Go Ape

This was a lot of fun. Upper body strength is necessary. A massage afterwards might be nice too. But definitely worth the challenge for the fun!

On a whim, I discovered that Go Ape had an obstacle course/​zip line facility an hour away from me in Bear, DE in Lums Pond State Park. I ordered tickets easily online and selected a date and time that I wanted to arrive.
People from 10 to 87 have been on the course in Delaware — which is not to say that it is easy. It has two options to get to each treetop station one easier, one more difficult and you basically make your way through a few obstacles about 50 feet in the air through the trees to each zip line. If you can’t get through the obstacles — you can’t get to the zip line.
I was worried but I truly can’t recommend this place any more highly. Everybody we dealt with was incredibly friendly; and our trainer/​instructor Doug was awesome. Three of us from 51 to 73 went on the course and we ran the gamut of sizes (M to XXL) and heights 5’7 — 6′ and we all did fine and had a great time.
The safety course at the beginning of the courses was very well-​presented AND VERY IMPORTANT. Doug, our instructor, was great at drilling all of the necessary info into our heads. If you follow the safety rules, you’ll have a great time.
The course was great and while I am not a fan of heights, I did get through it perfectly fine although stepping off into thin air was challenging. The oldest member in our group was the daredevil, choosing all the more difficult paths to the platforms going to the zip lines.
You don’t have to be an athlete or particularly fit — and it’s a lot of fun!
I would totally do it again and will recommend it to others as a fun activity.

One of the best 2 hr adventures you can find in «The First State» in a beautiful state park.

My wife and I had a fantastic time! It was tough for those that are a bit out of shape, like we are, but we made it through and felt great at the finish line.

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Had such a great time. The staff was so nice and helpful. It was a nice 2 hour adventure and something I will definitely do again!

Had a great time at Go Ape last weekend! Great instructors and construction. Ziplining and Tarzan swing were so much fun. Not crowded on a Saturday Morning. Defiantly recommend!

I can’t recommend this place any more highly. Everybody we dealt with was incredibly friendly; all of the employees seemed genuinely interested in helping people, not to mention genuinely interested in their jobs (seriously, that’s sometimes hard to come by anymore!). I was with a group of 3 other people and I was tasked with picking day to go. Of course, I had to pick perhaps the windiest day of the year to climb and hang from trees, but the experience ended up being unforgettable.
The safety course at the beginning of the trek was very well-​presented. Ethan, our instructor, was great at drilling all of the necessary info into our heads. He learned everyone’s names very quickly; I was really impressed.
As for the course itself, it was amazing! I’ll try not to ruin any surprises, but there are some long zip lines, some Tarzan-​inspired rope swings, a few insane obstacles, and a few sections where you can choose what path to take to reach a common goal. And, my favorite part was probably the fact that instructors weren’t always following along and watching. There was a good 30-​minute stretch of time where I didn’t see an instructor at all, but then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if one was camouflaged in the brush below us like a Navy SEAL… in other words, the guides seemed pretty legit.
The only negative part of our trek was that, during the 5^th and final section of the course, Ethan had us turn back while we were almost halfway through and come back down to the ground; the winds were violent and it was a safety issue. I was surprised he didn’t have us get down earlier when the trees on which we were standing were swaying drastically from side to side. Oh well… just another obstacle! And, they courteously refunded us 25% even though we had already completed 4.5 /​5 of the course (ie, a generous refund). In summary: Lots of fun! Take pics if you can! You’ll love it!

My husband and I went on sunday and it was a great time!
Staff was nice and our instructor was very helpful. At the beginning I thought the instructions and training part was a little bit too long but after we went on our own we realized the training and safety introduction was extremely necessary.
Everything happens several feet above the ground and you have to go from tree to tree through obstacles that are rated from easy to extreme. The idea sounds crazy but I felt safe the whole time.
What I liked the most is that it wasn’t a competition or something that an average person cannot do it. I am not exactly the most athletic person on earth and my arm/​upper body strength is… Well… Bad. But I did it and I am glad that I pushed myself!
It took us 3 hours from the beginning to the end and although it was quite a work out… It was just fun! In the end we received a certificate signed by the chief gorilla for gone ape! Just another little thing to put a smile on your face
Make sure you book it online or on the phone before you go because that place seems to be busy all the time. But make sure you do it though. You will not regret it.

