The Navitat Wrightwood property is full of unique stories and history. One story we think is especially cool is the story of a magnificent tree that rests at the base of our property only a few hundred feet away from the San Andreas Fault. (The fault line runs right across the front edge our our property!)
This handsome Jeffrey pine that we’ve dubbed “Old Andy” is a true testament to the strength and stability of trees. According to the local forest service, this particular tree survived the Southern California earthquake of 1812 registering a magnitude of 7.5 and then the earthquake of 1857 registering a 7.9! WOW!
“How do they know the tree was in the earthquake so long ago?” you may be thinking. Well, they measure ring widths under a binocular microscope using a dial caliper and examine all significant departures from normal growth trends and interpret them taking all possible environmental factors into account during a given year. Btw, for those of you that aren’t into math, this means that “Old Andy” is well over 200 years old! And he’s got the scars to prove it!!
After hearing of “Old Andy’s” determined longevity and strength maybe you will feel even more secure to know that the Navitat course is ENTIRELY tree-based. (click here to learn how Navitat is different from other canopy tours) The trees are the supporting structure for our zipline cables and our platforms. Not only that, but we do everything we can to minimize our impact on these trees! We use growth blocks to separate the cables from the trees. (no tree stranglers here, just tree huggers) We also have Arborists come to our property and check the health of the trees periodically. Uh-huh, that’s right. We CARE about these trees! They are our livelihood here at Navitat, so it makes sense that we would want to treat them with the utmost care and respect. Plus, they’re beautiful.
If you’re interested in exploring this amazing property while traversing ziplines, crossing bridges, and learning more about these old growth pine trees that are saturated in history, head on over to our website and
If there’s one thing we know here in Southern California, it’s that Socal is over flowing with natural beauty, every where you turn. Here I sit looking out my office window at the incredible, jagged, snow covered peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, when only this weekend, I was a mere hour away gazing over the rugged Laguna Beach cliffs staring into the Pacific Ocean. How lucky are we to be in such close proximity between two entirely different eco-systems?!! Very lucky indeed!
That’s why I’m calling all you Laguna Beach folks to come check out what we have to offer here in the San Gabriels. We’re too close to you for you not to take a day for exploration. I can’t think of a better way to explore the mountain terrain than taking a Navitat Canopy Tour through the tree tops of Ponderosa and Jeffrey Pines. Talk about experiencing Socal Nature in an entirely new way!! You will soar through the air on ziplines and slowly traverse over suspended rope bridges in order to access places in the forest that would otherwise be impossible to get to. (The terrain is too steep to hike to many parts of our forest)
Let’s also talk about Socal wildlife. In Laguna this weekend, I saw a whale, seals, and dolphins! I felt so lucky! Now, I’d love to share with you coastal dwellers the wildlife you can look forward to seeing in our Socal Mountains. On the Navitat property, we’ve seen bobcats, bears, deer, snakes, and an assortment of birds. Although we don’t see all of those animals everyday, we do see gorgeous red tailed hawks soaring above our property EVERY single day, often in pairs. No matter what you happen to see the day you come take a tour, one thing is for sure, you won’t be disappointed!!
So what do you say to trading landscapes for a day?! I say, start driving. See you soon!!
Hey San Diego! We know you don’t have much reason to leave your lovely city what with your near perfect weather… BUT – what if you could drive just over 2 hours for an incredible outdoor eco-adventure that you won’t soon forget??
We’re talking about flying between HUGE conifers, traversing rope bridges, and rappelling over 40 feet! That’s right, Navitat Canopy Adventures in Wrightwood offers Zipline Canopy tours very close to San Diego in the GORGEOUS San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California.
It’s close enough for just a day trip, but why not make it a whole weekend and enjoy our quaint little town nestled in the trees. There’s plenty of lodging options and several restaurants to choose from.
Check out the music video below that gives a quick overview of our tour experience and then head here to book your tour! We even have a pre-season SALE going on that you won’t want to miss!!! We are booking tours now and will open for the season on March 31st!! We are open 7 days a week!!!
Geico’s popular commercial released at the beginning of the new year featuring Maxwell The Pig in his newest adventure was filmed RIGHT HERE at Navitat Canopy Adventures Wrightwood, CA. We had a fantastic time working with the production crew to help them produce this hilarious commercial advertising Geico’s new mobile app. Take a gander at the commercial below and let us know what you think! Does this make you want to go ziplining at Navitat? We’re sure you will also feel a surge of “pure. adrenaline.”
Is Maxwell the world’s coolest pig? Yes, we do believe so…
Here are some photos of the production crew and the Navitat staff working together to make this commercial happen:
A Local Wrightwood Boy Scout Troop visited Navitat recently to explore the property and learn about the environment from Navitat Wrightwood’s Interpretive Programming Leader, Sean Hennessy, (yellow helmet) to complete their Science Badge. Sean talked to the eager listeners about all things science related; from the specific tree and plant species on site, to the earthquake fault line that runs through the property,to edible plants, to of course, the most interesting topic for 10-12 year old boys… SNAKES! Sean told us later that these boys already had some great knowledge about the local environment and asked intelligent questions that rivaled questions we get from our adult guests! Awesome!
The scouts were also interested in learning about Navitat’s approach to sustainability. They examined the construction of the course platforms made from cor-ten steel and the growth blocks separating the zip line cables from the trees, which ensure that the trees are able to continue to grow and stay healthy. They took note of the carefully constructed trails and the intentional reuse of wood throughout the course.
All in all, everyone had a great time and the boys can’t wait until they weigh 90 lbs and can come back and view the environment from the tops of the trees on our canopy tour!
