Family Fun Treetop Adventures in Bailey, Colorado
Last fall we returned to Texas after deciding to shift from a full-time RV life back to stationary house living. On our way, we stopped in Colorado for a few weeks to visit with good friends. We had an amazing time, and not just because we were able to take advantage of the free RV parking spot on their property. (Yay!) I want to share one of our family’s most memorable experiences when we spent the afternoon (sort of) flying through the air at Treetop Adventures!
You can read all about our reasons for leaving the RV life behind (for now)and about the details of transitioning back to stationary life.
You should know that Colorado is one of our favorite places on earth, especially the Denver area where we lived for a few years before our move to Texas way back in 2011. It is wonderful to have both friends and family still there to draw us back and enjoy it pretty regularly. We always find something new to enjoy each visit.
Treetop Adventures for the Whole Family in Bailey, Colorado
This time around our hospitable friends, who allowed us to park our home-on-wheels in their front yard in Bailey, happened to have some passes for Treehouse Adventure Park which is also located in Bailey. They needed to be used the weekend we arrived or they would be worthless. *Sigh* As a good friend, I felt it was my duty to help out. So off we went!
Actually, they had been to the adventure park multiple times because their oldest son worked there during that summer, which happened to be their first summer in operation. But they were excited to show us what it was all about…show us the “ropes”. Sorry, I had to.
We caught them on their very last day of operation for the season (this was the first week of October). This worked out pretty well because the lines were pretty short, the temperatures were comfortable and there wasn’t much waiting on any of the attractions. Always bonuses!
Color-coded Routes to Keep You From Embarrassing Yourself
The first thing I noticed after going through the safety orientation (extremely important and well done) is that they have their different routes color-coded according to difficulty. This makes it easy to work your way up to the more challenging options in the park instead of biting off more than you can chew right out of the gate.
I was really glad to see this feature because I had no desire to humiliate myself by getting stuck on a difficult route and requiring a staff “rescue mission”. I’ve heard it happens, and I did not wish to live it…or have it documented online by my wife.
It was also nice to see the staff members out on the course making sure to keep an eye on folks. They were checking with each person about which routes they had already conquered before allowing them to go on more challenging routes. Without a doubt, this keeps things flowing more smoothly for everyone out on the course and ensures the best experience possible for their customers.
Beware of the “Simple” Things
But I have to tell you that even the easiest routes held their own challenges for sure. Sometimes it’s the things that appear the simplest that can really get you. Maybe it comes down to overconfidence, or maybe it’s just because I’m not as agile in my 40s as I imagine that I am.
As you can see from the pictures we captured, there is plenty of diversity across the routes. Just about anything you can imagine is mixed into the course and it requires plenty of balance, dexterity and even reasoning skills to choose your best approach to each challenge.
Learning From Those Who Go Before You
As we worked our way through the different challenges and up to the more difficult options, the three of us out on the course together learned from each other’s successes and failures as we watched each other’s progress. I found that I would come into an obstacle planning to attack it in a certain way, observe the person in front of me either struggle with that approach or succeed with another one, and change my approach accordingly.
I came out with my fair share of bumps and bruises, which you should expect, but I’m pretty sure I had fewer of them because of watching and learning instead of just charging ahead with no real thought or reasoned approach.
Perfect Adventure for the Family
So if you’ve got a family of human beings that are all ages 7+ (youngest age they allow), a trip to Treehouse Adventure Park in Bailey, Colorado will give the entire family plenty of challenge and excitement. You will make some great memories together, overcome challenges together and possibly learn a thing or two about each other along the way.
And when it’s all over, you should nap. I did, and believe me I needed it.
Related Reading
Todd loves a competitive game of table tennis, a breathtaking hike, and exploring new places. He lived and traveled in an RV with his family as they traveled throughout much of the US and parts of Canada. Todd has extensive knowledge about RV travel, safety, and accessories and has shared many of his stories here on TREKKN. When he’s not busy launching and building small businesses, you may find him staring at pictures of Glacier National Park (probably his favorite spot on earth).