Had such a great time! So worth the money :) Wish the course was a bit longer, but still fun regardless

I want to start off by saying that I had a blast. It is an aerial obstacle course with a few zip lines and a couple of Tarzan swings. It can definitely be as challenging or almost as tame as you like. I liked zip lining over kayaker’s heads in the pond, and I especially liked the larger Tarzan swing. It’s a good workout, pulling yourself through all of the obstacles.
There were some things that I didn’t like too much. They claim that there are 5 courses, and technically they are correct, but one of those 5 is the wimpy little practice course (raised a few feet off the ground and only having one tiny obstacle and an approximate 15 foot zip line.
There were some safety things that concerned me a little. There are no helmets, this is the only place with zip lining I have ever seen to not use helmets. There was also no braking on the zip line.
They train you on using the equipment, and then there is little to no staff supervision while on the course (some people were walking around on the ground, but no one was up in the course with us). Basically, you are responsible for yourself, responsible for making sure that you hook yourself up correctly every time (something that you do almost once every 30 seconds on the course).

Had an incredible time here. Staff was fantastic and very enthusiastic from greeting until the end. Special shout out to Sal who was not only very informative but made a point to remember everyones name. Treetop course was great while also very challenging and the ziplines were a good length and a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again.

had a wonderful time in the trees!
a nice adventure with my two daughters and we all had a blast.
the staff was very professional, attentive and efficient.
the zips were over water and great… the treetop environment was just fantastic.
i would definitely recommend this activity.
by the way, if upper body strength is an issue utilize the «moderate» not the «extreme». we did the «extreme» and at age 66, i found myself tested on the cargo net crossing.

I had SO MUCH fun doing the Go Ape course. It was definitely physically challenging and pushed me to my limit, but I’m not complaining– I got a great workout! Basically, there are 5 courses with a zipline in between each. The courses and ziplines get higher each time, and the ziplines also get longer each time. Within each course you go from tree to tree via a variety of tricky, jungle-​gym-​like crossings. Once you work your way through those, the zipline is a great reward. The crossings are clearly marked with helpful signs indicating their difficulty. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to the guides down below, but most of the fun is figuring it out on your own. It is also a great team-​building experience, as I went with coworkers as part of a work retreat. It’s great fun! Highly recommended.

I did have a lot of fun and the staff was amazing! However, I don’t think this course is for everyone. The rope ladder was torture for me since I don’t have any upper body strength. I really enjoyed everything until the 4^th course where we had to go up higher.
I would recommend others going and trying it no matter what. I had a lot of fun and would like to go back and try it again

Go Ape at Lums Pond was fantastic. We, the grandparents, took our granddaughter there to celebrate her 14^th birthday. We had a blast. Mom Mom (me) conquered some of her fear of heights and we all had a wonderful day to remember. My granddaughter said it was her best birthday EVER! The staff are fantastic. Very friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I can’t speak highly enough of the staff and facilities. Our supervisor, Ben, was great. He talked me through some scarey (for me) moments.
We will be returning in the Spring with another grandchild for a 12^th birthday celebration.
Even if you are not athletic, if you can climb a ladder, you can do this.

I had so much fun here with my sister! We got there 15min early to sign in and fill out forms, and then Nicki (who was awesome!) got the group in the harnesses and taught us/​helped us through our first obstacle and zip. After that we were free to go through the course on our own. We spent about 2.5 hours up in the trees, and 4 out of 5 of the zips go over water– so pretty! I’m a little more than 6ft tall and not super fit, but I didn’t have any trouble, and felt safe the whole time. Can’t wait to Go Ape again!

