APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — There was plenty of buzz when the Minnesota Zoo first announced it was planning to transform its old monorail track into an elevated pedestrian trail.
After being dormant for a decade, the monorail was given new life as a Treetop Trail — a 1.25-mile elevated walking trail that provides zoogoers a bird's-eye view of several animal exhibits, including tigers, moose and bison.
Turns out, it's quite a hit.
It's only been a year since the Treetop Trail was opened to the public, but it's already become a major attraction. According to zoo officials, nearly 1.5 million people visited the Minnesota Zoo since the Treetop Trail was opened, setting a new attendance record.
"The Minnesota Zoo just has such a really awesome experience but the trail is nice because you kind of get above everything," said David Meyer, of Minneapolis, during a one-year celebration back in late July. "You can kind of get a preview of everything you're going to see for the day."
The trail opened in 2023 after about five years of planning. The idea for the "world's longest elevated pedestrian loop" came back in 2018 when zoo officials decided to repurpose the old monorail, which shut down five years prior. The trail officially opened to the public on July 28, 2023.
