Fort McMurray Attractions: Vista Ridge Adventure Park

By Dawn Booth | May 26, 2018 | Fort McMurray- Buyers Advice

Aerial park opens for another summer season

The Vista Ridge Adventure Park opens today for another season to bring active outdoor play to residents and tourists in the Wood Buffalo region.

Vista Ridge’s summer season offers a variety of outdoor activities including an above-ground obstacle course with ziplines, skate park and playscape, as well as a miniature and frisbee golf course.

The most popular activity, known as WildPlay, is the obstacle course where guests aged seven and up can test their skills and swing through tree-tops on multi-level platforms. It’s a free-standing, wooden structure connected by swinging logs, cargo nets, tightropes and wooden bridges.

It held its first grand opening in September 2014 as part of an expansion to the Vista Ridge Ski Hill. With this latest addition, the Park now sees over 70,000 visitors year-round.

According to an article in the Fort McMurray Today, Vista Ridge reopened in the fall of 2016 after it sustained some damages from the Fort McMurray wildfire, which were “limited to the lower portion of the hill; the snowmaking pump house located at the bottom of the lift was lost.”

Last year, Vista Ridge received global attention when WildPlay was featured on National television for Season 5 of CTV’s the Amazing Race Canada. The reality television show had contestants climb up to the top of the 40-foot high adventure course to hunt for clues and search for express passes.

To take part in the WildPlay, guests must be seven years old to participate and all children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Proper closed-toe footwear and athletic clothing are also required.

The aerial park departs every half hour between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays. Private bookings are available from Monday through Thursday. Vista Ridge staff recommend booking ahead by calling the main office at 780-743-8651 or by emailing [email protected] to reserve a spot.

The cost varies for each course experience and full access has requirements that can be found online at www.vistaridge.ab.ca/summer/aerial-adventure-park. The full course is $35 per person and a family pass is also available for $89 with a maximum of five immediate family members. Parents and legal guardians can also download a waiver from the website for all participants aged 18 and under.

To get there, Vista Ridge is located just outside of Fort McMurray at 1 Spruce Valley Drive, past the Fort McMurray International Airport. For updates and announcements, check out Vista Ridge on Facebook.

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Dawn Booth is a freelance journalist and owner of Media Booth, a marketing and communications business in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Learn more at www.mediabooth.net.

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