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About Us

Who We Are


Our Roots. 

If the Navitat founders had placed a personal ad back in 2009, it might have read something like this:

Expertise seeks excellence. Group of experienced professionals longs to combine their skills to create world-class tree-based adventures. Will accept only the most incredible locations and work alongside only the most dedicated, tree-loving people. We plan to do something unprecedented. If you’re up for this challenge and enjoy long walks through the woods, we may be the company for you.

Finding a word to describe our unique business proved challenging, so we made up our own! 
nav-i-tat: to navigate the forest habitat in a unique and different way.

Our Growth. 

Born out of a love for trees and the belief that we belong among them, Navitat opened its Asheville, North Carolina location in 2010 and expanded to Wrightwood, California in 2011. With the goal of creating the first national brand of tree-based adventure experiences, the Navitat story is just beginning. Where will we go next?

Our Vision.

We believe that experiencing trees in unique and engaging ways can ultimately thrill, educate and inspire our guests. Our partners include industry experts committed to setting the highest standards for safety and guest experience. Our employees have a passion for people, the special places we call home, and the trees we invite you to explore with us.

Our Leaders.

Navitat Ceo Ken StampsKen Stamps - Chief Executive Officer / Partner
As CEO, Ken works to shape, hold, and promote the vision of Navitat. Ken brings nearly three decades of experience as a leader, manager, and entrepreneur to the Navitat team. Ken started his career as a landscape architect, and has a deep appreciation of nature. As a landscape architect, his expertise includes the design and operation of parks and recreation facilities. Previously he was a managing principal of one of the largest architectural/engineering companies in the US.

Navitat Coo Dylan BurtDylan Burt - Chief Operations Officer / Partner
As COO, Dylan provides day-to-day operational leadership for Navitat. From 2004-2009 he was the operations manager for an Alaskan company that owned and operated three canopy tours that hosted over 60,000 customers per year. He managed and trained staff for all three tours, and managed all business operations of the tour located in Juneau. Dylan also designed the curriculum and documentation for each course, and helped manage marketing and PR.

Navitat Bonsai John WalkerJohn Walker - Lead Designer and Builder / Partner
As founder and president of Bonsai Design Incorporated (the leading zipline canopy tour design company in the US), John had designed and installed more than a dozen tours by 2009. With each client came a unique set of priorities and limitations… and limitations are, well, limiting! John wanted the opportunity to create his dream tours… joining with his partners to create Navitat is how he has made that happen!

Navitat Sam WalkerSam Walker - Partner
Sam focuses on financial and legal issues. He is a seasoned businessman with more than 40 years of experience in real estate, civil engineering, and land surveying. He spent the last five years working with Bonsai Design Inc. focusing on administrative, legal, marketing, and operational issues. Sam now lends his wisdom and expertise to Navitat.


What makes Navitat different than other tour providers is our vision to create something lasting and meaningful. For us, it’s about more than just the fun we’re lucky to experience every day. It’s about creating opportunities for growth and inspiration that might—just maybe!—cause each of us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world surrounding us.