Destination: Catamount Aerial Adventure Park!

image courtesy of Catamount Adventure Park





Searching for a fantastic adventure for your elementary school-aged, tween, or teen children?  Look no further than Catamount Aerial Adventure Park!  Located approximately 2 hours from New York City on the Massachusettes/NewYork border, Catamount is the first large-scale aerial adventure park in North America!

Designed by Swiss Alpine Mountaineers, Catamount Adventure Park is modeled after popular ropes courses throughout Europe and features 12 aerial rope courses with platforms amid a lush forest setting.  The course features cables, zip lines, rope-and-wood swinging bridges, swinging tubes and tunnels, ladders, trapezes, etc. which afford visitors the challenge of navigating each obstacle to proceed between platforms.  All in all, Catamount's courses feature over 100 different elements; and with the exception of the extremely popular zip lines, each element is unique! 

While their primary focus is on fun, Catamount also espouses a strong emphasis on safety; every participant is fully secured in a harness at all points while on the courses and the park offers courses ranging in difficulty from easy (for beginners and younger visitors) to challenging.  Visitors begin at the main lodge, where they purchase their tickets, get fitted for a harness and gloves, and experience a comprehensive safety and park usage demonstration. Visitors are permitted on different levels of the course according to age and ability; however, each visitor must complete an easy level and an intermediate level before proceeding to more advanced levels.

Notably, younger children are restricted to easier levels, and must be supervised or accompanied by an adult on certain courses; all guests must be at least 7 years old and there are height, and weight requirements (see site for details).  Other important advisories to note include: Athletic shoes or hiking boots are recommended, as is appropriate clothing for the activity (courses can be strenuous, so dress for the weather and consider bringing a change of clothes for the ride home as you may perspire heavily while engaged in the courses).  Speaking of weather, the park will close during periods of high winds, thunderstorms, or heavy rain, so be sure to call ahead if there is any chance of inclement weather.  Details on pricing and hours of operation can be found  here.

Safe and happy travels!

-Destination Mom