We love Moody Cove. And if you’ve visited us at Navitat, you can no doubt understand why. If you haven’t yet zipped through our corner of the world, here are just a few words to describe our home: Quiet. Secluded. Calming. Invigorating. Alive. We could go on… but you get the idea. It’s pretty amazing.
CEO Ken Stamps and Environmental Programming Leader Sarah Marcinko along with Navitat Canopy Guides Brittany, John, Kat, Bob and Mike.
Choosing Moody Cove as our home was no happy accident; the Navitat team spent months of time and energy surveying more than 300 properties in the Asheville area before finding this land and finally saying, “Yes. This is the place.” And in the 16 months since we first opened, Moody Cove has become a special place not only to those of us who work here, but also to all of our zipping friends who have taken to the trees.
We’re committed to protecting this special place. In fact, we aim to leave Moody Cove even better than we found it. To that end, we work to control invasive exotic plants on site and restore the land with native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Navitat’s full stewardship plan includes our commitment to minimally invasive building practices, on-going conservation efforts, and environmental education at all levels.
Some of the Navitat Asheville crew plants 525 native grasses and perennials near the Welcome Center
While lots of businesses invest in landscaping to bring elements of natural beauty to their location, at Navitat our goal is merely to mimic the natural environment with any planting we do. To capture the essence of the surrounding plant communities, we are working to integrate native landscaping designs into our natural resources plan for the site. Around the Welcome Center, guests will now see more than 500 newly planted native grasses and perennials including black-eyed Susan, goldenrod and little bluestem grass.
Last spring, we planted approximately 400 native tree saplings in areas surrounding the Welcome Center and on slopes alongside the road leading to the start of the tour. In addition to bringing new life to the forest, the trees were planted to bring stability to steep slopes helping to reduce erosion. Whenever possible, we look for ways to lessen our impact on the land and, in fact, leave it better than we found it… after all, we owe it to this special place. We are so fortunate to call Moody Cove home. Now ya’ll come see us, ya’ hear?!
***Many thanks to our Environmental Programming Leader, Sarah Marcinko, for her continued hard work in the areas of conservation, education, stewardship, and land management on behalf of Navitat. Now out on maternity leave with their new bundle of joy, we’ll sure miss Sarah while she is away. Welcome to the world, baby girl! We can’t wait until you’re old enough to zip…
Suddenly, Mom and Dad are cool again.
One of our favorite perks of being in this adventurous business is watching the ways people are drawn together because of the Navitat experience. This is especially true of families. Because folks must weigh at least 90 pounds to participate in our tour, most of the adventure-seekers we welcome are at least 10 years old; the bulk of youngsters are teenagers accompanied by their parents.
It’s a fun scene to watch unfold:
In walks a family, whether on vacation or locals on a day-trip adventure. The parents might be nervously stepping outside of the box with this experience, or maybe they are pro-adventurers… either way, many kids tend to have the same expression pre-tour. The expression says something like, “We’re going ziplining. Sure, it’ll be fun, but I’m not going to act too excited. After all, I’m stuck chillin’ with Mom and Dad.”
But then they meet their Canopy Guides. And get geared-up. And then they head up the mountainside in an all-terrain vehicle. “Maybe this is gonna be fun…”
By the time they’re zipping across the first few ziplines, something awesome happens… they’re smiling. Real smiles. (Yes, teenagers smiling!) Mom and Dad are laughing. Everyone’s learning something new. And it is fun. And suddenly, Mom and Dad are cool again. At least a little.
Navitat Canopy Adventures exists to to provide immersive, engaging and educational nature experiences. We get the pleasure of providing this experience in a thrilling and fun way. While crossing 10 ziplines, 2 bridges, rappelling and hiking, groups experience the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Southern Appalachia’s forests in an entirely new way. And for families, it’s a brand new way to get away for a few hours, reconnect, and cheer each other on. The result is truly (honestly!) life-long memories. You can’t beat that.
For more information, including how to book your Navitat adventure, click here.
Navitat Canopy Adventures CEO Ken Stamps recently sat down with the folks at BossStart.com to discuss life as a fearless leader of a new business (and entrepreneur extraordinaire!)
