TREETOP TRAIL AT THE MINNESOTA ZOO

The recently-completed Treetop Trail allows visitors to experience the Minnesota Zoological Gardens through a renewed elevated perspective. The Treetop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo embodies a profound commitment to environmental stewardship, guided by the overarching mission of “connecting people with nature.” Along 1.25 miles and four touchdowns (access points), the Trail guides visitors through many stories, site histories, animal exhibits, and existing and restored ecosystems, all atop remnants of the abandoned monorail infrastructure. The Trail promotes physical and mental well-being and uses a scaffolding approach to help visitors develop a personal relationship with nature and accelerate their dedication to activism.

While carrying out the Minnesota Zoo’s mission to connect people, animals, and the natural world to save wildlife, the Treetop Trail invites visitors to meaningfully connect with nature and animals, raise questions, and to spark an interest in conservation. The stories along the trail reveal relationships between humans, animals, and their shared ecosystems they are part of, and prompt a shift in the visitor experience to transform their relationship with the Minnesota Zoo. The Trail supports and expands upon current and future Zoo programming, and identifies hyper-focused areas of engagement and learning along the Trail and its access points.

The experience along the Trail is focused on tactile interaction, materials, and integration of the design into the landscape itself – the planting, the furnishings, the position of the body in space, relative to the ground, the trees, and the sky. This perspective opens up new modes of sensory experiences – a unique way to tell stories from a completely new vantage point – from above. The Treetop Trail supports programmed and self-guided education along the Trail and its access points with the goal of allowing visitors to immerse in nature, focus on senses, and take in the restorative benefits of nature. The ultimate objective of the experience is to catalyze a positive shift in visitors’ attitudes towards the appreciation of nature and wildlife.

Location: Apple Valley, Minnesota

Client: Minnesota Zoo

Status: Completed in 2023

Area: 1.26 miles

Team: TEN x TEN, Snow Kreilich Architects, Buro Happold, Barr Engineering, MIG, Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), Meyer Borgman Johnson, PCL Construction, Victus Engineering, Margolis Company, Braun Intertec, Summit Companies, Split Rock Studios

Awards: 2024 WAN Americas Award for Infrastructure, 2024 WLA Professional Awards Shortlist for Built - Large Landscape Design, 2024 ASLA Minnesota Honor Award for General Design, Finance + Commerce Top Project of 2023, 2023 AIA Minnesota Commendation for Excellence in Design for Integration

Slideshow Photos: Gaffer Photography

MONORAIL HISTORY

The Minnesota Zoo opened in 1978 as one of the first zoos to organize exhibits by their habitat rather than their species. Originally named the “Minnesota Zoological Garden,” this progressive zoo was designed to view animals in a naturalistic, outdoor, garden-like setting that aligned with their correct ecological and geographic environment. This design included a 1.25-mile-long monorail ride that looped throughout the expansive 485-acre grounds. The monorail and gave its visitors a one of a kind, cutting edge experience - to see the animals and their habitats from above. The MN Zoo has always been a beacon of future-focused, leading-edge innovation. The story of the monorail represents the enduring spirit of optimism - the belief that we can shape a better future for animals and ourselves. After 34 years of service, the Minnesota Zoo decommissioned its monorail in 1986. The former monorail track was vacant until 2019 when the Zoo announce to build the Treetop Trail repurposing the existing monorail infrastructure and construct a 1.25 - mile elevated pedestrian loop.

The Treetop Trail project was born out of the desire to reuse this existing infrastructure in a manner that strengthened the overall mission of the Minnesota Zoo. By transforming the monorail infrastructure into a walking trail, visitors are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, much like the monorail aimed to do, but also the freedom to curate their own adventure with multiple access points, rest areas, and overlooks into surrounding landscape.

“CONNECT PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND THE NATURAL WORLD TO SAVE WILDLIFE.”

The Treetop Trail project was born out of the desire to reuse existing infrastructure in a manner that strengthened the overall mission of the Minnesota Zoo. By transforming the monorail infrastructure into a walking trail, visitors are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, much like the monorail did.

