treetop trekking

First time but a ton of fun even in the pouring rain. A must do at least once. The staff are very helpful and patient, very safe. A fun activity for the whole family.

This is a wonderful activity for the whole family. This is in the Ganaraska Forest Centre in Northumberland County. I am over 50 and I could do it so I am sure almost anyone can. It's an obstacle course up in the trees. It is very challenging but doable. You also do zip lining. That is the most fun part. My only advice is wear longer pants, below the knees and take water with you. It took about 2 hours to complete the course.

We tried this out with 5 of our friends, It was challenging but worth the drive. They star easy and get harder, little did we know they have the hardest course in Ontario and most were feeling it before 1/2 way through. I would go back again, especially after the amazing sleep I had that night. The staff were helpful and always watching to make sure everyone was always clipped in.

This is the second treetop adventure for us. The first one was in Holiday Valley, just South of Buffalo, NY. Thankfully we have visited that one first, as it has several true beginner courses for a more gradual approach. They also have more interesting, creative challenges of different types. And interestingly it is less pricey.Also, my husband did the zip line at the Toronto CNE recently and had other aerial adventures, so he is well versed.We visited Ganaraska on September 1, 2014.We are both in our late fifties and we could handle 4 out of the 6 courses without problems. We are rather fit though, I would say. And by the way, I have fear of heights, but I noticed that treetop trekking adventures help to actually get rid of it. Before I forget... Bring gloves, if you want to save the skin of your palms. Those cables you hold on to are metallic and rough to the touch, and you'll get sore in no time. Gloves with rubber on the palms for better adherence would be best.It is a good idea to wear a top with long sleeves. There will be contact between the cables and your upper and lower arms when you struggle to keep your balance on the bridges, as you lean heavily against those cables, so you'll get scratches in the process if the skin is not protected. Also, bring plenty of water as you are going to sweat a lot. You can leave it in a storage area right there and drink it between your courses to stay hydrated.We were too tired to go on the Tarzan/ nets type of course and another one was just way out of our league, like a double diamond. The Falcon course was fun, the bridges between the zip lines were OK. But for some of the zip lines the landing was rough. The landing platform was steep and short, so twice I almost bumped into the pole (it is cushioned though) after gaining lots of speed. But it was I guess part of the fun. If they would enlarge that landing platform, it would also be a more comfortable standing position for you when moving your safety cables from the zip line to the next challenge.As a remark, the cables on the bridges are not set tight - hence they are wobbly, so you need good overall strength to keep yourself balanced. Men seem better at recovering from impossible body postures. Many bridges only provide one cable to hang on to while crossing. That cable has lots of slack for most courses and it is hung low, which makes keeping one's balance more difficult for adults. A child can handle it much better as they hold on to it above their head. The adults have it at chest or waist level and it creates lots of swinging and swaying, compounded with the generally wobbly bridges under their feet.We felt good and proud after tackling those courses, but today I feel sore in my upper body. The legs are OK, I was well prepared as I ran almost daily lately.I am looking forward to checking out the treetop trekking in Barrie (Horseshoe Valley) and other places in Ontario. I would recommend Ganaraska Forest to people who keep in good shape.

My family and I were part of a larger group that tried out the trekking, most of us for the first time. The guides were very friendly, professional and patient. The age range in our group was 10-73, and many were not all that fond of heights. But we all made it through the training session and the first course. After that we were free to go on our own for the remainder of our three hour session. Best course in my opinion was the Flying Falcon - mostly zip lines with a few "games". Definitely enjoyed my time in the Ganaraska Forest - a work out for both body and mind! Would definitely go back, or to any of the other four locations.

Great way for the whole family to get out and play together. Yes it requires some upper body strength. Don't worry if you are afraid of heights. As long as you have your equipment attached you won't go far. The advanced courses are a blast and Flying Falcon is a good way to end the day. That is the course with the zip lines and a few easy games. Definitely going back.

This adventure is not for people with a fear of heights! It is like a confidence course in the trees! You wear zip-line web gear and go from platform to platform, 30-40ft up in the trees, and move across swinging logs, nets, cable wires, mobile wood plank steps and zip-lines, to name a few of the challenges.Staff was friendly and professional and safety is the priority. It's a bit pricey - $56 plus tax for an adult, $40-ish for a kid, a bit cheaper if you are a family of 4 or more. But it is worth it as it is such a unique experience.That price is for a 3hr use of the courses - there is beginner, intermediate, and advanced, plus a part that's just 4 adjoining zip-lines. You have to done the beginner and intermediate to do the 4 zip-lines.It is somewhat physically challenging re: upper body/arm strength when you are holding on to guide wires for dear life!! (you are always carbaneered x2 onto support lines.)There are now 4 locations - Barrie, Hunstville, Northumberland and Brampton.Highly recommended to check this out!

Spent the afternoon at Treetop Trekking in the Ganaraska Forest on Wednesday with my wife and one of our daughters who is entering 4th year at Trent U in Peterborough.The orientation and initial testing was very well organized and the guide was clearly well trained and made it very clear from the beginning that "Safety was # 1". Seemed like no time and we swinging and zipping through the Ganaraska Forest with ease.It is the perfect place for young kids to bring their parents and/or grandparents and kick their butts and have a great day in the process.Don't forget your camera and some drinking water.

Second year in a row we have done this as a family. Orientation better this time. Courses challenging, yet not impossible. 13 yr old daughter and her friend flew thru all, including newest Timberwolf. We will do it again!

