Zippin the Day Away in the Mountains - at Navitat Canopy Adventures!



Me and the kids zippin the day away!

Take the best of canopy tours and zip line tours, add a little repelling and hiking, a couple sky bridges, and lots of information about tress and wildlife in the area, and you have Navitat Canopy Adventures.  And an adventure it is! 

photo courtesy of Navitat

With my in-laws visiting us this week, we were looking for something fun we could do, and I remembered reading about this new comapny just 13 miles from our house that runs zipline tours high up in the trees of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Navitat opened last April, and has been showing visitors a great time since!

Browning getting me ready to zip

None of us had ever been zippin', and were a little nervous (ok I was the one a little nervous) about flying through the trees on contraptions we knew nothing about.  But we shouldn't have worried a bit. Our guides, Brett and Browning ('like the gun' she said) were so helpful, knowledgable, patient, and fun, and they taught us everything we needed to know.  They geared us up, and we set off to the karts that would take us up the mountain to begin our adventure.   

My son learning to zip

The first 2 zip lines were the 'training'. No long, and not to far off the ground.  We quickly got the hang of it with Brett's and Browning's clear and simple instructions, and skill at making us all feel comfortable. 
Then the long, high, exhilarating zips. Who knew that learning the cannonball when we were kids would come in handy ziplining? The cannonball is very important, especially on long runs and especially if you are light, because it helps you gain speed and get you to the next station so you don't have to pull yourself in. 

Pappa didn't always have to cannonball...

One zip was over 200 feet from the ground. Others were through tunnels of trees. We saw huge hemlocks, poplars, and other trees I can't remember, and each station was a big, safe treehouse floor with spectacular views.


Swinging while waiting

One station even had a swing we could enjoy while waitng for the rest to reach the station! Browning and Brett could answer so many questions about the trees, and each one that held a station had a name and a story.  They also could name the mountains in the distance, something I am very interested in learning now that we are living here. And if you needed a restaurant recommendation, they had plenty of those too!  

Wheee - repelling was his favorite part!

We also got to repell off a couple stations . Repelling was so much easier than we thought it would be.  It is amazing how much control you have when lowering yourself down.  

My daughter repelling

The sky bridges were wild too.  My daughter thought it was funny to shake the bridge as we went across, something her Gram did not find amusing!  We all were laughing though, and there was no fear of falling - we were strapped to safety lines the entire time we were off the ground and our guides made sure we didn't take on more than we were able to. Every step of the way they showed us how to get through the course in a fun way.

the long sky bridge, phot courtesy of Navitat

Navitat is offering end of season discounts until November 24th, so now is the perfect time to get your zip on! Just go to their Facebook page, like them, and you will get a code to enter if you book online.  (They will give you the discount if you mention it if you make the reservations over the phone too, but do check out the page, it has great photos, videos, and you can see how much fun it is!!)


Beautiful views, photo courtesy of Navitat

 Navitat brings the best of the canopy tour and ziplining together, mixes in history of the land, knowledge of the landscape, and lot and lots of fun.  You should really zip the day away in the mountains.

And don't worry, this little guy is not an official guide. He was just protecting the path, and the staff promptly and safely moved him to a more appropriate area to protect.

Copperhead protecting the path