Views from the Top: TreeTops Canopy Tour in West Virginia
Oh sure, you’ve seen fall foliage by car or maybe even on foot, but are you ready to see the colors from above; that is, by the treetops?
“It’s a wonderful, cool experience,” comments Lisa Gale, marketing manager at and about the offered through Adventure West Virginia Resort in .
More than zip lines, Gale says that canopy tours tend to be an interactive experience.
“Zip lines and rope courses are fun on their own, but a canopy tour takes it a step further.”
Groups of eight join two tour guides in a three and a half hour adventure to explore Mill Creek Canyon, adjacent to New River Gorge. Using a combination of tree platforms, zip lines, rappel, sky bridges and short ground hikes, theprovides you with a new perspective of nature.
“It’s an interpretative tour. When you’re up in the trees, you learn about the history as well as the botany,” says Gale. “During the short hikes, you’ll see interesting plants and fauna along the way. You get all of this while having fun, too.”
She adds the canopy tour is very easy to do. In fact, the zip lines start out small, and increase in length as you get further into tour.
And so do the trees.
“At the beginning, there’s a lot of oak and poplar trees. However, as you get deeper into the forest, you see more hemlock, especially over Middle Creek Gorge.”
Hemlocks as considered as the Redwoods of the East, says Gale. They grow quite tall and old, and there’s one on the tour that’s referred to as “Zeus,” that is anticipated to be 400 years old.
Tours are given seven days a week an even in the rain. In fact, Gale says that she has never receive a complaint about the rain, and many compare it to what might be experienced in Costa Rica’s rainforest.
Don’t wait too long before you your tour because spaces tend to quickly fill, especially during weekends. Also, be sure to check out the many , as well as other available activities.
photos are courtesy of and
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