Testing Our Skills at a Dallas Ropes and Challenge Course

When I read "we offer three hours of adrenaline rush, gut check, full throttle, eye popping adventure as you climb, zip, soar and drop through two hundred year old Post Oaks" I immediately called and booked a time at Trinity Forest Adventure Park to give it a try. The Park is in Dallas so I invited my daughter, her husband, and their to two kids (8 and 4) to join us and we all headed down to southeast Dallas on a Sunday afternoon. Wow, what a great adventure.

Trinity Forest Adventure Park is the first and only aerial adventure park in Texas and it sits on seven acres which has six self guided courses with over 70 elements that will test your nerves, agility, and strength. This adventure is a combination of a canopy tour, zip line, and challenge/ropes course. What makes it fun is that there are four levels of difficulty with three different elevations that you can choose from. You can master an easy level, then proceed to the next level, and so on - with each level being higher in elevation and demanding a little more strength, agility, and courage. Each course has 8 to 12 elements/obstacles like cargo nets, swinging bridges, climbing features, balance beams, and more. It's fun and safe for ages 6 (they must be at least 48 inches) to 96 and you don't need to be in peak physical condition to participate. Complete all four levels and you'll be tired and sweaty and very proud of yourself!

When you arrive at your designated time, your first stop is to get fitted with a harness, helmet, and gloves. Then you'll get an overview of the courses and rules (like yell "fishsticks" if you need help) and then you go through ground school where you learn to hook and unhook your safety and zip line harness to the safety hook and lines. And then you're ready to go on a new adventure!

The first step is to hook onto a safety line and climb a ladder up to a platform 10' or so off the ground. From here you can decide which of the four courses you want to try. We started with the easiest and then the next hardest until we conquered all four! The 8 year old could only go on the first two courses and she loved it so much that she want back and did one course again! At the end, she still had plenty of energy and the rest of us were ready for some Advil and a nap and a dry tee shirt! Here is our grandaughter on some of the obstacles.

All of the obstacles are above ground and on each course you take an obstacle (ie, a rope bridge) to the next platform where you will encounter another obstacle or a zip line that takes you to another platform for the next challenge. You have up to three hours to enjoy all of the courses.

The last course is the most demanding and it's pretty challenging. Here is a short description - you start by climbing a Jacobs Ladder up to a platform to start the course and see if you can master: a very challenging rope and block obstacle, walk a tight wire, climb up a pole with small hand and foot holds similar to those on a climbing wall, pull yourself hand over hand on a rope over 75' to the other side (near the platform you're pulling yourself up a slight incline), then zip across to another platform where you'll hook on to a rope on a winding spool and leap off the edge of the platform 75' above the ground and hope the the spool slows your descent! At the end of this course the muscles were tired and the tee shirt was soaked with sweat but we all high fived and congratulated ourselves on making it through the course.

Some of the other elements at Trinity Forest Adventure Park that you'll encounter included:

• swinging tires - tires suspended above the ground by ropes
• vine walk - use the ‘vines’ (short ropes) hanging down and cross on a foot cable to the other side
• postman's walk - cross a single foot cable (a tightrope) with the use of a hand cable,
• cat walk - walk along the suspended beam to the other side
• swing bridge - step out onto a wobbly, unsteady bridge and cross without any hand lines for assistance

The staff are great and focused on your safety and want to make sure you have a good time. Our 4 year old grandson was to young and short to try any of the courses, but one of the staff, "D", asked us if he wanted to try to zip and the answer was a big smile and yes. So "D" put him in a harness and let he play on the ground school zip line - he loved it!!! And by the end of the day he was flying with legs and arms spread and a huge smile on his face.

Observers are welcome to stroll the grounds and watch friends or relatives try the courses and you are allowed to bring food and drinks (no alcohol) and enjoy yourself on one of the several picnic tables.

A good time - give them a call a book a slot for a fun adventure.

Next door to Trinity Forest Adventure Park is The Southern Cross which is a venue for parties, retreats, wedding, social or business events. And it's loaded with activities like: Pedal Boats, Rock Climbing Wall, Bungee Trampoline, Swimming Pool, Pony Rides, Wagon Rides, Sand Volley Ball Courts, Basketball Courts, Competition Horseshoe Pits, Ping Pong Tables, Catch & Release Fishing, Water Balloon Launchers, Petting Zoo and a Full Service Restaurant.