Pataskala, OH Outdoor Activities

Certified by The Association for Challenge Course Technology, the zipline course at Valley Zipline Tours speeds danglers over the scenic Northern Hocking Hills in spectacular fashion, whisking them along a series of lines that extend to more than 1 mile in total length. First, a friendly guide drives the zippers up to the top of the valley, where they don their safety equipment and then zoom down the first five lines as a warm-up to the following three, known collectively as the Valley Super Lines. Starting at line 6, the journey whips riders across the valley and lake for distances of nearly 1,000 feet each and at more than 100 feet off the ground, reaching speeds of 55 miles per hour. To cap off the high-speed trip, a valley swing awaits at the end of the tour attached to the edge of a tower, inviting participants to jump and swing over the valley while suspended at more than 50 feet.

High above reservoir banks and the forest floor, an intricate web of rope bridges and obstacles snakes itself through the towering trees of Walnut Bluffs. This is the site of Summit Vision––a pair of team-building rope courses with more than 40 combined climbing elements, designed to boost the confidence, leadership, and problem-solving skills of children, adults, and corporations.

On both courses, Summit Vision's highly trained staff safely guides adventurers through a variety of climbing endeavors, culminating in an epic zipline or giant swing dismount. The company also opens its rope courses for open-play sessions on weekends and hosts various ground-based exercises. During the summer, the 7Summits day camp provides youngsters a reprieve from the humdrum routine of remodeling their lemonade stands with more exhilarating activities such as archery, kayaking, and hiking.

The rock bridge spans more than 100 feet in length, arching to a height of 50 feet as it connects to the opposing shores of the Hocking River. As kayakers glide beneath it, they look up at eons of natural history: a bridge carved out by centuries of glacial waters that eroded the sandstone away particle by particle. They gaze up at the awesome spectacle until a white-tailed deer dashes along the shore, stealing their focus.

Hocking Valley Canoe Livery and Fun Center's outdoor enthusiasts continue provide connections to moments such as these, just as they have for more than 30 years. The staff furnishes gear such as canoes and inner tubes for river trips, during which sportsmen may glimpse river dwellers such as leatherback turtles and kingfishers sneaking sandwiches from unsuspecting picnickers. Dedicated to keeping the river clean for future generations, Hocking Valley's staff also regularly engages in conservation efforts, including sponsorship of the annual Hocking River Cleanup

Back at the fun center, crews oversee amusements that range from go-kart rides to mini golf. With such a multiplicity of diversions, Hocking Valley's team often customizes recreational packages for its guests that combine several activities. To help visitors enjoy the area for more than a day, the grounds also affords outdoorsmen lodging, including riverside campgrounds and Amish camper cabins.

Boasting a course of 18 ziplines and a high-ropes course, Hocking Peaks Adventure Park immerses adventurers of all ages in a multitiered wilderness playground sprawling through the woods and fields of Hocking Hills. Surrounded by a sun-dappled tree canopy, the ropes course combines 60 midair challenges—including catwalks, suspended logs, and rope crossings—that visitors can surmount while strapped into safety harnesses that also help them blend in with current forest fashion trends. For kids, an alternative course and zipline hang a few feet above the ground. Within the same woods, ATV rides cover 15 miles of rambling ground trails, while paintball matches storm a separate wooded area with two levels of play and built-up cover.

As they emerge from the woodland playground, guests can take on the 42-foot high inflatable waterslide, or climb into one-, two-, or three-person transparent Ogo balls to roll down a hillside course more gracefully than a classically trained hamster. Additionally, an 18-hole disc-golf course—designed by professional disc-course planners Innova—sprawls through 6,000 feet of hills, beckoning players to aim for chain-fringed baskets.

A professional golf instructor since 1999, Bobby Steiner augments golfers’ swings and course management skills during private and nine-hole playing lessons. At Little Turtle Golf Club, where Bobby is director of instruction, students can sign up to join a group of up to four players consisting of Mr. Steiner and two other pupils. The troop plays out a nine-hole, three-man scramble while Bobby analyzes and offers advice for each swing, helps formulate short-game strategies, and carefully avoids blocking the suns rays while players sunbath in the bunkers. Each on-course lesson takes approximately two hours to complete, and students should show up early to check in and warm up. During private lessons, players of every skill level receive stroke-shaving instruction on aspects of their full swing and short-game techniques. Though private lessons offer golfers the best opportunity for one-on-one instruction that focuses on improving their unique swing mechanics, people can combine two Groupons to take their lesson together.

After spending years penning a golf instruction column for a number of papers throughout the West and Midwest, Bobby compiled the observations, stories, and people he’d encountered as a teaching professional into a book, titled Munie.

Renowned course architect Pete Dye sculpted Little Turtle Golf Club's 18-hole course from 6,622 yards of Ohio countryside, artfully incorporating the waters of Big Walnut Creek into the par 72 layout. As golfers pass through the course's tree-lined fairways, they can imagine themselves walking in the footsteps and divotsteps of 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples, who holds the Little Turtle course record along with Champions Tour player Rod Spittle, the club's director emeritus of golf. Water hazards come into play on 10 holes throughout the round, often positioned close to greens to make approach shots a daunting task. The club complements its championship course with a practice facility that boasts a full-length driving range and a green with a practice bunker and designated areas for chipping.

Little Turtle Golf Club pairs its par-hunting pursuits with a lively social regimen, which includes holiday events, gatherings for sports fans, and poker nights. The epicenter for all friendly get-togethers, the Grille Room regales guests with a limestone fireplace, a copper bar, and outdoor seating that overlooks the placid waters and amphibious caddies of Lake Turtle.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by course architect Pete Dye
• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,622 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.6 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard