From the category archives:
Those planning a visit to North Carolina now have one more way to find out about Navitat: the VisitNC.com website. Run by the state’s Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, the Visit NC website is a great resource chock full of travel tips, suggestions and ideas for what to do once you arrive. They’ve posted a fantastic article detailing the Navitat Canopy Tour.
{ 0 comments }
We’re expecting Knoxville visitors any day now… Navitat garnered a write-up in the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Travel Briefs at the end of May. Only a two-hour drive east, Navitat’s canopy tour would be a great activity for those looking to escape Knoxville for a weekend.
Read the Travel Brief here:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/may/30/travel-briefs/
{ 0 comments }
Navitat is definitely getting noticed! Recently, Navitat was reviewed on TheEconaut.com, a site designed for readers who want to protect our planet while reconnecting with nature. They noted that Navitat “offers a view of the forest that promises to be not only spectacular, but environmentally friendly as well,” and encouraged travelers looking for an “eco-travel treat” to check us out.
Here’s what they had to say:
http://www.theeconaut.com/navitat-canopy-adventures-of-north-carolina-a-thrilling-treetop-experience/
{ 0 comments }
Asheville Citizen-Times reporter, John Boyle, brought his family to Navitat last week and survived to the tell the story! Here is what he had to say:
The ziplining Boyle family handled the course with some serious whooping and no major misadventures. From left, Aidan, Grace, Jack and John Boyle. (Special to the Citizen-Times)
John Boyle: Navitat ziplining
was exhilarating, crazy fun
John Boyle • May 13, 2010
I knew if I just kept eating, one day I’d find my sport.
And let me tell you, packing a few extra pounds onthe old zipline really gets the blubber flying.
At the goading of my former boss, Lydia Carrington,who’s now handling some publicity for Navitat Canopy Tours in Barnardsville, the family and I signed up for a Sunday tour. None of us — the wife, Grace, or our two boys, Jack, 12, and Aidan, 10 — had ever done this, but we couldn’t be outdone by that ubiquitous harness-wearing squirrel on all the billboards around town.
So here’s the skinny: In a word, ziplining is magnificent. In three words, it’s a little scary.
I say that partly because zipping through the treetops and soaring over 200-foot drop-offs at 25-30 mph is incredibly fun, partly because I almost went code brown on several zips and found myself emitting a high-pitched girlyman scream.
For the rest of the Asheville Citizen-Times story.
For a video from John Boyle’s Asheville Zipline Adventure.
{ 2 comments }
Reviews keep coming in from far and wide about the Navitat experience. Mountain Xpress calls Navitat ‘an eco-friendly playground full of fast rides, high adventure and an unparalleled experience of Southern Appalachian forest.’. For your reading pleasure, here is the rest of the story:
Outdoors: High-flying forest
published by Mountain Xpress, Issue 42, 5/12/2010
Zip-line tours provide thrills
Going down? Abby Burt (above) zipping through the forest on a Navitat Canopy Tour, which includes a view of Craggy Dome (below) . Photos by Eric Crews
Standing on a wooden platform 50 feet off the ground, surrounded by a lush verdant canopy, I nod, and a thrilling ride directly through the heart of the forest begins.
Flying along the 1,100-foot zip line with the wind in my face and the trees whirring by in a blur, I try to remember what the guides told me: “Be sure to check out the view of Craggy Dome.” Turning slightly to the left, I look toward the horizon, where towering mountains meet clouds and blue sky. Below me is only quiet valley and forest, as far as the eye can see.
It all began simply enough. After quickly gearing up outside the newly constructed visitors center, I joined Abby Burt, Navitat’s marketing director, a few other participants and two guides on a long ride up the mountain in a six-wheeled ATV. Before we knew it, we were walking up a long wooden walkway and out onto the first platform in the trees. Meanwhile, guides Jackson and Joel gave a rundown on what to expect. They explained how best to position your body for maximum speed, direction control and, most importantly, how to brake when approaching the landing platform. Within minutes we were ready to embark, one by one, on our first flight — a brief zip that helps participants get a feel for the sensation before launching into the longer, faster runs.
After a few exhilarating trial rides, we prepared to tackle a swift 300-foot run right through the forest canopy.
The deciduous forest is home to a wide variety of trees, including maples, oaks, hemlocks and tulip poplars — and zipping amid their branches is an excellent way to see them. “Canopy tours, in their truest sense, are tree-to-tree tours,” noted Burt as we waited our turn to zip across to the next vantage point. “What John Walker and Bonsai Design have built for us is a world-class canopy tour.”
The technology behind these excursions, she said, originated in Costa Rica as a way for biologists to study the ecosystem that thrives high off the forest floor. Wanting to observe nature without disturbing it, Navitat opted for the most tree-friendly system possible. “The course is built to protect the trees,” Burt explained. “We go to great lengths to make sure the trees can grow and breathe and move the entire time we are here. If we should live here for 20 years and operate this tour, we hope that when we leave they’ll feel relatively untouched — and that’s important to us.”
The tour’s 10 zip lines explore various portions of the 242-acre forest; along the way, visitors experience other diversions as well, each affording a unique perspective. Two sky bridges provide a close-up look at some of the more unusual trees; a brief hike along the forest floor allows a more grounded perspective; there’s even a series of rappels from the platforms.
