For The Thrill Of It
Incorporating adventure experiences in local parks
By Becky Dunlap
What lures some people into the unknown, willing to explore something new? Whatever it is, the field of parks and recreation is now home to adventure experiences. Agencies around the country are capitalizing on the trend by offering unique outdoor opportunities to their communities. And adventure takes many forms. What seems adventurous to one person may look completely different to another. For instance, a toddler might take a risk by climbing a rock feature on a playground, while a teenager might prefer a zip line course to get the heart pumping. This variation allows the field of parks and recreation to offer experiences to many different demographics.
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / Ammit
Some agencies form partnerships with companies in order to offer adventure experiences they otherwise may not have been able to produce. While a lack of resources, time, or expertise may inspire the partnership, both organizations can reap the benefits of providing one-of-a-kind experiences.
Castle Rock, Colo.
One example of how a partnership can be effectively maintained and operated is in Castle Rock, Colo. While Philip S. Miller Park is owned and operated by the town’s parks and recreation department, inside the park is one of its largest attractions, complete with zip line tours, the EPIC Sky Trek, and the EPIC Adventure Tower. These elements are owned and operated by Castle Rock Zip Line Tours. The company hires and trains its own staff members, maintains its equipment, and markets the park through videos, social media, and other tactics.
As for the adventure elements, the zip line tours offer 10 different flying courses, some reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour. The second feature, the Epic Sky Trek, has three levels, each for various abilities, which is perfect for teambuilding. It even features some of the most popular Ninja Warrior elements. Finally, the thrilling Adventure Tower offers a combination climbing wall with bungee jumping.
Beyond these features, other adventure elements throughout the park are managed by the parks and recreation department. On top of the 7.4 miles of single-track trails, the Challenge Hill outdoor staircase puts walkers and runners to the test with 200 timber steps to the top of the mountain. These stairs host unique community events, placing a spin on traditional 5ks. From the trails, one will probably notice the adventure playground that takes advantage of the topographic landscape.
Tulsa, Okla.
While Castle Rock certainly sets the bar for adventure, other agencies around the country are finding ways to implement their own unique spin.
Take, for instance, the Gathering Place in Tulsa, Okla., named the Best New Attraction by USA Today. This riverfront park is home to Chapman Adventure Playground, a 5-acre imagination zone. The playground elements are ripe with groundbreaking ideas and risk-taking features that offer adventure to a younger demographic. Slides, swings, climbing structures, suspension bridges, and sand pits invite kids of all ages to touch, climb, feel, and explore. The iconic seven towers—dubbed the Spiral Connector—offer a dizzying stimulation of play. Slide Vale is a set of five slides, one of which even goes underground! A man-made pond offers paddleboat rentals just a short distance from a splash pad named Mist Mountain, detailed with water cannons, mist areas, jets of water, and a water maze. With a price tag of $465 million, the Gathering Place is considered the largest private gift to a community park in U.S. history.
Hutchinson, Kan.
Local parks and recreation agencies should be inspired by these adventure experiences and take note of the imaginative amenities they might be able to bring back home.
Community parks and recreation system-planning can help identify the demand for adventure-type elements. For example, in Hutchinson, Kan., while working on its Healthy Community Parks and Recreation Master Plan, a youth/teen focus group identified a strong desire for adventure activities. While the teens were participating in an after-school meeting (lured by free pizza, most likely), and being rather quiet in discussing the things they have to do in town (mostly sports, bowling, movies, and hanging out), their faces lit up when the idea of a local “adventure park” was introduced. They became excited while talking about the different elements a new park could feature, such as climbing, biking, winter sledding areas, zip lining, and kayaking lessons and rentals. After much consideration, such a park has been planned for a vacant parcel near the Arkansas River.
Maybe adventure isn’t for everyone, and maybe your parks and recreation department doesn’t have all the resources to create a world-class adventure park. Regardless of the situation, a strategic approach to implementing adventure into your parks is a safe bet. Whether it is through a unique playground element or an extensive zip line tour, the opportunities for adventure are everywhere. Your community’s desire to try something new might just be possible through the local parks and recreation department.
Becky Dunlap is a passionate parks and recreation professional who works for GreenPlay LLC (www.greenplayllc.org) as a Project Consultant. She has worked in public parks and recreation for over six years, managing camps, recreation programs, recreation facilities, and much more. Along the way, she has taken numerous courses in marketing, social media, and web design. She is inspired to raise the bar in the field of parks and recreation, and interviews other professionals in the field on her podcast, Becky Talks Parks. Reach her at beckyd@greenplayllc.com.