Treetop Adventure Course Considered for Wissahickon Park

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department is considering building a Treetop Adventure Course in the Wissahickon Valley Park as a way to “educate youth about forest ecosystem and provide healthy outdoor recreation.”

Preliminary estimates put the annual income for such a course between $40,000-$50,000 annually based on what similar courses in other cities make.

The course would consist of a series of walks, zip lines and other apparatus through the tree canopy.

The construction of the course would be environmentally conscious, the Parks and Recreation Department says, and a new parking gravel parking lot would be built on the west side of Wigard Avenue near Henry Avenue adjacent to the course.

The Parks and Recreation Department estimates that the course could host around 150 participants in a day, with “sessions” that allow 14 to 15 people on the course at a time.

Parks and Recreation estimates that the course would take two to three hours to complete, and the average price for admission will range from $35-55.

The Parks and Recreation Department promises that the course will not be built over existing trails, and that it won’t create a precedent for more commercial activities at park locations.

The Parks and Recreation Department hopes to hold a town hall meeting with all the stakeholders at the end of March.