There’s no better way to observe and enjoy wildlife than when they aren’t aware of your presence,
And the Minnesota Zoo hope that they have created these conditions with their recent conversion of an an old monorail track into a pedestrian walkway.
“The Treetop Trail” which was opened in 2023, has recently named as “The Best Specialty Construction of the Year” by Engineering News Record.
The Treetop Trail gives guests year-round access to hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, ponds, and marshes, and the diverse wildlife that call Minnesota home, while simultaneously providing new perspectives on many zoo animals, including tigers, moose, and bison.
Opened in 1978 with a completed monorail in 1979, the Minnesota Zoo would eventually decommission its overhead transport line in 2013, leaving the rusted track and platforms to do little more than shade visitors.
But now architects have turned the monorail into the world’s longest elevated pedestrian treetop walkway.
Measuring 8 feet for the entire length, it has several platforms that stretch far from the main concourse, which allow visitors to gaze down at the larger animal enclosures
In a statement, Minnesota Zoo Director and Foundation President John Frawley says…“The Treetop Trail is a major step in furthering connections to nature and animals in an accessible and immersive way.”