SITE ANALYSIS DIAGRAMS INVESTIGATE THE ZOO GROUND’S SENSORY EXPERIENCES AND ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES

SITE INVESTIGATIONS + EXPLORATIONS

Early site investigations and explorations involved a careful documentation of the Minnesota Zoo grounds and the monorail infrastructure from an experiential and sensory perspective. Through a critical process of inventorying, recording, and cataloging, the team produced maps and diagrams to capture the character, feel, and sensory experience of the existing trail. To help document existing conditions and character of the place, the landscape team asked a series of questions: How does it feel to be amongst animals and their habitats at the zoo? What do we smell, hear and see? What are the lasting impressions when visiting the zoo campus? How is the experience different from visiting other green spaces?

Site visits and investigations also included careful photographic documentation and video recordings of the existing conditions of the abandoned monorail infrastructure. The landscape team took a ride atop the monorail track via construction trolley to document what the new experience will feel like once the treetop trail gets constructed. The team focused on discovering and documenting the ecological identity of the Minnesota Zoo and more specifically, the particular micro biomes that the old monorail track passes through. The team developed a strong understanding of the procession of experiential qualities along the trail, views, the changing height of the trail, and even the experience of resident animals to visitors above, and the other sensory qualities of being at a zoo, like smells, and how that can be considered in the curation of these designed spaces. Themes of phenology and biophilia informed, and inspired the Treetop Trail interpretive story telling.

HIGHLIGHT MINNESOTA BIOMES

The planting approach features native Minnesota biomes, species, stories and experiences. The key goal for planting strategy was to highlight these identities and connect Zoo guests to the local and regional landscape. Throughout the Trail and access points, planting was used to amplify the experience of these biomes. All five access points or “bumpouts” highlight Minnesota biomes, both in their strategic location over water, within oak, maple, and aspen dense forests and with playful interpretation. Spending time in nature is transformative for cognitive health. The trail has a didactic underlay focusing on human, animal, and habitat interconnections. The trail also engages visitors to create a sense of wonder, and teaches how all things in the natural world are connected. The trail passes through six different ecological zones that situate eight varied animal habitats and a multitude of experiences.

The “start” of the trail is at the central Gateway Plaza, now called the Treetop Trailhead, which features the Minnesota Big Woods trees and groundcover species along its access ramps, the Bison Landing access point, which sweeps over the bison enclosure and includes a vast restored prairie garden and stormwater infiltration area, the Moose Landing access point, which features a curving ramp framing an Oak savanna restoration planting, and Wildwoods Landing access point, which is a light touch feature, with a small woodland garden and interpretive gallery inside a restored grain silo.

IMMERSE IN NATURE AND INTERCONNECT

Along 1.25 miles and five touchdowns (access points), via the Interpretive Signage and Wayfinding system designed by the landscape architect, the Treetop Trail guides visitors through many stories and site histories, including animal exhibits and existing ecosystems with diverse flora and fauna, all atop remnants of the old monorail infrastructure. The immersive experience is crafted around five interpretive themes to guide the visitor experience along the trail: inspiration, wellness, recreation, resource, science and several sub-themes. Interpretive elements create moments along the trail where people can pause, contemplate, interact, and engage with stories and the landscape in new ways. The Treetop Trail supports programmed and self-guided education along the Trail and its access points with the goal of allowing visitors to immerse in nature, focus on senses, and take in the restorative benefits of nature. Spending time in nature is transformative for cognitive health. The Trail has a didactic underlay focusing on human, animal, and habitat interconnections. The Trail also engages visitors to create a sense of wonder, and teaches how all things in the natural world are connected. The Trail passes through six different ecological zones that situate eight varied animal habitats and a multitude of experiences.

CALL TO ACTION

Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, catalyzed a call to action for the Minnesota Zoo and inspired the vision for this project. The episodic nature of the trail and interactive features connect people more deeply with nature and animals with the aim of improving physical and mental health of children and adults. The Trail utilizes and re-purposes the existing abandoned monorail infrastructure to create a new type of experience by engaging with the Zoo’s landscape from above. While carrying out the Minnesota Zoo’s mission to “connect people, animals, and the natural world to save wildlife,” the Treetop Trail invites visitors to meaningfully connect with nature and animals, raise questions, and to spark an interest in conservation. The elevated Trail provides multiple access points, rest areas, overlooks, and interpretative elements that frame powerful views of the surrounding landscape— both the existing animal habitats, and the less-developed, natural environment of the northern section of the trail. The project ambition, as it re-centers and connects visitors, is to inspire them to take action in their own communities.