A 1.25-mile elevated trail to cover end to end
Speech that stays clear for announcements
Extremely robust speakers that perform flawlessly
Loudspeakers that survive snow, ice, rain, and sun
A discreet look that protects the canopy view
Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail, Apple Valley, Minnesota
A mile of treetops and one voice that carries it
The Minnesota Zoo turned an abandoned elevated monorail track into the Treetop Trail, a 1.25-mile walking path that lifts visitors up to 32 feet into the canopy. The trail needed a public address system that could reach every point of the route, stay clear for emergency announcements, and survive a climate swings. True North Consulting Group designed the answer around 56 Electro-Voice EVID-S5.2X loudspeakers.
Case Study
Leisure / Attraction
Electro-Voice
North America
Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail, Apple Valley, Minnesota
A mile of treetops and one voice that carries it
Case Study
Leisure / Attraction
Electro-Voice
North America
The Minnesota Zoo turned an abandoned elevated monorail track into the Treetop Trail, a 1.25-mile walking path that lifts visitors up to 32 feet into the canopy. The trail needed a public address system that could reach every point of the route, stay clear for emergency announcements, and survive a climate swings. True North Consulting Group designed the answer around 56 Electro-Voice EVID-S5.2X loudspeakers.
- Venue
- Minnesota Zoo — Treetop Trail
- Location
- Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States
- Install partner
- True North Consulting Group
- Product highlights
- Electro-Voice EVID-S5.2X
The venue
An old monorail track, reborn as a walk through the canopy
The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley converted its elevated monorail track — closed for years — into the Treetop Trail, giving visitors a fresh perspective on the zoo's natural environment. The route runs 1.25 miles and climbs as high as 32 feet above the ground, weaving through the canopy that the old ride once passed over.
An open-air trail at that height across a public attraction carries a clear obligation. Visitors have to hear instructions wherever they stand on the path, in any season, which made a reliable distributed audio system part of the project from the start.
“The public address system helps operationalize the zoo's closing procedures. It is also critical in assisting with weather-related closures and evacuations.”
Jessica MadoleDirector of Guest Experience, Minnesota Zoo
The challenge
Carry every announcement across a mile
The trail had to function as a full public address system, handling daily announcements, closing procedures, and weather-related closures and evacuations. Speech had to stay intelligible along the entire 1.25-mile route, and the hardware had to keep working through a Minnesota climate that ranges from -25 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, with snow, ice, rain, and sun.
The audio also had to blend into the setting. Mounted up to 32 feet in the canopy, the loudspeakers needed minimal visual impact.
The solution
Weatherized loudspeakers, tuned for speech and the canopy
True North Consulting Group's local office in Stillwater, Minnesota, designed the new security and distributed sound system for the trail. The audio side runs on 56 Electro-Voice EVID-S5.2X loudspeakers placed along the full length of the path.
The EVID-S5.2X is a weather-resistant, full-range loudspeaker with wide, uniform dispersion and a 60 W transformer offering seven selectable power taps, so output can be matched to each position on the trail. Its compact, clean design keeps the visual footprint small, and its musical character favors speech intelligibility over the harder sound of a traditional PA horn.
- 56 Electro-Voice EVID-S5.2X weatherized loudspeakers
- Full-range output with wide, uniform dispersion
- Transformer with selectable power taps
- Rated for flawless operation from -25 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit
- Compact, low-visual-impact design for the canopy
“In addition to its ability to handle the weather, we chose the EVID-S5.2X speaker for the Treetop Trail PA because of its full range and wide, uniform dispersion.”
Luke MapesAudio-Visual Technician, Minnesota Zoo
The result
Clear announcements along the whole trail, in every season
With 56 EVID-S5.2X loudspeakers in place, the zoo can announce information and instructions clearly across the entirety of the trail, which makes day-to-day operations and emergency procedures more efficient. The system supports daily announcements, closing procedures, and weather-related closures and evacuations alike.
Staff and visitors have responded well to the new exhibit and its sound. With Electro-Voice located only a few miles away, the install came together as a local effort as much as a technical one.
Clear speech across the full 1.25-mile trail
Reliable PA for daily and emergency announcements
Weather-proof performance through every season
A discreet install that preserves the canopy view
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