The trails feature up-close animal interactions including a chance to brush goats. Goats enjoy being groomed.
By: Taylor Christensen | C&G Newspapers | Published May 25, 2026
ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo’s Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails are now open following a ribbon cutting on May 22.
The trails stretch across 7 acres of the zoo and feature interactive animal experiences, educational programming, hands-on activities and an elevated play structure called “Treetop Crossing.”
“This is such a big day for the Detroit Zoo, and for our community, who will experience an inclusive place for generations to come,” Haley Murphy, the director of the Detroit Zoological Society, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Across 7 acres, families will find hands-on experiences inspired by wildlife and nature, playful trails, accessible elevated walkways, sensory-friendly spaces, outdoor learning areas, and places to pause, gather and really simply enjoy being together in nature.”
The trails offer a multitude of learning opportunities for not only children, but adults too. Claire Lannoye-Hall, vice president of educational programming, said that it took years of planning to figure out what ways they were going to educate the community through the trails.
“It’s a large space with a lot of different opportunities, and we want opportunities for the kids to interact with adults so a lot of intergenerational learning can happen here,” Lannoye-Hall said. “We are focused on helping kids connect with nature, and to do it in a way that the parents can also participate.”
Lannoye-Hall said the education team members behind these ideas come from many different backgrounds, which helped shape the final ideas of the project. The educational team also looked for inspiration from visitors to the zoo and community members.
“This has been years and years of planning and brainstorming and trying things out to see what works best and what people engage with the most,” she said, “and then implementing them out in this space in a whole bunch of different ways.”
The trails also feature up-close interactions with animals including alpacas, bamboo sharks, burrowing owls, bush dogs, chickens, giant anteaters, goats, miniature donkeys, prairie dogs and stingrays.
“All of these habitats are designed with an animal-first kind of design approach,” said Mike Murray, chief life sciences officer. “They are all based on the idea that guests are welcomed into their space, but it’s still all up to the animals if they want to interact.”
In the stingray and shark cove, and the goat enclosure, visitors can physically pet the animals.
“So the stingrays, the sharks and the goats, they have the choice whether they want to participate. But we are finding that they are really enjoying it, and so we are excited for our guests to meet them,” he said.
Murray said that scientific research has shown that goats actually really like to be groomed, so at the goat enclosure guests can have the option to grab a brush and groom the goats.
“I have worked with a lot of goats in my life, and they just seem to be an animal that really enjoys that interaction,” Murray said. “There is something about that tactile connection with people that they seem to get a lot out of it.”
Along with teaching about the animals, the trails showcase plants and fruits that are native to Michigan in the garden cove and the simulation farmers market activities.
There is also an immersive virtual reality experience that will allow guests to watch and feel like they are a part of animal habitats. The VR experience has a polar, sea and dinosaur showing experience.
A detailed explanation of each of the new additions to the Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails can be found at detroitzoo.org.