If you're afraid of heights, like I am, normally you'd steer clear of anything that involved climbing to the tops of trees only to rappel into a net or zip down a line of cable. But for some reason, the new treetop adventure course in Plano Go Ape didn't scare me one bit.
First of all, kudos to the team that greets you and gets you settled into your safety harness--and by 'settled' I'm being gracious. They strap you in pretty snugly. Then our guide, Julie, walked us through the procedure of connecting the shuttle and carabiner to the safety cables, a step done repeatedly throughout the course.
My kids (ages 12 and 21) and I worked our way through five separate stations, each beginning with a climb up a rope-and-dowel ladder and ending with a zip line. In between we traversed over suspended steps, tightropes and other obstacles like you'd see on "American Ninja Warrior"--without the threat of falling into water below.
Go Ape is situated in the Oak Point Nature Preserve in Plano, about a 45 minute drive from Flower Mound or Southlake. Plan to spend about $50 per person, which might sound a bit steep, but we spent three hours from start to finish, so the fee seemed reasonable. Make sure after you finish to return to the trailer for your certificate of completion. Then, if you return, you can submit it for a free T-shirt or water bottle.
Go early to beat the heat, but the entire course is shaded, so the temps are cooler than you'd think. We didn't need sunscreen but definitely applied some bug spray, which was provided for us by Go Ape. Water stations are provided throughout. If someone in your party would rather observe than participate, they are welcome to watch from the ground as you go. Guests must be ten and older to tackle the course.
Reservations are made online ahead of time and our group consisted of a family of five, a pair of women, and then us. Go Ape does a good job of pacing participants so you don't feel crowded. We are already planning our return adventure. Let us know if you make the trek and what you think!