High Trek Adventures — Attraction in Mill Creek

Wow, cool place! This I would file under fun for all ages, but the minimum age is 4 with adult supervision (for the ropes course). I bought the full pass, which includes the ropes course + zip lines, laser tag, a rock climbing wall, axe throwing and mini golf.

After a short safety video demonstrating how to wear the harness rig, we queued up in our group and were given hands-on instruction on how to clip in and clip out of the safety line which spans the length of the course. No one was allowed on the course until they demonstrated that they understood, which is excellent for anyone worried about their kids (or themselves).

I went with a total novice and they picked it up quickly. It is about 4 stories tall, with a separate course for small kids, as well as beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses for the normal-sized folks. Everyone is allowed to climb at will, with instructors on the ground standing by. They generally are there to make sure no one gets stuck on the zip line in between towers (which does happen, but it's a painless fix).

You do the ropes course, and follow it up on whatever path you choose until you make it to one of the zip line towers, which is the only way off the course unless you back-track to the entrance, which could be tricky if the course is full. A little rappelling off the tower to the ground, and you disconnect and are on your way.

We skipped the rock wall because we had just finished a fairly exhausting 7 mile hike right before we came to the course. We staged a bit and waited for the rock wall climbers to make it to the laser tag course.

The laser tag arena is large enough for team battles, with lots of cover and a few respawns per round. We played 3 on 3 and it was loads of fun. Meeting total strangers and then battling them like real life Call of Duty is amazing, and I highly recommend it if the strangers in question are fun like ours were. Break a sweat and shoot some people in fun, it'll bring a smile to your face.

Axe throwing is pretty self-explanatory. Find a one- or two- handed throw that hits the target. They'll demonstrate if you haven't done it before. Come up with fun battle cries! Throw axes. Clean fun.

We also skipped mini-golf, as we were starving and the course looked a little small with no fun hazards like you would want. No points deducted, everything else is great and we got our money's worth.

Also, do your waivers on-line before you go and save time. I...

Quick note: if you are planning to do multiple things with a large group, I recommend scheduling the ropes course last (or at least after laser tag). Once on the course, people can (and will want to) go at their own pace, and there is no time limit (other than day end) but once you completely leave the course and take off your equipment, you need another ticket, and safety training etc. to get back on.

We decided to do a 10th birthday party here. While the process was not "we'll take care of everything for you", it was still relatively smooth and the ropes course was (IMO) fantastic. I would note that the general vibe is pretty "self guided" except for the safety portions, which may suit you or not. I personally don't mind it, even though I am certainly no expert organizer, but if you want to put in little or no effort and still have a "well oiled" event, this probably isn't the right choice. The gear is pretty fool resistant and the instruction is actually good, so I felt reasonably confident that the kids in the party would have no problem with it, other than a few having some innate fear of heights. The course is well maintained, and the safety instruction and fit checks are also thorough with helpful but also diligent staff. The kids enjoyed the mini golf and laser tag as well, with the first being moderately challenging though not eye catching or moving (it's clearly not the main attraction) and the second being a nice outside course, but with somewhat more basic gear (just a head sensor and black "guns" instead of some of the more ornate setups I have seen or used in some indoor setups, and the course is flat, so no having to pay attention to multiple levels). The kids were still able to be on reasonably large teams and play for several rounds. The ax throwing looked fun but also fairly self supervised (once you get setup), and was (obviously) not available to 10 year old kids so we didn't do it. Overall we had a nice time on a decent day, and would love to go back, but we also got a bit lucky with decent weather at the end of September, and even a little rain would have probably made things...

Our 4,5 year old son was supposed to do the easiest (cadet's) course for ages 4-8. However, he wasn't even able to reach the ropes to begin with- in order him to safely pass on to the other side of the course. How can you even offer this to children his age if they won't be able to reach the ropes?!? First and foremost: it's unsafe! The instructor told me: "Oh, but I asked his [8 y.o.] sister to help him where he couldn't reach the rope." How can you rely on an 8 year old for something like this?

Not to mention that it's such a dishonest practice- we paid for something our son would not even be able to do in the first place, not because of fear, but because he was too short (!). He only got to do the zipline 3x. Also, when I asked the person there if my son could maybe do the zipline more since he was unable to do the rope course that we paid for, and there was no one else in line, the young guy just couldn't care less... he just dismissively murmured: "Sorry, 3x is what the package gets you".

We were terrified watching our son cry in fear up there, all alone- because there was no instructor to even help him with anything, to make sure he's safe. So irresponsible! Instead, we saw all the instructors socializing (playing cards maybe?) and not paying attention to any of the clients up on the rope courses - again, that's just unthinkably negligent, and even more so if you're supposed to be taking care of a little child.

What an unpleasant and very scary experience it was for us, and...