There’s just a few days left to zip before the 2011 season ends on November 30! Book your tour now!
a winter wonderland…in november
Snow in Southern California in November? That’s right folks, and only an hour from Los Angeles at that. Navitat Wrightwood had it’s first round of snow zipping guests during the first weekend of November this year. The verdict?? They LOVED it! There’s simply nothing more beautiful than an expansive evergreen forest covered in soft, delightful, gorgeous white SNOW!
With only a little more than a week left in our 2011 season, there’s still a chance for some more guests to get in on this snow zipping action! Here are some tips for the would-be snow adventurists!
Dress WARM.. Just as if you were going skiing/snowboarding, you will be exposed to the elements and as we all know, with mother nature, you can never be too prepared. We recommend layers and thin gloves to wear under your zipline gloves. (provided by us) If the snow is going to be coming down while you zip, don’t even hesitate to wear goggles! You may look funny but it will be worth it!
Take in Your Surroundings… Sometimes the adventure itself is so exciting, people forget to take the time to really slow down and take in their surroundings. This is one of the few mountain ranges where you can see Snow Capped Peaks at the same time as you’re looking out to the Mojave Desert. Wrightwood is considered “alpine high desert” and it’s truly a unique and special place. The San Gabriels are considered the 7th most “rugged mountains in the world.” You will be flying right above this rugged land.
Have a Blast.. Yes, at times it may be a little cold, and at times you may have to wait your turn, but we guarantee that this will be an exciting adventure that you won’t soon forget. This adventure is not for the feint of heart so be proud of yourself for doing something so out of the ordinary and Enjoy Every Second!!!
We will close for the season November 30th. Don’t forget our weekday special! Enter the code NOVFUN @ checkout to receive $10 off your weekday tour. Book Online Here.
Ken Stamps, Navitat’s CEO, Does an NBC NEWS Radio Interview about Entrepreneurship!
Navitat is still a young company with the Asheville, NC location in its second operating season, and the Wrightwood, CA location in its first operating season. Despite its newness, Navitat has done extremely well as a business thus far, taking over 40,000 people safely through the Navitat courses. It has been featured in countless local news outlets and several national news outlets including USA TODAY, CNN Headline News, and The New York Times to name a few.
Several folks are interested in Navitat from a business stand point and we often get asked, “how did Navitat become so successful so quick?”
Navitat CEO, Ken Stamps, is the best person to answer this question. Ken was recently invited to interview on an NBC Southern California News Talk radio station that focuses on “Mastering the Art of Entrepreneurship”, BizNinja Radio.
Listen to Ken’s interesting and informative interview about how Navitat became a successful business so quickly.
You can listen to episode 35 on the Bizninja website here.
Ken Stamps has over 30 years of experience as a leader, manager, and entrepreneur. Ken brought his expertise to the table and along with the other Navitat partners developed a core vision for Navitat: To provide a variety of thrilling, educational, inspiring, and immersive tree-based nature experiences for guests from a broad range of ages and socio-economic backgrounds.
Navitat’s market strategy is to create a strong brand that is founded upon 5 key strengths.
• Spectacular and Diverse Sites Throughout the United States
• Highly Creative, Innovative, and Diverse Design & Programming
• Engaging and Genuine Educational Experience
• Highest Caliber Staff
• State-of-the-Art Safety Systems
The Navitat brand is supported by an organizational structure focused upon delivering operational, marketing, and financial management excellence.
Navitat Canopy Adventures and Bonsai Design Inc work together to “push the limits” of the canopy tour industry.
It would be safe to say that “innovation is our middle name” here at Navitat. We, together with our sister company and course designer/builder, Bonsai Design Inc, are always looking for new and exciting ways to add on to our already STELLAR canopy tour experience! (we think ) We look to add elements that will enhance the entire tour while of course staying true to our company mission with safety being a priority.
Our newest course element at Navitat Wrightwood is called the True Blue Auto Belay Device. There are 3 rappelling experiences on our course, (where one must lower themselves from the trees by descending on ropes) the last of which is the final course element aside from the hike out. As of this past weekend, on the third rappel, instead of rappelling via the Deus Device that is used for the first 2 rappels, our guests can choose to leap off the last platform while attached to the True Blue Auto Belay. This allows for almost a 10 foot free fall before the device catches you and lowers you slowly to the ground. It’s a perfect way to end the tour as by this time, guests have learned to trust the equipment and can truly enjoy this awesome new element.
Since our canopy tour lasts 3.5-4 hours, it is necessary for us to have 2 water stations along the way to make sure our guests stay hydrated. Although hydration is GREAT, it does mean that we have to provide cups to drink out of. We needed a solution for minimizing environmental impact and decided that using 100% Compostable Cups made from Corn would help. However, even though the cups are biodegradable, we realized to truly minimize our impact, we needed to be composting them as well. It didn’t take long for us to find a local farmer to gladly accept our corn cups for composting. Moonstruck Farms, in nearby Phelan, CA, provides the community with all kinds of great local farm fresh food! They were thrilled to use our corn cups for Composting and we were thrilled to have a place to take them!!!!
We pride ourselves on being ENTIRELY tree-based and are proud to win this award! We absolutely LOVE the towering, sweet smelling, Ponderosa and Jeffrey Pines, the citrus tasting White Firs, the magnificent Sugar Pines with their loooong pinecones, the wise looking Cedars, and the color changing, deciduous, lower elevation Oaks and Maples that all make up our property. Who wouldn’t want to swing among all these beauties??
And fast you will go! on our zip lines you can reach speeds up to 55 mph all while traversing from one tall tree to another! We absolutely are thrilled to accept this honor as well.
