Akron Zoo Grizzly Ridge Review

T

TeamTapir223

Well-Known Member
Well we finally made it out to Grizzly Ridge today and for the most part we were very impressed with it.It is no doubt instantly the crown jewel of the zoo centrally located smack dab in the center of the zoo.Attention to detail is everywhere which gives all of the enclosures a nice touch.

Your journey begins at the bottom of a rentition pond where you make your way up a medium grade hill and you come upon a frontier style entrance sign.To the right is the 1st exhibit bald eagles which is a decent sized enclosure for 5 eagles although we only saw 4 .They have low to the ground branches for perching and a small pool.

Next up is the North American Aviary which is bigger and nicer than shown in photographs.Its built into a hillside which makes it higher in size rather than in width.There is a wide variety of different species however after spending quite a bit of time within the aviary we're not sure all the species are yet making there home here.Some of the birds we did see include blue jays,american gold finch,wild turkey,tufted titmouse,black capped chickadee and cardinals.Our only complaint with the aviary is that there is alot room for it to have extended into the hillside and been bigger.

Next is the main attraction the grizzly bears.A huge yard with a pool (a bit on the small side) a cave and multiple fallen tree trunks for tearing up by Jackson and Cheyenne the zoos grizzlies.There are several large trees at the back of the exhibit that the bears can't get to and the entire back fence line is lined with conifers which when they grow shall give the exhibit a much better look.A bigger pool would have made a big difference for us.

Next is our favorite area of GR the North American River Otters with a decent land area and underwater viewing on multiple sides as well the kids clear pipe slide which shoots the kids right through the middle of the otters pool.Both the kids and the otters seemed to be enjoying this setup.

Red wolves have a average sized enclosure with a cave and some shrubs and trees.We did not see the wolves out today.

And to finish things out a nice little forested spot for the coyote pups who are not yet on exhibit.The coyote yard has the most forest cover of any of the other animal yards which is a slight knock on the bear and wolf yards.

Overall its not Teton Trek of the Memphis Zoo but its also not the relics of the past like bear exhibits that can be seen at Cleveland,Pittsburgh,Erie and Buffalo.It's easily the best exhibit the zoo has ever done and surely as Tigervalley previously stated this is no longer a small zoo but its offically graduated to medium sized zoo.

Overall grade A-

I enjoy doing reviews but just feel I' m not that great at actually writing them but I try so I hope alot of you enjoy it and if you have any questions just feel free to ask us!

Team Tapir223
 
I'm afraid if I went down the slide I would stop halfway to stare at the otters and I'd have a lot of angry children behind me.
 
Only three eagle were out at the members preview and last Sunday. They all already know each other, but most have never been on exhibit before. It will take some time. If you look down from the top of the ridge near the dog exhibits, you can see if anyone is hiding in the back of the exhibit.

Only around 50 of the 60 birds were out in the aviary when it opened. I saw birds Sunday I did not see at the preview. I got excellent photos of cedar waxwings, which are a favorite of mine. I think the aviary could have been slightly bigger, but I expect they made it this size since I see the Aviary in Wild Prairie/Tiger Valley staying for at least a while because it is one of three buildings in Wild Prairie area that are historical landmarks in the zoo (the Don Drumm restrooms and the pony barn being the others). The zoo is currently looking for residents for the Aviary in Wild Prairie/Tiger Valley.

The reason the bear exhibit is somewhat bear at the moment is because the bears, especially Jackson, keeps digging everything up. They when take it over to the pool and play with it. The exhibit has had to be seeded daily for a while because they keep digging stuff up. This is why there are small metallic bush-like barriers around parts of the exhibit. They want to give the trees a chance to get become rooted before they send in the resident reconstruction team.

Adults can go down the slide too. I know some of the zoo staff want to or already have done so. The otters have not all been out on exhibit yet.

The red wolves, Rue and Katniss, freaked out a little at the members preview and hid most of the time. I did see Katniss sleeping last Sunday in one of the cave. I think it may take some time for the girls to get adjusted.

