Treetop Trail at the Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo opened in 1978 as one of the first zoos to organize exhibits by habitat rather than species. Originally named the “Minnesota Zoological Garden,” this progressive zoo was designed to view animals in naturalistic, outdoor, garden-like settings analogous to their ecological and geographic environments of origin. This design included a 1.25-mile-long monorail ride that looped throughout the expansive 485-acre grounds, elevated up to 32-feet above grade to view the surrounding exhibits.