“When you come to visit Navitat, what you’ll see is a place where you get to know the environment; we feel like the trees are letting us into their space,” said Burt. “We’ve kind of let nature dictate where we go instead of coming in and dictating where we want it to go.”
The result is an eco-friendly playground full of fast rides, high adventure and an unparalleled experience of Southern Appalachian forest.
Navitat Canopy Adventures will hold its grand opening Saturday, May 15. The company is offering special prices this month, as well as ongoing discounts for Western North Carolina residents. For more information, visit http://www.Navitat.com.
[Freelance writer and adventure-sports videographer Eric Crews spends his time roaming the forests between Boone and Asheville. Photos by Eric Crews.]
{ 0 comments }
Through the Trees ...
{ 0 comments }
Thirty of the Asheville area’s finest will soon be zipping for a living. Yep, training for Navitat’s Canopy Guides officially began Monday, April 19. It’s pretty great to spend your days in the trees, and we’re training our crew to be the best in the industry. From safety to interpretive programming to customer service… it’s going to be an exciting (and very busy) few weeks before the big opening day!
Once finished with training, we’re confident that our guides will be the best in the business.They’ll each have completed 50-70+ hours of rigorous training, passed a written and practical test and be certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED use. Since all of our training is done by certified industry professionals with years of experience, they’ll be learning good habits and best practices from the experts.
Once we open, guides will spend most of their time with the groups of eight guests that they’ll accompany on each tour. From introductions and orientation at the Welcome Center to gearing up and ground training, Canopy Guides are a huge part of the Navitat experience.
At Navitat, we’re dedicated to making sure you’re always in good hands, so we also require our guides to engage in on-going training. With a maximum of eight people on each tour, there will always be plenty of time for one on one training or questions. Our guides love what they do, and can’t wait to spend some time teaching you to love it too.
{ 0 comments }
Our progress continues! Over the past several months, it’s been non-stop creating, building, improving and anticipating as we get closer to opening day. Now that we’re only a few weeks away from our May 15th opening, most of the ground (and tree) work is finally done!
Here’s what we’ve accomplished recently:
The entire staff is so excited to welcome our guests and have them see what we’ve created. As each new part of Navitat is completed, there’s a sense of satisfaction we all share, and it’s sure to get even more exciting when we open our tours to the public. Stay tuned for more progress updates over the next month as we prepare for our big grand opening.
{ 1 comment }
Navitat Canopy Adventures building course just 20 minutes from Asheville
BARNARDSVILLE, N.C. – Imagine exploring a century-old forest from high among the treetops, watching a bird fly below as you traverse a sky-bridge, or gliding across a wide valley floor – all against the backdrop of western North Carolina’s beautiful mountains.
NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES is combining the exhilaration of a zip line tour with the educational experience of a Costa Rican rainforest-style canopy excursion to create a new outdoor adventure just 20 minutes north of downtown Asheville, N.C. Tours begin in mid-April.
“This is going to be an experience unlike anything you’ll find in this part of the country,” said Ken Stamps, Managing Partner of NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES. “It will be thrilling and enlightening, and will give our guests a new perspective on their natural surroundings and, hopefully, on themselves.”
Designed by Bonsai Design Inc., the leading canopy tour installer in the country, the course will be comprised of artfully constructed platforms nestled in the trees and connected by a series of sky-bridges, zip lines and rappels. Guests will be escorted at all times by experienced guides as they move through the course. The design is entirely tree-based and uses no poles or other structures to support the platforms and course features. Upon completion, the course will vary in height from 2 feet to more than 200 feet off the ground, and zip lines range from 50 feet to 1,100 feet in length.
The course is situated in Moody Cove, a 240-acre tract of forestland just north of Barnardsville. The site is home to forests of hardwoods — some more than 100 years old — native and rare plant species, streams and mountain wildlife.
“This course site is just awesome — its size and topography, the views it provides, and just how pristine and peaceful it is,” said John Walker, NAVITAT partner and president of Bonsai Design Inc. “We’re taking great care in designing all the course elements so that we’re not only highlighting the land’s natural beauty, but also protecting it.”
Environmental stewardship is one of NAVITAT’s core values. The company commissioned a complete inventory of the site’s natural resources and has established a management plan for non-native invasive plant species. Designers and builders are using sustainable practices and products in the construction of the course and Welcome Center, where guests can learn about the natural history of the area.
“From the moment they arrive, our guests can expect great service and a great adventure,” said Dylan Burt, Partner and General Manager of NAVITAT. “We’re excited to be introducing them to an amazing canopy-tour experience, whether they’re looking for that adrenaline rush or just wanting to take in nature in a whole new way.”
When fully operational, NAVITAT plans to employ approximately 30 staff members.
NAVITAT tours begin in mid-May, but you can make reservations now at www.navitat.com. Tours last approximately 3 ½ hours, including orientation and ground school where you learn proper zip line techniques. Cost is $85 per person for adults, and $75 per person for children ages 10-16.
NAVITAT Canopy Adventures is a member of the Association for Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT), which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute. The company adheres to and exceeds all ACCT standards for construction, operations and training.
{ 0 comments }
