Thanks to
RomanticAsheville.com for updating their links to our new website in their
Outdoor Thins To Do in Asheville section!
The first large-scale treetop adventure park in North Carolina opens near downtown Asheville on September 29, 2012! The Asheville Treetops Adventure Park is like a jungle gym in the trees, with 50 elements from 12 to 45 feet above the forest floor that include climbing, zipping, walking, jumping, swinging, and rappelling challenges — all anchored to more than 30 trees. It promotes family fun, physical fitness, outdoor adventure, active lifestyles, and personal growth and accomplishment. The park has elements for all ages, strengths, and adventure levels. It’s part of the Asheville Adventure Center and next to Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures.
Treetop adventure parks are the newest imported outdoor craze to hit the country. Following the success of zipline canopy tours that jumped to the U.S. six or seven years ago from Costa Rica and the Caribbean, adventure parks have gained tremendous popularity in Europe with thousands operating from Sweden to France, Belgium, and Germany. There are only a handful of adventure parks in the U.S. and none of the scale and style in North Carolina of Asheville Treetops Adventure Park.
Unlike a zipline canopy tour where you travel with a group, you choose the trails that you feel comfortable with and move around the park individually, at their own pace. Asheville Treetops Adventure Park uses new technology called “smart belays” that are designed to assure you are attached to safety systems at all times and cannot detach from the system until you have completed the aerial trail and are back on the ground. Explore freely while knowing the safety system monitors your attachments and is designed to not allow accidental unclipping from the safety points.
Challenge Trails
The park has four trails to choose from, each with 10 to 15 different challenges to complete the circuit.
- Green (easy): One trail, 12 to 15 feet above the forest floor for first-timers and more timid adventurers. No climbing needed once on the start platform; milder and more stable crossings attached to the lower trunks of the trees with minimal movement, with an easy finish back to the ground.
- Yellow (intermediate): Two trails with increased heights up to 30 feet above the forest floor providing several climbing challenges and increased exposure to moving elements, with exits that include a rappel and a cargo net escape. The Yellow trails include many fun elements that mimic popular Asheville sports, such as kayaking, hang gliding, a horse swing, a treetop sliding board, and treetop tunnels.
- Red (advanced): One trail with heights up to 45 feet above the forest floor. Prepare for adventure, personal challenge, and lots of exposure with trees swaying and structures moving as you traverse the highest and most physically and mentally challenging activities in the park. Includes a treetop climbing wall and the “Big Air” snowboard zip, with a rappel back to the ground.
More Details
What to wear? You will be provided with gear and a helmet in the same manner as a zipline canopy tour. Secure, closed-toe shoes are required. Collared shirts are recommended as well as modest shorts. Do not wear dangling jewelry or items that could snag or fall off while participating.
The cost for a regular two-hour adventure park session is $49 for adults, $44 for youth; $99 for an adventure park/zipline combo. Minimum age 7 years old. Restrictions to certain trails apply for younger children. Parent/adult escorts (in the trees) and/or ground based supervision are required for children. Detailed rules and age restrictions are posted on their web site. Maximum weight 265 lbs. No minimum weight requirement.
Directions: Located next to
Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures in West Asheville off of Patton Avenue behind Regent Park (across the French Broad River from downtown). From the East or Downtown Asheville: Take I-240 West until you cross the French Broad River. Take Exit 3A straight onto Hwy 19/23 also known as Patton Avenue. Turn right at second light (Denny’s) onto Regent Park Drive. Turn left at end of road at sign for Crowne Plaza Resort, Asheville Adenture Center is at the top of the hill on your left.
From the West (I-26, I-40, I-240): Take I-240 East to Exit 3A (left hand exit ramp). Turn right at second light (at Denny’s) onto Regent Park Drive. Turn left at end of road at sign for Crowne Plaza Resort, Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures is at the top of the hill on your left