My husband, 9 year old son and myself went today for our treetop trekking adventure. The staff/guides were great. We were outfitted with harnesses and helmets and given an orientation with instruction on how to go through the "games". The guides and staff were very encouraging to me (I'm really afraid of heights). My son and I went through 2 of the courses, while my husband did all 5. It was a great experience for all of us, but I wouldn't attempt it unless you are ready to deal with the heights and you are in relatively good shape. It was fun and we would definitely do it again!!

Have been here once before and enjoyed myself so much I decided to go again. This is a place where you are given 3 hours to complete different levels of games before you are approved by the staff to move up to the next level of difficulty. We were given a complete orientation with all of the equipment on before we set off. This time the beginner course was closed for maintenance so we started out on the next level up. After some games and a zipline I was stumped by the "porcupine" and had to be "rescued". The staff were amazing and towed me back across the zipline which was built for one-way travel. I never felt unsafe or was made to feel foolish by the staff for being helped back off the course. My friend continued on to complete all of the games including the last one which is the hardest course in Ontario. I witnessed the staff helping people by telling them different ways to move across the games through the trees and all of the people were have so much fun it was great just to be able to watch from the ground. I was a little upset that I wasn't told about the beginner course being closed, (I am a senior and prefer to work up to the harder courses gradually), when I booked so I went back and spoke to the manager about it. He very graciously gave me a free pass to come and try it again when the beginner course was back up and running and he also gave me a $10 off coupon for my friend to come with me. Couldn't be more fair so I will definitely be going back again to conquer that darn "porcupine". :)

Although I have been ziplining a few times (Mojave Desert & Fremont Street) I have never been treetop trekking. I schlepped my husband along this time instead of my daughter. The staff are very friendly. Before you start into the woods your instructor will check that you have your equipment on correctly. When everyone is strapped in securely, the group ventures into the woods. Be careful of the poison ivy that grows rampant along the path! No effort was made to remove any of it and the only notice everyone received was from my husband who pointed it out and then we saw the tiny little signs at our feet warning of it.After instructions and a chance for everyone to use and become familiar with their equipment, we were let loose to venture from course to course. We were a bit unsure as to which direction the following course was and we got a bit confused at the end as to what options we had due to little time left (we missed a whole ziplining run and did an extremely difficult course by mistake) but, I gotta tell you, overall we had a blast!! Challenging & fun! This course teaches you about yourself and comradeship. You are allowed to take cameras with you and there are cubby holes to place any small bags you may have with food or water (highly recommended). They are very close to the course and can be accessed at any time between courses. Don't take valuables with you! I had a small shoulder strap purse that didn't get in the way of my equipment that I kept my phone (camera) and some money in. Overall, the day was extremely fun and affordable! I would recommend this adventure to anyone who is not afraid of heights!!

Tree Top Trekking was a great experience. It's something definitely unique and different from what people do normally.The site took about 1 hour to drive to from Toronto on Sunday morning. The site consists of a whole bunch of different ladders, platforms, steps suspended in the air between trees and ziplines to navigate through. You're not too high up for most courses (I'd guess 20 to 30 feet at most) but there is one course that is probably at least 50 feet in the air.All of the staff are extremely friendly and they will help you if they see you stuck up in the trees. You get 3 hours to spend in the park with your admission. We managed to do all but 1 of them in that time (including the ziplining course twice). Definitely bring gloves as your hands can start to hurt from hooking the cables and holding metal ropes repeatedly.

Excellent adventure for both adults and children. Here are some comfort tips: You may take a small bag with you with water/snack which can be left in a cubical at the beginning of the courses but do not take valuables with you. It is a 5 minute walk to either the car park or the office/toilets but remember once you are in your gear you are there for the entire three hours. Spray yourself with bug spray. While they are not bad in the trees they are horrible on the ground. Wear pants (can get scraped up) and wear thin gloves (the carabiners bite.) Some more tips: You need a bit of strength in knees and upper body. The swaying of the bridges, swings and monkey wires puts stress on the knees and trying to balance yourself on the wires and pulling yourself onto the platforms means you need a bit of arm muscle. It is worth the sore muscles for a few days afterwards though!Children tips: They seemed to love it but I do have a suggestion from my observing them both on the courses and from below. 1:2 ratio as in 1 adult to 2 children. Ensure the adult goes first to show the child how to cross the bridges, swings etc. then when they need support/encouragement the adult is there to help the child across. Do not allow a bunch of children to go first followed by the adults instead follow the 1:2 ratio. Unfortunately my companion was behind a group of 7 girls followed by 2 adults. When the girls went into a panic because the course changed the guide had to talk to one for 20 minutes before she would do the obstacle. My companion had to stay suspended on one of the obstacles for the entire time since two were on the platform in front and behind (the max allowed.) Thankfully he is strong (yes he did the Timberwolf course!) but if it had been me, the stress on arms and legs would have ruined the rest of my day. There is a lot to remember to keep safe but everyone on the course had no difficulty following the rules. If you want to stay on the same course and do it several times you are able to. As you progress the courses go from a guide every platform (cub) to one guide on an entire course (Timberwolf) so if you are only comfortable on the first two courses then that is OK they just might be busier. The guides were helpful, supportive, knowledgeable and encouraging. I did not find fault with any of them and there are a lot of them here. They are very well trained and I felt safe at all times during the trek. I would and have been recommending this as a great morning or afternoon adventure for friends and family (even a date) and we are going to go again this season!

Great operation, lots of fun! Guides were very friendly, courses were exciting, challenging and fun. Timberwolf is definitely the most challenging course in Ontario!