Tree Frog Canopy Tours is like no other attraction in the Mohican area. Located just 20 miles west of Millersburg, even the drive there is an adventure with cascading waterfalls and the scenic Mohican River to guide visitors to the 50 acre wooded retreat where 4,025 feet of zip line escapades await along with a small dog named Zoe who literally owns the place.
The tour design includes two sky bridges, two rappels and seven zip-lines ranging from 145 feet to the final 1,100 foot final traverse. Total tour time is about two and a half to three hours with tours departing the renovated sawmill welcome center every half hour. Each tour consists of eight guests accompanied by two guides. The tour is designed to be fun and to give guests an appreciation of the biodiversity of the Mohican wilderness area.
Bonsai Design, Incorporated, based in Grand Junction, Colorado is both the course designer and installer. Bonsai Design is a leader in zip-line technology and also leads the industry in sustainable design that is minimally intrusive to the trees. Without the trees we have no course, said Bruce Baker, vice president of operations for Tree Frog. The course is designed to allow the trees and wildlife to continue to flourish.
Baker experienced zip-lining for the first time in Mexico and with long-time friend and business partner Jordan (Jody) Christiansen finally figured out what they were going to do when they grew up. Christiansen knew after his first zip-line experience in San Martinique he had found a passion that could keep him in the trees where he felt quite at home.
Years of planning and the search for the perfect land eventually led Baker and Christiansen to the current location at Glenmont on Wally Road. We studied topographic maps and aerial photographs to eventually decide on the location, said Baker. We wanted to create an active participant adventure, not a ride. We truly are a world class facility.
Tree Frog owners, general manager and lead guides are Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) certified. Tree Frogs guides have participated in a rigorous certification program offered by Bonsai Design that exceeds ACCT safety standards. This training and certification helps ensure that guests of Tree Frog Canopy Tours are greeted by professional guides who can provide a safe and memorable time of adventure and exploration in Ohios Mohican Wilderness area.
Guests are encouraged to arrive one half hour before their scheduled reservations to read and sign the forms necessary to participate in the tour. Prior to departure, guests will be given a safety briefing and outfitted with safety gear that includes a body harness, pulleys, helmet and gloves.
After the safety briefing, guests will board a four wheel drive vehicle for the trip to the top of Sundance Hill, the starting point for the tour. Zoe, the only four-legged guide, leads the way, stopping periodically to sniff various spots on the way up the hill.
Guests are instructed the basics of zip-lining in ground school where they become comfortable with the equipment and the skills necessary to complete the tour. After ground school guests cross a short, rope and wood suspension bridge that leads to the first tree platform. The first zip is a short zip designed to allow guests to become accustomed to the feeling of zipping through the tree tops. Subsequent zips and bridges become longer, higher, and faster. Guests rappel from the tree platforms at the mid-point and end of your tour. Guests take a short uphill hike to gain elevations at the mid-point of the tour.
The tour changes with the seasons, said Christiansen. In spring the views are more extreme and in summer, when the trees are full of leaves, the experience is totally different. In autumn the colors are spectacular.
Butterflies flock to a sassafras tree in the summer and guests will zip through getting covered in them. Its amazing, said Christiansen. We offer full moon night time tours where we use glow sticks. Baker said, Its surprising how quickly you adapt to seeing at night.
Guests are required to be 10 years of age or older and must weigh between 90-250 pounds. Guests should wear clothing that is appropriate for the weather. Shorts can be worn but it is recommended they have a nine inch inseam. No open-toed shoes are to be worn.
Light snacks, water and Coke products are available in the welcome center. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic that can be enjoyed after the tour at the various picnic tables. Corn Hole boards and ladder ball are also available for guests enjoyment.
Tree Frog opened in August of 2010 and has already served 3000 guests from 22 states and 15 countries.
Its like being in a family here, said Madison, one of Tree Frogs lead guides. Once our guides get through training they feel like they are part of something special. Well have people show up on their day off just to help out.
For hours of operation and pricing contact Tree Frog Canopy Tours at 740-599-2662 or visit their web site at http://www.treefrogcanopytours.com.
