Northern Lights Rock and Ice

  • 5
(2 reviews)
View Photos (3)
Northern Lights Rock and Ice
14 Freeman Woods Road
Essex JunctionVT 05482
(802) 316-3300

Ages: 0 and up

Cost: Snow Tubing: $5 for 1/2 day Pass| $10 w/Snow Tube Rental

Parking: Yes - free parking

Features: Handicap Accessible, Picnic Area, Playground, Restrooms

Northern Lights Rock and Ice has year round fun that the whole family can enjoy and are special needs friendly. They are located adjacent to the Inn at Essex.(The Essex Resort & Spa).

See an video of kids enjoying the facility here.

Year Round Family Adventure Fun includes:

  • Unique Outdoor Rock and Ice Climbing Structures by Entre Prises with Real Ice and Dry Ice Foam Panels
  • Groomed trails for snowshoeing and nordic skiing
  • Hiking Trails
  • Geocaching
  • Tubing on their sledding hill with professional snow making
  • Winter survivor challenge (low to ground and appropriate for all ages) and winter vacation camps
    click here to see the NLRI photo gallery
  • Winter Activity pricing and packages
  • High and Low Challenge Courses/Ropes Courses
  • Dual 450 foot Zip Wires/Zip Rides/Ziplining
  • Summer Camps
    • They also offer culinary workshops and swimming as part of their camps.
  • Birthday Parties
    • for an additional $10/person - they can offer indoor swimming to the birthday party package. Advance reservations are required and based on availability. 
    • Paper goods included
  • Gigantic Rainbow Play Set with a built-in 12 foot climbing wall
  • 8'x8'x8' Bouldering Cube suitable for younger climbers
  • Portable 24' climbing tower on your site or theirs
  • Family Adventures
  • Expert Instruction and Facilitation


Location

14 Freeman Woods Rd. Essex Junction, Vermont 05452   Entrance opposite The Links at Lang Farm

2 Reviews

Sort by:
photo

missmagpie

  • 5

Reviewed on 09/26/2009

JANUARY 2010
Our son choose to have his 11th birthday party here with 7 friends. NLRI was absolutely the best place ever to have a winter party for eleven year old boys! The kids were entertained from the minute they got there and they were all begging to stay at the end.

From my parental point of view I loved having hosted a party for boys this age outside our home, at a unique location, that involved physical activity and got them outdoors in the winter. I knew that even if there wasn't snow for tubing, we would still be able to do the winter adventure course. The adventure course also provides a "forced" opportunity for all the kids to get to know each other as they have to work together as a team to get through it. At other types of parties, often at this age kids, separate into cliques.

From my son's point of view, he and his friends couldn't get enough of the tubing and the zip lines. So much so we almost missed cake!

The NLRI staff is amazing. They put safety first. They are kind and patient with the kids and encourage them through everything making each one feel really good about what they have accomplished.

SEPTEMBER 2009
Our 10 yr old son went to a birthday party at NLRI and claims it was "the best party I have ever been to Mom!" From start to finish the staff was top notch. They were laid back enough to let the kids have fun, yet firm enough to enforce the rules and put safety first.

The kids met up on the gigantic playground which I would have thought 10 yr old boys would have outgrown by now, but nothing doing. It is so big, it made for the perfect game of tag. They also hung out there afterward waiting for parent pick up.

Once the party got going, the staff helped each kid get fitted with proper equipment (helmets, harnesses, etc) and off they went learning to navigate the climbing walls first, then on to scale some higher walls. After that they hit the ropes course. This place is filled with cargo nets, balance beams, an earthquake bridge, and tightropes all like 25' in the air! This is not for those with a fear of heights! But the kids were loving it! And all the while they were team building, if you will, or cementing their friendships even further.

At the end they zip line it to back to the clubhouse to have cake and finish up.

Bonus: The instructor is taking pictures the whole time from his vantage point and emailed them to us in a mini photo album before we got home.
...more

Northern Lights Rock and Ice
photo

PattyP

  • 5

Reviewed on 07/17/2010

My 10- and 12yo just finished a Rock and Ropes Summer Camp, and they both scored it an 11 out of 10. From my perspective, the program and coaches were amazing. A couple quotes from the kids: "That's where I'm going to work in a few years." "I'm doing a lot of things I never imagined I would do." They both loved the cooking workshops and swimming at the Inn too.

Northern Lights Rock and Ice