Such a good time! The staff is so amazing and nice. We had a slight back up at one station and they did everything in their power to speed it up. Highly recommend to anyone who is looking for something out of the blue to do. Can not beat the views over the pond!

i had sooo much fun here with my girlfriends! we got together in Delaware for the adventure becuase we had folks coming from philly + suburbs and baltimore. it was not a bad drive at all. i will be recommending this place to people because it met the following expectations for my very first zipline experience:
— beautiful setting
— hottie hot instructors
— challenging obstacles
— easier obstacles
— tarzan swings

Wow I am actually quite impressed by Go Ape at Lums Pond! I would highly recommend going zip-​lining if you live in Delaware and want something exciting and unique to do with your friends or family without having to travel very far.
For those of your concerned about the high cost, the experience along with the adrenaline rush, the full body exercise, and the beautiful view from up in the trees are definitely worth it! I’m usually very calculating with my money. I will do anything to get a deal to save my money, but I will splurge on very expensive things if I know it is going to be worth it. I am also not very easily impressed, and will tear a business/​product to pieces if I feel that the goods or services rendered were not worth the money I paid (you can see this in my 1 – 2 star reviews). With that said, my initial reaction when I heard about ziplining at Lums Pond was «What? I gotta pay $ 55 to climb up a tower and then jump off of it? $ 55 is like theme park prices! How long are these zip lines?» I almost didn’t go because of the price, but I’m glad I went! Go Ape is definitely much more fun, much more active, and much more rewarding than going to a theme park. Definitely worth the theme park price!
Expect to spend 2 to 3 hours in the trees climbing and ziplining at your own pace. The venue consists of 5 obstacle courses that are located up in the trees ending with a zip line back down to the ground at the end of each course. The first course is sort of practice/​testing out the waters and you are allowed to quit right after the first area and get your money refunded if you find that the activity is not for you. I was also able to get 10% off with a student discount code so make sure you check and see if you qualify for any of their discount codes listed on their website.
I went with 4 of my friends this past Saturday at 3pm (you need to make a reservation in advance on the Go Ape website) and upon arriving we had to fill out a short consent form. Our 3pm group consisted of maybe 20 people. There was a couple, a family with teenage kids, a bachelorette party consisting of mid-​aged women and my group (we’re in our twenties to early thirties). We had a spunky instructor named Rori (sp?) who fitted us in harnesses and ran us through the equipment and safety procedures along with a short hands on demo. The whole introduction took maybe 30 minutes. After that we went to area 1 where another instructor supervised as we did the first real course. From area 2 and beyond we were pretty much let loose to climb in the trees ourselves to do the obstacles at our own pace. We saw instructors patrolling from the ground to make sure people were being safe. Other than that there was virtually no guidance. Despite navigating the trees completely on our own, everything went smoothly and safely! The equipment with all the safety hooks was color coded. The signs posted in the trees were clear. The areas are gated with a daily combination so random non-​participants in the park would not be able to climb up into the obstacle course. The other participants were courteous and our groups became separated as we progressed so other groups did not interfere with my group taking our time on each obstacle.
Although there is a weight limit of 285 pounds and a minimum height limit, I think pretty much any individual who’s not missing a limb and can tolerate some exercise can do the course. I am sort of out of shape and I’m usually afraid of heights including walking on anything higher than 2 feet off the ground and I was able to finish the course provided I held onto something at all times. I admit I did «cheat» a couple of times when I was too scared/​tired and just sat in my harness and pulled myself across the steel rope. A couple of courses involve climbing across cargo nets and those were the hardest obstacles for me because it involved upper body strength. These obstacles are optional as there are a few choose your difficulty paths.
Overall, the whole course minus the training at the beginning took my group a total of 3 hours. My whole group had a lot of fun and it was a very good bonding activity through teamwork and cheering each other on. I think this would be a good venue for a company to take its employees to.
A couple things I would suggest is to wear comfortable clothes you would not mind ruining. I ended up with a huge tear in my jeans right in the crotch/​inner thigh area from it rubbing against the harness and from landing on my back on all 5 ziplines. If you have thin soled shoes like Vibram Five fingers I would recommend you wearing them as it makes navigating the course much easier. Big clunky shoes can cause a problem as a couple of us got our feet stuck in one particularly tricky obstacle (the one with the rings).
I highly recommend going to this at least once!
P. S. I was very glad to find that there were purified water coolers at the start of each obstacle area. No need to worry about bringing water.

A fun way to spend the day! The course had 5 areas with about 4 – 5 obstacles at each one, ending in a zip line. The obstacles are high up in trees but you have a harness on, so it’s a great way to see if you can really tightrope or cross a shaky bridge. The tarzan swing is also great fun! The staff were all really friendly and professional, and very focused on safety. Fun place for kids and couples! Just wish there were more obstacles and options for more difficult obstacles. Definitely recommend!