Play Wild
TreeTops Canopy Tour
Wondrous and exhilarating!
Have you always wanted to be like Tarzan, swinging through the trees, wind in your hair, flying from tree to tree deep in the middle of the jungle? Well, we’re missing the anacondas, leopards and spiders, but we do have flying squirrels and enormous Hemlocks with “vines” on which to zip from tree to tree. Ok, the vines are more like a double-cable system coated with nylon to make zip lining smooth and quiet.
TreeTops has 10 zip lines up to 730 feet long, 5 sky bridges, 3 short hikes and 1 climactic rappel to finish tinges off. This wonder of engineering and adventure zig zags and spirals all around the beautiful Mill Creek, and our guides are experts in the local ecology, especially that of our magnificent trees, many of which are hundreds of years old. Bring your Jane and bring your Boy, because this is a fantastic, exhilarating experience is perfect for families with kids as young as 10.
The only other limit on TreeTops is weight. You must be between 90 and 260 pounds to ride. No sandals or flip flops, please. Closed-toed shoes are required.
Upgrade to a Getaway
Lower Gauley & Zip
This getaway includes TreeTops Canopy Tour and the longest and most difficult whitewater run that we recommend for first-timers, the Lower Gauley. It’s 17 miles long and it sports more than 70 rapids!
Rapid Run & Zip
Our Rapid Run & Zip getaway was designed for those who want to race down the Lower New River banging through as many big waves as possible, and then fly through the trees or over mountains.
Upper Gauley Express & Zip
Do you feel lazy if you haven’t accomplished 100 things in a day? The Upper Gauley Express & Zip is perfect for you type-A people, who need to be busy in order feel fulfilled.
TreeTops Canopy Tour is structured to blend with the natural surroundings of forest. It was created with thorough site selection and surveying, environmental ground work and and access points with minimal branch and brush removal. We focused on keeping nature unscathed and used West Virginia’s natural beauty and complexity to create this unique experience.
Are Reservations Necessary for Treetops Canopy Tour?
Reservation are recommended. Each Treetops Canopy Tour can accommodate groups of 8 guests per tour and approximately 90 total people per day. To ensure that you can participate, we highly recommend you make a reservation but we will attempt to accommodate walk-ins as possible.
Who Can Take a Treetops Canopy Tour?
It's a good idea to consult your family physician to determine whether you are physically capable of handling an increase in activity, adrenaline and short walks up hills. Canopy tours by nature are an adventure activity. Heights effect each participant differently. You can expect to feel an increase in adrenaline, which triggers an increase in respiration, heart beat and pulse. TreeTops Canopy Tour has five sky bridges and two short hikes. The longer hike is 830 feet at a 20% grade and the second is about 200 feet. You need to be in good enough condition to walk up those hills.
Do You Run Canopy Tours In Bad Weather?
Yes indeed! Canopy Tours run rain or shine. We temporarily close the course during lightning storms or high winds. If we know in advance that we will be closed, we will try to contact you. If your Canopy Tour is canceled, we will offer you the option to participate in another activity, rebook for a different day or time, or issue a rain check.
How Large Of A Group Can You Accommodate?
The answer is 8! Our trees are huge. The platforms are approximately 10-12 feet in diameter and can comfortably hold 8 guests plus the two tour guides. For this reason and others, we will combine small groups or split large groups to make a tour of 8 plus two tour guides. Tours leave every 30 to 45 minutes, so a large group would be split into groups of 8 and staged every half hour. We can accommodate approximately 90 guests a day.
What If I Am Afraid?
Most people are anxious or nervous prior to starting. Our professional guides will review the procedures, explain the hazards and quickly reassure you. You will be double clipped onto 2 steel cables, which are capable of supporting more than a ton of weight. However, at anytime during the practice zip you can opt out. Once we start down the canyon we will land in trees up to 80 feet off the ground, making it more risky to beg off.
What Is The Conservation Fee Used For?
Great question! TreeTops Canopy Tour traverses through and lands in many Eastern Hemlock trees. These trees are in danger from the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, a small white insect that attaches to the underside of Hemlock leaves. Over a five to ten year period, the Adelgid sucks the nutrients from leaves, ultimately killing the tree. Part of your canopy tour fee—$1 per person—will help treat, preserve and maintain this small section of Hemlock forest along Mill Creek from the Wooly Adelgid.
What Should I Wear?
Closed-toed secure footwear is required (flip flops are not acceptable). Wear comfortable pants or shorts and shirt, (avoid loose clothing such as scarves, skirts or dresses and loose jewelry) sunglasses, sunscreen and a camel-back water pack are optimum equipment. Long hair should be tied back. You will be fitted with a harness which has adjustable leg loops, belt and shoulder harness and a helmet.
Dress for the weather forecast. In spring and fall, bring wool or polypropylene jackets and a windbreaker. For cold and wet weather, bring a jacket or polypropylene, pile fleece and a windbreaker. (We go rain or shine.) We supply gloves, which are used for braking and to keep you hands warm. Phones, wallets, and other lose items should be locked in your car. We give you the option to store your car keys at our facility.
Who Designed and Built Your Canopy Tour?
Tree Tops Canopy Tour was built by Bonzai Design, the premier zip-line design and build company in America. Bonzai builds the highest quality courses. They built Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, Cypress Valley Canopy Tours and many others. Leaders in design and installation to program development and canopy tour and zip line guide training, Bonsai Design, Inc. and S.T.E.P.S., Inc. work together to build and help us run a successful canopy tour and zip line operation.
We have been camping at Summersville Lake for years with our extended family from four different states, but (horrors) had never found your company until this year. I had been to a zip line in Ohio (Hocking Hills) and decided to see if someone had built one in West Virginia. I found you guys on the internet....I brought my wife, daughter, and a sister-in-law to the Treetop canopy tour. Our "zip hippies" Holden and Sam were AMAZING. Talking to them afterwards, the told us we simply had to kayak the upper New River. So, my daughter and I did that the next day. The one-stop reservation desk was terrific. We have passed a couple of your tour books around the family, and next year we are going to plan everything around your menu of activities. I can't say enough about the quality of your organization. The stores on site were reasonably priced, and even offered inexpensive options on required items like water shoes and such. After the river run, we hung out in the Pub upstairs (tried every appetizer on the menu!) and watched the video of a totally fabulous day. My daughter wants to do an overnight on the New River next year--and I'm sure we will schedule that. Keep up the good work.
Howard Walters
For the past couple of years we have rafted the Lower New River. This year we decided to try out the new canopy tours. As always Rivermen made our trip great, the staff was well knowledge and very well trained in keeping us safe and creating a lifetime of memories. We will continue to be Rivermen repeats thanks again for a great time.
Andrea, Ashland, KY
