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Located in a wooded area of Wheatley Heights, The Adventure Park at Long Island is an aerial adventure park that features a network of treetop trails, ropes, ladders, bridges, ziplines, and challenging obstacles. We recently visited and have some tips to make this a safe and unforgettable experience.

What Ages Can Visit the Adventure Park at Long Island?

This adventure park appeals to families with multiple ages and ability levels. Guests ages 7+ can enjoy the entire treetop trail area. That said, you need to be in decent shape to navigate this place. There are four levels geared toward different fitness levels, but you still need to be able to maneuver around well, especially with your upper body. 

Kids ages 3-6 can frolic in the park's Adventure Playground section. This pint-sized version of the adventure park lets your littlest ones feel like big-time adventure seekers. With the highest element being only 24" off the ground, wee ones can climb, slide, and swing on the wooden apparatus, just like their older counterparts. No cries of FOMO will be found here! Bonus: non-climbing parkgoers are not charged admission, so the family photographer–usually me in these cases!–can capture all the aerial adventures from below along the paths.  

What Should I Do Before Visiting Adventure Park at Long Island?

We suggest that you check in online before heading to the Adventure Park. Booking online and filling out the mandatory waiver will save you a lot of time upon arrival. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows.

I told our group to wear well-fitting clothes. You don't want to don anything loose that could get tangled in cables or ropes. Also, any long hair must be tied back, and loose jewelry should be removed.

Closed-toed shoes are also required to climb, so this is not the time to don Crocs. We wore a mix of old sneakers and hiking boots, and all were equally comfortable.

We also brought some work/gardening gloves from our house to use with the cables. They sell these in the gift shop, but we found our own worked just as well. Some of the kids in our group even removed their gloves, as they didn't think they were necessary.

The park is in the middle of the woods. The tall trees provide a lot of shade, but I would still opt for both sunscreen and bug spray.

What Should I Expect at Adventure Park at Long Island?

The parking lot required a bit of a walk along a dirt path, so be sure to add some extra travel time for that. Check-in was a breeze for our group because we handled the admission process online. We headed over to the safety station, where all participants must watch a 10-minute instructional video. While we were eager to get going on the course, we paid careful attention as it included equipment terminology and proper usage that were critical for a safe visit.

The park provided all of the necessary equipment, which included a climbing harness, clips, and a trolley. After slipping into our harnesses one foot at a time, a park guide tightened any slack and checked each guest over thoroughly. We then attempted a micro version of the course obstacles and a low zipline to test out our recently learned adventuring skills. 

There are lockers available for rent, open cubbies for use, and picnic tables under a shaded area if you need a break. We brought reusable water bottles, and there was a refilling station on-site. The park also had drinks, snacks and even ice cream on site for purchase. You can bring your own food and coolers as well.

With four course levels offering varying degrees of difficulty, the Adventure Park boasts 14 self-guided treetop trails. That's 203 treetop platforms connected by bridges, ladders, 49 ziplines, and other crossings. There's plenty of ground–um, I mean air–to cover here. So plan for at least a 2-hour stay, although your paid visit is good for 3.5 hours. Do note that the yellow, green, and blue trails have requirements of parent/adult supervision or participation. There is also a maximum weight limit of 265 pounds for overall participation.

What is unique about this adventure park compared to some others we've visited is that there are early exit points. Guests can rapel down from marked platforms if they don't want to finish a course or need a break. This was key for us adults, but not really used by the kids because as we tackled more difficult trails, especially in blues and blacks, more stamina, agility, and lots of upper body strength were needed to complete them. I might have needed some assistance brushing my teeth the next day, but I would never admit that to my know-it-all teens.

When we finished the full park summit, our brood was brimming with enthusiasm. We all agreed how satisfying it was to challenge ourselves here and spoke the entire way home about our favorite trails. Overwhelmingly, the Waterfall Trail, which has the most ziplines, won. 

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The park's courses have challenges that suit different skill levels.

Ways to Explore the Aerial Courses at the Wheatley Heights Park

Groups, including private families, youth groups, scouts, and others, can book a bonding experience at the Adventure Park at Long Island. Birthday parties can be at either the Adventure Playground or the Adventure Park and include two hours of high-flying fun, picnic tables, an optional gift bag option, and more. Plus, there's no charge for non-climbing party-goers.

While the park is "intended for self-discovery," it offers Adventure Guides for a more structured experience. While this requires advance registration and a fee, it could be helpful if an accompanying adult isn't able to make the ascent. 

Multiple membership and monthly packages offer families a way to visit often with deep discounts. There are even memberships for the Adventure Playground area. 

If you want to experience the Park in a new light, visit during one of the Glow in the Park events. Guided by only the night's starry sky and a bunch of string LED lights, this treetop adventure is one we will definitely return for!

Getting to Adventure Park at Long Island

The Adventure Park at Long Island is located at 75 Colonial Springs Road in Wheatley Heights, although some GPS units need the park listed as located in Wyandanch. Easily accessible south of the Long Island Expressway at exit 49S/50 or north of the Southern State Parkway at exit 35, folks can also take the Ronkonkoma Branch of the LIRR to the Wyandanch Station, and the park is a 5-mile drive northwest.

Photos by the author.