I am glad they did not touch much of the coyote exhibit. It still has so much trees because it was the old bald eagle exhibit, but bigger. I love the one type of tree in this area with the large flaky pieces of bark. This exhibit also did not have any caves added, so there was not as many existing planted that needed to be removed. Cletus the Guinea hog does not mind his neighbors not being out yet. He was out relishing in it this past weekend.

All of the five main exhibits (not counting the aviary) have additional outdoor behind-the-scenes living areas. The grizzly bears have two separate ones. This is the first major expansion at the zoo to have these in all of the main exhibits. The cats in Tiger Valley and Legends of the Wild rotate in theirs. Instead of being fences, the Tiger Valley and Legends of the Wild ones are walled in with a fenced off roof because of space and location.

I think that they should add another set of restrooms up near Farmland since the Zoo Gardens restrooms are closed during the summer because of the animal show.
 
Thanks for the reviews guys, and Grizzly Ridge (2013) and Legends of the Wild (2005) have definitely added a lot of marquee species to the zoo. It will be interesting to see what happens with attendance, as the zoo received around 330,000 visitors last year and that will surely increase with the big new complex.
 
Otters Molly & Emmy are on exhibit together now. The wolves have settled in and aren't as skittish with people at the glass although they can still be nervous at times.
 
snowleopard said:
Thanks for the reviews guys, and Grizzly Ridge (2013) and Legends of the Wild (2005) have definitely added a lot of marquee species to the zoo. It will be interesting to see what happens with attendance, as the zoo received around 330,000 visitors last year and that will surely increase with the big new complex.
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As attendance rises parking might also become something the zoo needs to take a look at.Yesterday was a mad house !

Team Tapir223
 
Attendance would have been worse on Tuesday and Wednesday when they had Akron school kids in both days. It was awful when the Grizzly Ridge section was closed and having several thousand children running about. When it was busy Sunday, it was not noticed as much since four more acres spread people out a bit.

It think parking will be addressed. It would be more of a side project because it does not impact the internal zoo as a whole. Since parts of Perkins Park Drive is now closed, they could move some employees up there on busier days right now if needed. They need to get the city to relocate to city tennis court to the remaining park of Perkins Park. I have never really seen them used much in the past 13 years. I do not know if they have purchased anymore homes on Euclid as people have become available. They use Akron General's lot for excess parking and have a bus bring people to the zoo on days like Boo at the Zoo. I think if they could get the land where the tennis courts are and create a parking lot for employees to use when its busy, this will help. Employees park in the side lot a majority of the time and this may have to change soon.

I do think one of the newest not talked about celebrities in the new area is Forest, a four-month-old porcupine that lives in the education animal area. He was out both days I was there and seems to be popular.
 
TigerValley98 said:
Attendance would have been worse on Tuesday and Wednesday when they had Akron school kids in both days. It was awful when the Grizzly Ridge section was closed and having several thousand children running about. When it was busy Sunday, it was not noticed as much since four more acres spread people out a bit.

It think parking will be addressed. It would be more of a side project because it does not impact the internal zoo as a whole. Since parts of Perkins Park Drive is now closed, they could move some employees up there on busier days right now if needed. They need to get the city to relocate to city tennis court to the remaining park of Perkins Park. I have never really seen them used much in the past 13 years. I do not know if they have purchased anymore homes on Euclid as people have become available. They use Akron General's lot for excess parking and have a bus bring people to the zoo on days like Boo at the Zoo. I think if they could get the land where the tennis courts are and create a parking lot for employees to use when its busy, this will help. Employees park in the side lot a majority of the time and this may have to change soon.

I do think one of the newest not talked about celebrities in the new area is Forest, a four-month-old porcupine that lives in the education animal area. He was out both days I was there and seems to be popular.
Click to expand...

Any possibility of a parking garage at some point down the line?We are big proponents of them because of the space they can save zoos.

Team Tapir223
 
They might. I have never heard anything. They will have to do something. If they ever get one, it should go where the city tennis courts are because there already is a drastic drop there in the land. The entrance could be on a higher level because of this. I would expect to start hearing what will come in the future with the levy up in November.
 
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