ALLEY POND ROPES COURSE

Where families reach new heights

One of the oldest and largest public adventure parks in the Northeast, Alley Pond Adventure Course offers families a chance to test their skills and perhaps face some fears on a high ropes course soaring above this expansive Queens park. Lucky families who get picked for the weekly lottery can enjoy two hours of free climbing fun, a fantastic deal in a city where similar experiences go for $60 a pop. Your adventure starts with some warm-ups before you gear up in a harness and helmet provided by the course (don’t forget your closed-toed shoes). After an overview of safety procedures, find your way to one of the day’s three adventure options, selected from over 15 elements, including zip lines, rope bridges, and climbing walls. The challenges change weekly. Brave adventurers scale a vertical pole or sidle across high wires, secured by a belay tended by one of the numerous trained adventure course guides. While the adventure course is a great place to push yourself, the guides adhere strictly to the principle of “challenge by choice,” which means that everyone is encouraged to try going a little further or a bit higher, but nobody is pressured to do anything outside of their comfort zone. For some adventurers, getting halfway up the vertical climb is enough of an achievement, even if they never get to the top. For others, the thrill of hopping across platforms 40 feet in the air is unbeatable. At every level of challenge, the course is sure to give your family a great sense of teamwork!

TIP: Go on a quest to find the Alley Pond Giant, a 133-foot-tall tulip tree that may be the tallest and oldest living organism in the city.