Take Your Group on a High-Flying Aerial Adventure
Are you looking for a dynamic activity to boost morale or get your group in sync? When you envision this activity does it include the great outdoors and the thrill of adrenaline from a dizzying height? In the Pacific Northwest, meeting and corporate event planners will find plenty of options for high-flying aerial adventures with zip lines and challenge courses. Many cater to corporate and large groups, and some have team-building activities. These types of tours happen rain or shine, so let participants know to wear proper attire, and bring along a sense of adventure.
Here is a selection for your next group outing or team-building event.
ADVENTURA
Woodinville, Washington
Located 30 minutes from Seattle, the aerial obstacle course at Adventura features 45-degree cargo nets, climbing and crossing obstacles, zip lines and rappelling. Throughout the course, climbers challenge themselves to think creatively and test their balance, patience and strength. For team building, Adventura offers two tracks; one for recreation and one for development.
“There is a big difference between recreational morale and team building,” said Scott Chreist, founder and CEO of Adventura. “Recreational morale is not about learning; the objective is to socialize and play for the fun of it. In team building, you use a game or activity to reflect on the experience and understand how and why it impacts team members.”
Both tracks are handcrafted to meet the goals of the group. For recreational morale, they craft an experience around play, creative thinking and fun. The ground play takes place indoors and outdoors and may include the climbing course. For development, there are two workshops, The Essentials, and True Colors. These workshops have beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, and revolve around team dynamics, building trust, communication, and more. Both tracks have multi-day options, and for those who can’t meet at Adventura, a senior facilitator will bring the workshops to your location.
CONNECT:
Adventura
Scott Chreist, CEO Adventura
866-981-8655
support@adventuraplay.com
adventuraplay.com
CANOPY TOURS NW
Camano Island, Washington
With three pick-up locations at select hotels in Seattle, Canopy Tours NW makes it easy for groups to experience zip lining and team building on scenic Camano Island. Located on 100 acres of forested land at Kristoferson Farm, the course includes short hikes, a log bridge, six zip lines with the longest line 55 feet longer than the Space Needle is tall, and it ends with a 47-foot belay from a century-old cedar tree.
Throughout the course, guides utilize interpretive platforms to aid in a conversation about flora and fauna. And, depending on the season, there is a beverage stop for hot chocolate and lemonade with home-grown lavender.
Groups interested in team building can add on Terra Teams, a 12-element challenge course. Activities are based on a needs assessment and may include problem-solving, creative thinking, communication, and bonding. For both options, Canopy Tours NW can arrange for boxed lunches to be enjoyed at the picnic tables next to their historic red barn.
CONNECT:
Canopy Tours NW
Mona Campbell, director of marketing
360-387-5807
mona@canopytoursnw.com
canopytoursnw.com
MICA MOON ZIP TOURS
Liberty Lake, Washington
Halfway between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Mica Moon Zip Tours is located on a hillside with towering Aspen trees. The course has nine zip lines with two canyon crossings; one at 3,500 feet and the other at 1,500 feet. There is also a short hike and a suspension bridge.
“There’s no growth in the comfort zone,’ said Rik Stewart, owner and president of Mica Moon Zip Tours. “We want people to feel like they’ve gotten out of the everyday grind, and by the end of the day they feel recharged.”
This summer Mica Moon Treetop Adventures opens. This aerial trekking park will have three difficulty levels that include bridges, belays, cargo nets, bike zip line, and Tarzan swings. For either activity, they can set up picnic tables for lunch or dinner and refer a local caterer.
CONNECT:
Mica Moon Zip Tours
Rik Stewart, president
509-587-4020
micamoonziptours@gmail.com
micamoon.com
TREE TO TREE AERIAL ADVENTURE PARK
Gaston, Oregon
Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Park offers six aerial obstacle courses, a zip line canopy tour and team building activities, all within an hour of Portland. Set in the treetops, the self-guided obstacle course has over 60 challenges with tightropes, balance beams, ladders, wobbly bridges, zip lines and Tarzan swings. The zip line tour includes six ziplines with two racing lines, a line that is 1,280 feet long, a bridge and a 30-foot rappel.
For corporate team building, they create a series of on-the-ground activities tailored to the needs of the group and built so that no one person can do them alone. With each activity, there are opportunities to reflect on a task, how it could have been done better, and redo the challenge. Topics include strategic problem solving, leadership, communication, ways to manage stress in the workplace, and activities can be combined with the zip line and obstacle course.