Check out the article to learn more about how and why Navitat came to be, and to read about the five key strengths of the Navitat brand.
BossStart.com exists to share the stories of knowledgeable professionals and build a network where anyone can learn what goes into starting and maintaining an Independent business. Thanks, BossStart.com, for featuring Navitat!
The Navitat team is full of interesting people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Once you get to know us, we’re sure you’ll agree that we’ve gathered the highest quality, highest energy folks around—and together, we’re creating a high-flying, educational, amazingly fun adventure experience that is second to none!
This week, meet Dylan Burt, a proud partner in the business who leads as Navitat’s General Manager.
Name/Nicknames: Dylan Burt, Dylan, The Dylan, and “Sir” (Just kidding about that last one…)
I stay busy with: Generally managing. Ha! But really, I spend a lot of time and energy making sure that every aspect of our operation is flawless… not to say that I always achieve that, but that’s my goal. Everything from documentation to training, to the philosophy behind the way we treat our employees, to the way that we move a carabiner from point A to point B. That’s my job.
I also spend a lot of time simply thinking about and taking suggestions on how we can improve our business and create the best guest experience possible.
I love my job because: I really like working with the people on our team, and I love being outdoors. I love the idea that we are sharing something with other people and helping to educate others.
I think that what makes Navitat different is: Everything! We put more energy into finding places that people will truly love than anybody else that I’m aware of. We also put more energy into creating a true experience than anybody else I’m aware of. We work with the greatest builder in the industry, and they put so much energy into creating canopy tours that are, bar none, the greatest canopy tours in the world. We also put a lot of energy into finding the most experienced people in the industry and creating an employment situation that benefits them, benefits our company, and ultimately benefits our guests.
My favorite experience while working in this industry would have to be: Getting to know amazingly creative people who genuinely care about developing educational opportunities and fun experiences all while focusing on sustainable living. And, getting to work with my wife everyday… that’s pretty fun, too.
As our first season comes to a close, reviewing the media attention we’ve had is an amazing treat! Of course, we all love Navitat, and most of our guests have come to love it as well. But when respected members of the national media highlighted us (over and over again) in their publications and websites, it was an incredibly thrilling feeling! We’ve met some wonderful people as a result of the media attention, and look forward to meeting more, both in the few weeks we have left in this season, and next year.
Most recently, Navitat was featured in the New York Times Sunday travel section, in the article “36 Hours in Asheville,” where we were pegged as one of the city’s must-do activities. This national exposure, coupled with the buzz we received a few weeks ago from USA Today’s coverage, has exploded our customer base! We’re now getting calls from across the country as people plan to include Navitat in their upcoming travels.
If you’ve learned about us through some of this national press, or even through the exciting coverage we’ve had locally, don’t hesitate to call and book your adventure! There are still a few more weeks to participate in a Navitat tour before we close for the season!
Meet Sarah Marcinko, Navitat’s Environmental Programming Leader. We’re pleased to announce the recent addition of Sarah Marcinko to the Navitat team. As Environmental Programming Leader, Sarah will lead Navitat in further developing interpretative educational programming for Navitat guests, and providing environmental resource analysis and management of our home, Moody Cove.
Sarah is a great addition to our team. She brings expertise in conservation, environmental management and education, which is a perfect complement to our commitment to provide an authentic tree canopy tour experience with as little impact on the natural landscape as possible.
Prior to joining Navitat, Sarah was a plant ecologist and project manager with Equinox Environmental Consultation and Design in Asheville. She holds a master’s of science in ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill, a bachelor’s of science in biology from James Madison University and a diploma of horticulture from Haywood Community College. She lives in Asheville with her husband, Rob and dog, Luna.
One of the most amazing parts of the entire tour is a series of three big trees on the west ridge line of the Navitat property. They’re named Craggy View, Owl’s Nest and Hemlock Rest, and each features a fantastic platform offering views of the mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway. Craggy View, an 85-foot tall Northern Red Oak, is one of the staff favorites. In fact, Dylan Burt, Navitat’s General Manager, says, “If I had to choose one tree on the course to spend all day in, Craggy View would be the one. It’s incredible.”
