Go Ape

If you’re beyond tired of the same ‘ol movie & dinner combo for your anniversary and want to discover something new and exciting then this is easily an adventure you’ll be talking about for months afterwards. I couldn’t check in here because my Blackberry doesn’t work with Unilocal but I went here on Nov. 5^th for a belated wedding anniversary; it was the first time in over three years where I actually enjoyed myself & the company around me.
However, I can’t say that my husband & I were happy with the staff. We left a half hour early because the site clearly states you absolutely need to be on time or else they might start without you. I get that it’s unfair to hold up other participants up due to others being late, I can respect that. But when the entire highway (for more than 15 miles) is closed the site needs to post this on their home page so that, people like me, can cancel ahead of time or make other arrangements. I was so stressed & had called to ask for directions with no success. In all honesty, I think the only reason why the girl on the phone gave us five minutes is because she could hear my husband swearing through the phone. To drive over an hour, pay out the wazoo and then not be able to enjoy such a fantastic adventure and lose all your money… sorry that’s just bad customer service right there. We where literally on the street less than a mile from the park entrance and they weren’t going to wait five minutes– wtf! What irritated us even more was that we almost got pulled over on the way there & there was another pair who hadn’t arrived yet.
Our instructor, we’ll call her Mandi for short; clearly didn’t want to be there. She spouted out the directions so quickly that everyone had to ask her to repeat herself numerous times; the annoyance on her face was visible and she was uninviting. Luckily, another man had done this before and was able to instruct us better. We were also told we’d have time to stop & use the bathroom after the demo but this was not the case, I had to hold it for over 3 hours! I realize I could’ve stopped and gone but there wasn’t anyone to help me get back in my harness– Mandi said she’d be there to watch us below & make sure everyone was safe… when we all made it to the 3^rd obstacle I didn’t see her again until I was leaving. I’m not sure where she went but she had climbing gear on but had just gotten out of her car as all of us were leaving for home… didn’t say anything to anyone; no thank you’s, no how was your experience, etc… just rude.
But overall I love this place! It’s not for the weak nor the type of person who’s idea of exercise is going outside to smoke. Yet you don’t have to be athletic or in incredible shape either. Everyone we met that was in the group was fun and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. It wasn’t rushed or over crowded, just a go at your own pace speed. It is one heck of a workout through, it took us 3 hours of climbing, jumping, pulling and laughing to get through this course. And your body will punish you later!!! You will want to make sure you have climbing gloves, muscle rub and the next day or two off from work.
Go Ape is a great way to exercise and add some adventure to your daily routine, I can’t wait to try their Penn. location next! You will also get a certificate of completion afterwards.

My husband and I had a great time here yesterday! We were celebrating our 5^th anniversary and boy we enjoyed it. So many challenging obstacles. We had lots more climbing than we had anticipated. We probably should have worn gloves. We got pretty hot even though it was 50 degrees in the morning when we started. I can’t imagine going in the summer when it’s 90… The zip lines are so much fun! Think next time we go we are going to strive to be the first of the day. We didn’t like getting stuck behind slow pokes or people who were entirely to scared to be doing this. One lady halfway across a net yelled she wanted back down and that she was going to vomit… I have so many great pictures and videos of the fun day we had. Took roughly 3 hours with the 30 min instruction.

I didn’t have high expectations for some reason, and thought it wasn’t worth the money. I was surprised and had a blast!
You start off with a 20 minute training on how to safely conquer the courses, since you’re totally on your own and accountable for your own safety. Then you begin the five different phases of the Go Ape course, all taking about two hours of time. It’s not very challenging, unless your deathly afraid of heights… But you are up to 40ft in the trees, with bridges, ropes, and 5ish ziplines.
It’s definitely worth the money for the time you spend on the course. It’s something different, great for dates, groups or just any average day. Good for people of all ages looking for adventure! Perfect fall activity.

This place was great! Nice, quality equipment that wasn’t all ran down. The staff was very helpful to us newbies. It took us roughly 3 hours to complete the coarse with 3 people. Totally worth the money!

