide new perspectives of many Zoo animals, including tigers, moose, bison, and of course, a bird’s eye view for bird watchers during each of Minnesota’s four seasons.
The Minnesota Zoo opened 45 years ago in 1978 with a mission to connect people, animals, and the natural world to save wildlife.
The Treetop Trail will reinforce the Zoo’s reputation as a trusted nature destination and is an evolution of the role that zoos play around the globe.
Integrating into the Zoo’s original monorail track which was retired in 2013, the Treetop Trail is the ultimate reuse construction project.
The Zoo contracted with award-winning Snow Kreilich Architects; engineering firm Buro Happold (known for its work on the High Line in New York City); and construction partner, PCL.
Together, they have been committed to minimizing disruptions to the Zoo’s animals and guests before, during, and after construction.
The entrance to the Treetop Trail will feature the Zoo’s new animal ambassador habitat.
Here, guests will be greeted by several species native to Minnesota including the Treetop Trail ambassador – a North American porcupine named Quillber.
The Minnesota Zoo would like to express profound gratitude to the following for their support of the Treetop Trail: State of Minnesota, K.A.H.R. Foundation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Target, Best Buy Foundation, Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation, and hundreds of individual donors.
To learn more about the Minnesota Zoo’s Treetop Trail, please visit mnzoo.org/treetoptrail.
Background and assets can be found here: Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail Assets.