All three trees were originally scouted out by John, very early on in the survey process. They stood out from many of the others, partly because of their spectacular size, and partly because of their location, perched high on the ridge. At first glance, it looks like any of them would be the ideal spot for an incredible tree-house! Instead, we took advantage of these giants and incorporated them into our outdoor adventure by making them the site of the tour’s first sky bridge. As visitors approach the first sky bridge, located between Owl’s Nest and Hemlock Rest, they have a perfect opportunity to slow down and really take in the fantastic views while they appreciate the tranquil feeling being in the middle of the woods provides.
This particular sky bridge is 35 feet off the ground, and is the smaller of the two sky bridges on the tour. It’s a perfect introduction to sky bridges, perched between the 100-foot tall Chestnut Oak we call Owl’s Nest and the 85-foot tall Chestnut Oak with an Eastern Hemlock tree growing right alongside that we know as Hemlock Rest. With all of the trees on this ridge line, what is notable is the perception of height experienced. From here, guests can look out over much of the canopy tour course AND (from Craggy View) see all the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. From Hemlock Rest, you look out over Kate, 130-feet tall and located down in the valley. It’s a pretty impressive perspective!
TripAdvisor recently named Asheville, NC, the top “Fall Foliage Destination” for the 2010 leaf season, and we at Navitat can’t say we’re at all surprised. It’s beautiful here! And it’s shaping up to be a spectacular autumn season in western North Carolina.
On Friday, October 8, we were thrilled to welcome Kim Quintero of WYFF News 4, Greenville, SC. Kim got in touch with us earlier in the week because she was looking to highlight the fall season in western NC in a brand new way. A first time zipper, Kim had a great morning with us and she even called in the News 4 helicopter to get some aerial shots of the Navitat course… definitely something we don’t see around Moody Cove every day!
Whether you live nearby or are considering venturing to the Asheville area for this incredible fall season, you’ll want to book your Navitat tour soon, as the word is out and fall dates are filling up quickly!
As we head into Fall, all area authorities have announced that this year, it’s shaping up to be an amazing, colorful fall season. The weather and other conditions have come together just right to ensure a brightly colored haven of crisp autumn leaves, and since this is Navitat’s first fall, the excitement in the air is palpable. Most people consider leaf season to run from October through the second week of November, although it can run longer or shorter. To all the zipline enthusiasts looking forward to taking advantage of the leaf season tours, that means it’s time to make your plans!
With the recent national exposure and positive reviews we’ve been receiving, Navitat has definitely seen an increase in reservations. While we still have room for many more new visitors, certain days and times have filled up, so it is best to plan upcoming fall visits soon. After all, once the leaves drop, there won’t be another leaf season for 12 months – and there will never be another “first” leaf season at Navitat.
If leaf season does seem like it may pass you by, however, there are still lots of great reasons to experience the Navitat adventure during November, our final month of the 2010 season. Some people plan to time their visit for just after leaf season, when all the leaves have dropped to the ground to crinkle underfoot. With the empty treetops, visitors will have a sensation of being even higher up than normal, and a chance to experience a unique view of the forest and surrounding areas.
Whether your goal is to view the colorful leaf season, experience the biggest thrills, or simply to check out a treetop adventure for the first time, this fall is great time to do it! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Navitat!
There are some obvious things that people love about the Navitat experience. The speed, the views, the awesome adrenaline rush, the trees. We, of course, love that Navitat delivers all of these “big” things to our guests, but we also find a great deal of joy in the small surprises guests may not expect.
The “little” things of Moody Cove are awe-inspiring, too. Southern Appalachia is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. As such, the variety of plant, animal, and insect life is incredible.
We find that the little things in our forest home (insects, birds, tiny plants) are often the most complex and exciting discoveries. And typically, the most over-looked.
While it’s always great to see a bear or deer while on tour, or maybe watch a Barred Owl perch in a tree nearby, we hope that folks also keep eyes open for the tiniest forest dwellers that call our mountain cove home. Pretty awesome, indeed.
One of our favorite finds, the Hickory Horned Devil
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