Skip to Content

Ropes Course & More at Northern Lights Rock and Ice in Essex, Vermont

Ropes Course & More at Northern Lights Rock and Ice

Northern Lights hosted our visit. All opinions are our own. We LOVED it!!

Last month, my daughter and I had the opportunity to take on the ropes course, giant swing, and climbing wall at Northern Lights Rock and Ice in beautiful Essex, Vermont. While my daughter is only 9, she is a ropes course veteran. We’ve traversed courses in Canada, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. While these courses were all fun, my daughter says Northern Lights Rock and Ice is her favorite.

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 5.25.02 PM

This is the first time we’ve taken on a ropes course without my husband. This made my daughter quite nervous. She always likes that daddy goes first and I’m last in line. She feels safest between two parents. What is unique about Northern Lights Rock and Ice is that they provide a guide to take you through the entire course. This was just PERFECT to minimize my daughter’s fears.

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 5.29.18 PM

Our guide, Jay, was incredible! He has a unique story of his own. He came from a troubled gang neighborhood in California. He worked hard to get away from that situation. He now loves helping kids conquer their fears and take on physical challenges at Northern Lights.

Ropes Course & More at Northern Lights Rock and Ice

Set 24 and 42 feet in the air, The High Ropes Courses allow individuals and teams to progress through high challenges like a cargo net climb, balance beams, tight ropes, and more. The course completes with a dual 450 foot zip line for an incredible adrenaline rush! We were there on a hot day so we opted to be sprayed by water on the way down. Ahhh, so refreshing!

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 5.27.07 PM

The newest adrenaline pumping feature at Northern Lights Rock and Ice: The Giant Swing! Get Clipped in and then pulled up to 40 feet in the air. Pull the release and feel the free fall flying rush! This was my daughters FAVORITE thing. She wanted to do it over and over again. Check out all of the other offerings on the Northern Lights Rock and Ice Recreation page. There are rock climbing walls, forest games, and other ground level challenges too!

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 5.27.37 PM

Northern Lights Rock and Ice aims to help people go just beyond their comfort zone and take risks. Pushing the boundaries or what you think is possible helps participants build confidence and trust. Jay’s motto is “Challenge by Choice.” He never forced us to take on a challenge that was too far out of our comfort zone, but he did recommend that we challenge ourselves a bit. My daughter really liked this approach.

Screen Shot 2015-07-14 at 5.47.24 PM

Northern Lights is one of the only venues in the nation that builds a 17,000 gallon frozen waterfall for ice-climbing that is open to the public. Whether you’re new to the sport or just looking for a controlled adventure They have the wall and equipment for your ice climbing adventure. We’ll have to try this next time.

Screen Shot 2015-08-02 at 12.50.54 PM

Northern Lights hosts kids camps, and team building classes for all ages. They also work with special needs groups. They also specialize in helping people with health needs enjoy an active lifestyle.

If Vermont travel is in your plans, I highly recommend you check out Northern Lights Rock and Ice. You’ll be glad you did!

Sharing is caring!

  1. Amber Ludwig says:

    Wow!! This looks so fun!! I can’t wait till my son is older and we can do these things!! I will have to see if we have some in my area 🙂 But this one looks like its worth traveling for!!

  2. danielle x. says:

    This looks like an awesome course. I know my kids love this type of stuff and I think I would give it a try also. Looks like you had a great time!

  3. That looks like a really fun outing. Love the pictures – makes me feel like I was there. :).

  4. Ron says:

    Wow! What a really fun adventure! Truly enjoyable!

  5. Fi Ní Neachtáin says:

    Oh wow, that looks like a fun, active day out for all the family. My little guy would love that, he loves those rope climbing things.

  6. michelle bowman says:

    i love to get there. its a fun and great family activity. you guys are enjoying there’s a lot of fun. my kids would surely love to go that place thank you for sharing

  7. this loosm to be heaps fun and something I would like to do! I love the smiles on yours and your family’s face as the FUN shines right through!

  8. Michelle says:

    I just returned from Vermont yesterday. I stayed in Jericho and had no idea this place existed. Thanks so much for the idea as I’m always looking for new things to do there as I visit a lot.

  9. CourtneyLynne says:

    Omg this place looks like Loads of fun! We have a rope course about an hour from here and I’ve always wanted to go!

  10. This place is so much fun! I love that the whole family can enjoy the activities. My kids would love this.

  11. Jeannette says:

    This looks like an amazing ropes course! I’ve been wanting to do something like this with my older son. I wish it was closer to us so we could check it out too!

  12. Lori Felix says:

    That looks like an amazing day trip and makes me want to take a trip tp the East coast just so I can take a trip there. I’ve never seen a frozen waterfall climbing wall before, it has me amazed.

  13. Angelic Sinova says:

    I love that they had a guide to take you through the entire course! I’ve gone rock climbing before (in one of those indoor places) but never anything like this! This seems like a blast <3

  14. April Mims says:

    That really looks like lots of family fun! I don’t do well with heights so it’s not for me but the rest of my family would love it.

  15. Liz Mays says:

    This would be an awesome place to spend a day. The ropes course and the wall sound great. I’m glad they have guides to help out too!

  16. Rosey says:

    Well those pictures are fun!! What a great way to spend some quality time. I’m big on outdoor adventure.

  17. We have never done anything like this but it looks so much fun. Height and speed are not my thing but my daughter would love this adventure.

  18. That looks like so much fun! I did something like this with my students this year…I loved it as much as they did!

  19. Elizabeth O. says:

    These are great activities for the whole family. It’s so nice that they also work with special needs groups and they help people with health needs enjoy an active lifestyle.

  20. I WOULD LOVE THIS!!! Man, I wonder if there’s anything like that around me – I’d totally surprise my husband for his birthday. Then again might be a bad idea (he’s not a fan of heights). Where as I’ve been rock climbing for (oh man…) 20 years, and I know I’d love to do ziplining and suspension bridge walkin. SO cool. 🙂

  21. Nikki says:

    It looks to be fun! what an great moments and such a beautiful experience in life i want to try this it will be a great bond together with your family

  22. R U S S says:

    We could use something like that here. That looks a whole lot of fun – something that both kids & adults will enjoy. Some look daunting but I’m sure as one conquers his / her fears, there’ll be no stopping him / her after that. I’d love to try all the fun activities you did.

  23. Northern Lights sounds like a great place for family activities and bonding. I love all of your photos and can clearly see just how much fun this place is.

  24. Lisa Coomer Queen says:

    Looks like ya’ll had a great time. Great post. Looks hard but fun!

  25. Jeanine says:

    Wow those pictures look awesome. Looks like a super fun time. I would love to do something like that!

  26. You guys sure had a lot of fun there! What a great place to discover!

  27. Michele says:

    Truthfully I just got scared looking at your pictures and found myself gulping. No way would I be able to do any of that. I am happy for you and your daughter that you enjoyed yourselves and Vermont is a beautiful state but I think I will stick to visiting the farm lands!

    • Jenn says:

      What is great about this place is that there are fun games and challenges that are at ground level too. I still recommend you stop by and say hi. You might be surprised by what you can achieve.

Comments are closed.