The world looks different from a 60-foot platform. One company wants to show Dunwoody the view.
Treetop Quest is building four courses in Brook Run Park containing 52 obstacles and 12 zip lines.
Bob Mullen, who does marketing and public relations work for Dunwoody, said instead of building up large in-house staffs to provide services in the parks, the city prefers working with nonprofit or for-profit groups such as Treetop Quest to offer services and recreation activities to citizens.
“We thought the idea was so unique – it’s an opportunity for physical activity and exploration,” Mullen said about Treetop Quest. “It’s great for families, camps and school groups. Dunwoody is always looking for opportunities for people to get physically active and enjoy the parks.”
Parks and Recreation Manager Brent Walker said he hopes Brook Run Park will attract people from outside Dunwoody. “With the addition of this amenity we hope to make our park a premier destination to enjoy the outdoors,” Walker said.
After four years of business in Buford, Treetop Quest is building its second Georgia park in Dunwoody. The Buford site is popular, but people who live outside of Gwinnett County want something closer to home, said Julien Hatton, the company’s development manager.
The new course is expected to open in late March, Regional Director of Operations Cloe Amara said. She said on the company’s website they are looking to hire about 15 administrative and managerial personnel.
As light hail fell on the morning of Feb. 2, workers on a pine swayed in the wind as they sat atop the highest platform planned for the course. Amara said high winds, thunderstorms and lightning would necessitate closing the course temporarily. “Basically, the same rules as a swimming pool in the summer,” she said.
“Safety is a top priority,” she added.
In December, the company hired a certified arborist to ensure the trees are not dead or dangerous, she said.
At Treetop Quest’s park in Gwinnett, an ambulance was called only once—for a woman suffering from dehydration on a hot, summer day, Amara said.
She added that the facility in Brook Run Park will offer free water from water fountains, and coolers will be located throughout the courses.
“It’s going to look totally different,” Amara said, pointing across a muddy field. “That’s where the office will be, where people will check in and be fitted with a harness.” She added that patrons will be shown how to use the equipment and what the safety rules are.
Families with members as young as age 4 can take part in activities in the Kiddie Quest area, designed for ages 4 to 6, Amara said. The kids’ course will also include a low ropes course.
Level one will be easy enough to be used by customers ages 7 and up, while levels two, three and four will increase in difficulty, Amara said. Level four heights reach about 60 feet, she said, and the longest zip line will reach almost 300 feet, going right over the office building.
The challenging courses are built for “local, small, not-going-too-fast” needs, Amara said. The highly secure environment uses a continuous lifeline system that keeps a participant hooked for the duration of the course.
“No matter what you do, you cannot go off the course,” Hatton said. “You have to do all the course to get out.”
Guides throughout the park will help people who need assistance, he said.
The “baby course” will include eight obstacles that are no more than three feet in height. Amara pointed to a white net suspended from several trees, and said that net would be a trampoline for the baby area.
Picnic tables will be available for bring-your-own lunches, and snacks will be available for purchase onsite. Gas grill rentals and birthday party packages are also available.
“It’s one-of-a-kind in metro Atlanta, and there’s nothing like it for 20 miles around the Perimeter,” Amara said.