For all-day outings, groups can bring a lunch or have catered meals. They also offer off-site team building where they bring the challenges to your workplace.
CONNECT:
Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Park
Jason Asher, course manager
503-357-0109
jason@treetotreeadventurepark.com
tree2treeadventurepark.com
HIGH LIFE ADVENTURES
Warrenton, Oregon
Set on 30 forested acres, High Life Adventures is two hours from Portland and a short drive from Cannon Beach, Seaside and Astoria, Oregon. The course has eight zip lines with a 1,200-foot racing line and a line that runs over a large lake, where participants can touch the water. Every line is different and while they do not have special team-building packages, they can build games along the way, such as throwing a rock at a target or high fiving a tree branch as you go by on the zip line. Afterward, groups gather at the Zip N’ Sip Bar for craft beers, local wines, sandwiches, paninis, and beer bread. In the summer, High Life Adventure Park opens in Seaside. It will have challenge courses and team-building activities.
CONNECT:
High Life Adventures
Katie Larson, office manager
503-861-9875
info@highlife-adventures.com
highlife-adventures.com
ZIP IDAHO
Horseshoe Bend, Idaho
Nestled on a mountainside at 5,000 feet, Zip Idaho is a 30-minute drive from Boise. The course features six zip lines, including a line that is 2,030 feet long, a side-by-side line 1,000 feet long and 120 feet above the ground and a 60-foot long suspension bridge. Tours are geared toward making memories with friends and family as well as recreational morale for corporate events where individuals overcome fears and give support. Groups are driven to the site which is nine miles from the office. Or, they can arrange for the unique experience of being dropped off via helicopter.
CONNECT:
Zip Idaho
Eric Faull, owner
208-793-2947
office@zipidaho.com
zipidaho.com
TIMBERLINE ADVENTURES
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Timberline Adventures is a short drive from downtown Coeur d’Alene. Set above the lake at around 3,000 feet, the course takes place almost entirely in the canopy. It features seven zip lines, with one line 1,600 long and 450 feet from the ground, and three sky bridges with one 150 feet long that connects to a 300-year-old Ponderosa pine. New this year, is a 1,600-square-foot treehouse for catered lunches and dinners.
CONNECT:
Timberline Adventures
Holly Parson, office manager
208-820-2080
holly@ziptimberline.com
ziptimberline.com
YELLOWSTONE ZIPLINE AND CANOPY TOUR
Gallatin Gateway, Montana
With two locations, one near Yellowstone National Park and one in Gallatin, Montana, Yellowstone Zipline and Canopy Tour is close to Bozeman. Both courses have built-in challenges such as adventure bridges, slides, ladders and jumps that test balance and confidence. The Gallatin course has six zip lines and eight elements all with views of Gallatin Canyon. Located on a historic ranch, the Yellowstone course has seven zip lines with two 1,200 feet long and 200 feet above the ground.
“Zip lining is already out of people’s comfort zone, and we encourage groups to be engaged with individuals as they go through the course,” said Katie Pidgeon, general manager. “Our additional packages like rafting are naturally suited for team building as everyone has to paddle at the same time.”
Package options include rafting, horseback riding and fly fishing, and they also create customized packages. At the Gallatin location, catered dinners and lunches are available at the onsite cafe, and deli-style lunches with an outside caterer can be arranged for the Yellowstone location.
CONNECT:
Yellowstone Zipline and Canopy Tours
Katie Pidgeon, general manager
406-763-4465
mtwhitewater@gmail.com
yellowstonezip.com
YELLOWSTONE AERIAL ADVENTURES
West Yellowstone, Montana
Located close to downtown, Yellowstone Aerial Adventures features a challenge course with elements up to 50 feet off the ground. The course includes a total of 49 elements such as zip lines, giant ropes, and bridges, and three levels with tasks along the way that push and test abilities. For groups, they can design elements and parameters that encourage group support as they move through the course. There are also rafting and horseback riding packages as well as an onsite café that seats up to 40 and serves wood-fired pizza.
CONNECT:
Yellowstone Aerial Adventures
Nicole Barker, owner
406-646-5171
yellowstoneaerialadventures@gmail.com
yellowstoneparkzipline.com
