A late fall Friday afternoon was the perfect opportunity to visit Scenic Caves for the Eco Adventure tour, we also decided to try the ‘Thunderbird Twin Zip Line.’
The Eco Adventure Tour is a fun mix of hiking, tree top trekking, a few zip lines and a short tour of the caves. Personally I think the fall season is the best time to visit the caves because the colours are beautiful and the crowds are smaller.
The tour starts with a walk through the woods to a beautiful suspension bridge (the longest in Ontario). I didn’t realize before, but the tour guides also give a history of the area during the tour. From here, we got onto a wagon and were taken to the beginning of the tree course. We got a short lesson on how to navigate the trees with our carabiners and started out.
In comparison to the zip lining I did last year, this course was much less
physically intense. The course is high though and offered a beautiful view of the fall colours. Another benefit to visiting on a Friday was our group was small, which allowed us to take our time and enjoy the trip. The guides were friendly and good at explaining facts about the surrounding nature.
The course ends with a short zip line to the ground. After a snack and some water, we were back on the wagon to check out the caves the area is known for. I visited this area 10+ years ago when the caves were the only attraction and it was interesting to see them again.
Our tour guides led us on a descent through the damp rock walls into the cavern below. They told us about the Petun people that called the rocks home. They had some interesting stories about the history of the area before continuing to the final zip line of the tour. At 1000 ft. this zip line was a perfect grand finale.
After the tour, we decided to try out the twin zip line. This one is 2550 ft. long and has side-by-side zip lines. The walk to this zip line took us back through the caves, which was a chance to explore a few areas not seen during the tour.
We stopped at a cave called the natural refrigerator that stays around 4C year round because of the air coming up from the Ice Cave. We were able to climb fairly deep into the caves here.
We decided to visit the cavern from our original tour to go through a cave called fat man’s misery, which is 36 cm at the narrowest point. This cave has a tiny opening into a large open space. Just a few turns later and the cave narrows towards the back opening. I think this is the first area that made me feel claustrophobic.
After a bit more exploring, we continued to the twin zip lines. We got this at a reduced rate because we had been on the eco-adventure tour. After getting geared up and practicing, we started climbing the tower.
The view at the top is amazing, but the climb did make my knees a little weak. The best part of this zip line is that you can control your own speed, which allowed me to go fast! The zip line was well worth the extra fee.
Overall this was a perfect day trip for some adventure outside the GTA. I would suggest visiting during off times, as this is a huge tourist attraction. It was nice to explore without the crowd.
Amazing fall colors!
It was a perfect time to go and catch the leaves!
Great post! I have been hearing about this tree walk but hadn’t seen much about it! I will definitely have to check this place out! Have a great day!
Thanks! The tree walk was great and the twin zip line was well worth it too!
Hi i like ur blogs… Where are these caves in ontario? Ive never heard of them. I live just outside algonquin park, are they near me? Thanks
They are near Collingwood. On top of some of the Blue Mountain ski hills!