UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Ever think about snow shoeing at the zoo? Well you can, the Utica Zoo offers snow shoes to rent and explore the zoo in the winter with.

Right at the utica zoo's gift shop you can get fitted for snow shoes, rent them, and then go along a groomed trail or anywhere around the exhibits to see the animals.

"Many of our animals seem to really like the winter, they grow a different coat, they make load noises they are really active," said Utica Zoo Executive Director Andria Heath. "The snowshoers today were telling me the Mexican Wolves were really playing in the snow and kind of rolling all over so its neat to see them in a different element."

The Utica Zoo encourages people to not forget about the zoo in the winter time, as visitors are an essential enrichment activity for the animals.

NEWSChannel2 met up with three girls just back from the trail, happy they found a new fun way to enjoy the snow.

"It was awesome," said Kate Williams of Marcy. "We went up the north trail it was a good little hike, we tried to stay off the plowed path so we could actually have the snow shoe experience and we saw the lynx, we saw the foxes and we saw the wolves and a snow owl."

Kate Williams said she had no idea the zoo offered snowshoeing. She took to the trail Thursday with two friends from college, in the end the girls getting a fun workout.

"It was awesome," said Lyndsay Avery of Holland Patent. "It was so fun just to get outside and especially in the winter and everyone's cooped up inside so it was really great to get outside and get some exercise too."

Snow shoe rentals at the zoo are $2.50 per hour on the grounds. Shoes are available starting for age three.