TL;DR: The first zip line is a lie!
We went in the mid-​afternoon on a Thursday, thinking that it probably wouldn’t be too busy in the middle of the week when most people are at work. We arrived on time, filled out our forms quickly but then had to wait around for 10 – 15 mins while they waited for other people to show up. Finally the instructor came and got our «group» together and went through a long speech teaching us about the equipment, how to use it, and how to stay safe. Just as he was finishing up, another family that arrived late were added to our group. The instructor started over from the beginning and we had to listen to the entire speech again. The instructor then had us demonstrate several procedures we just learned, culminating by zipping down a test zip line that is about six feet off the ground. I was not happy to find out that they consider this zip line #1 of 5. The «zip line» is a joke, it takes about three seconds to descend three feet. Calling this a zip line is practically false advertising. We waited for the entire group to finish the test jump, listened some more, and were finally free to go. It had probably been 45 mins at that point since we arrived.
My friend and I jumped to the front of the line and were able to get right into the course for #2. It was the first time I’d done this so I was slower than my friend but we still managed to keep up a good pace without much effort. The climb was fun and the obstacles were interesting if not overly challenging. The landing strips are not well designed, they slope upwards at a crazy angle and trip you but the wood chips are relatively soft so we didn’t mind. The zip was fairly long and the view of the forest was pretty cool. I was actually starting to think that all that waiting around was paying off.
That feeling lasted until we got to zip line #3. There was a half dozen people waiting below the first tree and at least as many already up in the trees on the course. This wasn’t my group, who was coming up behind us, we had already run into the group before us. The instructors tell you that you can «play through slower groups, just like in golf», and that’s true in theory but it’s false in practice. You can only have three people on each platform, one person on each crossing, kids can’t be more than one crossing away from a parent, and lines form and platforms fill up. You can’t just skip in front of everyone who is in line, and you can’t tell people to stop and stay where they are so you can move to the next platform. You can skip around people now and then but expect to get stuck frequently. So, back to the story, after all that waiting we basically did one zip line, then got in line to start waiting again. Now I was ready to ask for my money back at this point. We’d been there a long time and had spent very little time having any fun. After failing to find any employee anywhere, I took a long walk back to the office to complain, and they gave us permission to skip straight to four. We proceeded to station #4 which, thankfully, only had a few people on it, well ahead of us.
We completed four then we followed the path to #5 which led to a tree with no way to climb. We were very confused and wanted to ask someone but there was not an employee anywhere within sight or earshot. After blowing our whistles for about five minutes, finally one of the instructors came walking slowly up the path and informed us with annoyance that #5 was closed. He acted like we should have known even though no one told us and there were no signs posted. I wish they’d told us when we got there that 1 out of 5, actually let’s be honest here, that 1 out of 4 zip lines were out of commission. We could have rescheduled for another day.
So the instructor tells us that since #5 was closed, we could repeat one of the other zips. So we went back to #3 where the last people from our original group were still waiting to go up on three so we got in line. We finally got up and were able to go around one family but almost immediately got stuck behind another family. After we zipped three, we went to redo four but four was now full with another group and so was two. We decided to redo three instead and walked back over to it. We got up quickly this time but quickly got stuck behind another family. We finished the zip and that was it, we were done. We were fairly disappointed.
So let’s recap. The first zip line is a lie. The other courses are short, but still frequently congested. The only reason you don’t finish the entire thing quickly is because you’re inevitably stuck waiting behind people. This says to me that there are too many people on the course. They seem understaffed; you can never find an employee except near the office. At $ 57 a person, more than the cost of a Cedar Point ticket, you should be getting a premium experience; this isn’t it. Save your money for something better.

We just went there and had an absolutely fantastic time. The Staff are friendly, knowledgable, and attentive. Each section was challenging yet «do-​able». I would recommend Going Ape to everyone — you won’t be disappointed!

Awesome time. First and foremost, they do an excellent job instructing you and letting you get comfortable with the harnesses and clamps. You go at your own pace and you are able to pass people if they are going slow. Start to finish was 2.5 hours. You will get a nice little core and upper body workout from this course. Swing on steps, zipline, Tarzan into a rope wall, and climb up straight vertical ladders. It might help to wear a pair of gloves… gripping and pulling ropes will wear on your calluses. This is self-​guided so you are responsible for clipping yourself in every time. They do have people on the course to supervise if you need help. Great date night idea… but I used this as a bonding day for the 10-​year old and me. TAKE YOUR CAMERA SO YOU CAN TAKE PICTURES. There aren’t any photographers (I recommended they get some) and I kicked myself for not taking pictures while we were in the trees. Ladies, wear a tank top, workout capris, running shoes, a headband and bug spray!

Awesome! I’m a total fan! I would give more stars if I could. This place gave me such a work out but it was so fun I didn’t care until I got home and had to take a nap. I went with 2 friends and it took us 3 hours to get through all 5 stations (self paced). I do recommend wearing a ton of bug spray. Some of the obstacles are over marshy areas with lots of mosquitoes. And if you have sensitive hands wear gloves. You can buy some there for $ 6. Also wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty because you will sweat and if it rains the zip line landing areas get a touch muddy. I will absolutly be going back!

My family and I had a great time on the course. Even my 10 year old loved it. Get ready for a workout!!!

First off this is self guided so, if you are looking for someone to be up in the trees with you, this isn’t for you. The ropes section of the course are a blast, just the right amount of challenging. What keeps this from being a 5 star review is the zips. More specifically the landing areas. They are rough! I asked one of the instructors if anyone lands gracefully and was told «no». All in all a good time though. Do yourself a favor and bring climbing gloves and bug spray. It’ll make it a much better experience.

Staff was great. Energetic and knowledgeable. Course was a ton of fun, and a tad scary. Not overly demanding physically, but enough for an average person. WAs a great time and definitely worth the price. Looking forward to doing it again!