Canopy Tour Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about the New River Gorge Canopy Tours and ziplines.Question: Can I Participate On A Canopy Tour?
Answer: Canopy tours, by nature, are an adventure activity. Height affects each participant differently. You can expect to feel an increase in adrenaline which triggers an increase in respiration, heart beat, and pulse. TreeTops Canopy Tour has five sky bridges and two short hikes. The hike is 830 feet at about a 15% incline and the second is about 200 feet. You need to be in good enough physical condition to walk uphill. It is wise to consult your family physician to determine whether you are physically capable to handle an increase in activity, adrenaline, and short walk up the hill.Each zip drops at a 10% slope. The weight of a participant affects the speed at which you travel. For your safety, participants need to weigh a minimum of 90 lbs. and a maximum of 265 lbs. These are guidelines and depend on the participants physical and mental ability. Please consult your guide if you have any questions.
Question: Are Reservations Necessary?
Answer: Each canopy tour can accommodate groups of eight guests per tour and approximately 90 to 120 per day. To ensure that you can participate on a tour, we highly recommend you make a reservation.Question: What Is The Conservation Fee Used For?
Answer: TreeTops Canopy Tour ziplines traverse through and land in many Eastern Hemlock trees. The Wooley Adelgid is a small white powdery insect which attaches to the underside of the Hemlock leaves. Over a five to ten year period, the Wooley Adelgid sucks the nutrients from leaves, ultimately killing the tree. Your fee will help treat, preserve, and maintain this small section of Hemlock forest along Mill Creek from the Wooley Adelgid. Your tour fee includes $1.00 "conservation fee" per user on you invoice.Question: What Is The Canopy Tour Age Restriction?
Answer: Most children are not afraid of heights. Age is an indicator of size and maturity. Our minimum recommended age is 10. Children between the ages of 10 and 15 must be accompanied by an adult. At this time, we do not have a maximum age.Question: Do We Need To Sign A Release Form?
Answer: Before participating on any adventure activity, each participant is required to read and sign a release form, which includes a waiver of liability, an assumption of risk, and an indemnification. If you or anyone in your group would like to see the release form in advance, you may download a copy of our release form or we will be glad to mail or fax you a copy. ALL MINORS, not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, need to bring a signed copy of TreeTops Canopy Tour's release form the day of trip.Question: How Do You Train Your Staff?
Answer: TreeTops Canopy Tours works closely with S.T.E.P.S., the training side of Bonsai Design, to provide our staff with leading edge training, customized training manuals and documentation. The training methods and materials exceed the Association for Challenge Course Technology (A.C.C.T.) safety standards.- Our staff participate in an intensive training program (five days in length) to cover the fundamentals of facilitation, technical skill development, risk and site management. Our staff are also trained on the local culture and history, the New River Gorge, the fora and fauna, and geology.
- To insure consistency, our staff undergo follow-up mentoring and, if necessary, additional training to develop staff in a real learning environment.
Question: How Safe Are Zip Lines and Canopy Tours?
Answer: As in any adventure sport or activity, there is always the potential risk for accidents. TreeTops Canopy Tour was built to meet or exceed A.C.C.T. professional building standards. To mitigate the risk our guides are professionally trained, and our equipment is very high quality. The course and equipment are inspected daily.Question: What Is Your Cancellation Policy?
Answer: Our cancellation policy for canopy tours is the same as our rafting cancellation policy.Question: What If I Am Afraid?
Answer: Squirrel, one or our senior raft guides, is quick to say, "Suck it up, baby." Actually most folks are anxious or nervous prior to starting. Our professional guides will review the procedures, explain the hazards and quickly reassure you. You will be double clipped into double steel cables which are capable of supporting more than a ton of weight. However, at anytime during the practice zip you can decide to quit. Once we start down the canyon, we will land in trees up to 80 feet off the ground, making it more risky to abort. Halfway through the tour we will walk across the fourth sky-bridge which lands on the ground. At this point we can escort you off the tour.Question: What Is The Largest Group You Can Accommodate?
Answer: Our trees are huge. The platforms are approximately 10 to 12 foot in diameter and can comfortably hold eight guests plus the two tour guides. For this reason and other safety reasons, we will combine small groups or split large groups to make a tour of eight plus two tour guides.Tours leave every 20 minutes in the summer and by demand in the winter, so a large group would be split into groups of eight and stage every 20 minutes. We can accommodate approximately 120 guests every day.
Question: What Should I Wear?
Answer: Solid-toe, secure footwear is required (flip-flops are not acceptable). Wear comfortable pants or shorts and a T-shirt, and avoid loose clothing such as scarves, skirts or dresses and jewelry. Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a camel-back water pack are optimum equipment. Long hair should be tied back. You will be fitted with a harness which has adjustable leg loops, belt, and shoulder harness, and a helmet.Dress for the weather forecast. In spring and fall, bring wool or polypropylene jackets and a windbreaker. For cold and wet weather, bring a jacket or polypropylene, pile fleece, and a windbreaker. We go rain or shine. We supply gloves which are used for braking and keep you hands warm. Phones, wallets, and other lose items should be locked in your car. We give you the option to store your car keys at our facility.