Fort Miley Adventure Challenge Course

Amazing team building event for our team of coworkers from Salesforce! We were looking for something that pushed us outside our comfort zone, something that totally immersed us and revved our engines, while bringing us closer as a team. Mission accomplished! Jerry was our organizer from PLI (Pacific Leadership Institute) and he was terrific to work with. We spoke on the phone a week prior to our event, to discuss the goals for our day and what we wanted to focus on. He was onsite with us, along with 3 other wonderful staff, and they really made our ropes course a memorable and meaningful day! Although the weather was a little rainy to start, we were beneath all the trees and didn’t feel any drops… eventually it cleared up and was a perfect SF day! I highly recommend the Fort Miley ropes course and all the folks at Pacific Leadership Institute! They really know how to engage every participant and make everyone feel empowered and confident. It was a fantabulous day!

Great place to check out if you are looking for a place to do a team building activity. The staff were great with the team and we all had a great time!

Such adrenaline rush!
It was my first time doing a rope course. I have tried zipline and trapeze but this is a whole new different experience. Most of the obstacles are not physically demanding. The hardest part is having to overcome the human primal fears imprinted in our brains.
I had a blast. Wish I had more time to try out everything more than once. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. It was $ 50 well spent. I highly recommend trying this at least once. Get a group of 10+ or some here during their once a month open day.

Fun! Great, adventurous way to get out and enjoy a beautiful SF day with family and friends!

These guys are consistently awesome! The staff is very friendly, fun-​loving, professional and safety oriented. Everyone in the groups I’ve been with came closer together after experiencing the course mainly due to the excellent job done by the staff. I can’t recommend this highly enough as a bonding and team-​building experience.

This place is great for a group bonding experience. The workers are really good at emphasizing and prioritizing safety regarding using the harness and helmets.
$ 50 bucks for 2 hours… Out of about 7 «obstacles» I only managed to fit in 2… If I wanted to wait in line, I wouldve gone to an amusement park. For the price I paid, it was definitely not worth it. I’m pretty sure they said that there would be a cap on how many people would attend. But money is money.
As I was in line for my second obstacle. I waited with 5 of my friends and the dude who was running the obstacle said sorry, were cutting this obstacle off… And I couldn’t go on it anymore after waiting, I kid you not 45 minutes… Wasted almost half my time waiting for the fun obstacle.
So I decided to go to another one and after waiting 5 minutes he said he was closing this one as well. At least the dude was understanding when I told him my situation and let me on before he closed it…
Only went on two things that last no longer than a total of 10 min. GG
If you have a group of 15 or more, the place is yours so I recommend doing that. Obstacles were fun, people just take days doing everything.

I love this place! Great obstacle course to bond with your friends and, personally, to challenge your body and mind. The climbing and rope courses take you anywhere from 30′ to 50′ in the air, working individually or with a partner to balance on cables and logs — but your fear of heights comes purely from looking down. It sounds crazy, but I climbed the perch course with a blindfold and felt completely at ease jumping off. (I didn’t hit the buoy, but I came close!) That said, Ian and his staff are not only experienced instructors but great motivators. You will always feel safe knowing that they are ready to belay you to safety in your harness, but they are also very encouraging to get you to challenge yourself.
A few helpful tips:
— Bring layers. It can get chilly in the shade.
— Wear athletic pants or long shorts that you are okay with getting dirty. (Girls, don’t wear cotton leggings. You can see everything below.)
— Get there on time. There are important ice breakers and stretching activities before, so maximize your climbing time.
Can’t wait to come back!

We went on the first Sunday of the month, and from 9am-​12pm on those days, they have a less structured climbing session. You come whenever, pay a flat rate of $ 25, and climb as much as your heart desires (or until 12pm, whichever comes first). The best course there is the ladder. You work with a partner to get each other up there, and it takes about 10 minutes. You have to launch/​pull each other up, and requires a lot of strength! My relationship with my boyfriend definitely reached a new level after we conquered that together. hahah. But seriously though, what a good teambuilding exercise. This place has 4 instead of 5 stars because it was a lot smaller than I expected. They only had 5 ropes courses and 1 zipline. I got through it in an hour and a half (includes wait time). Each course only takes like 5 minutes except for the giant ladder. Lastly, the employees there were very friendly and made our experience fun.
I recommend going for a hike along the Coastal trail after this ropes course!

I can’t begin to express how much fun I had at the ropes course. Yes, it was freezing, yes I’m not super young and nimble anymore but WOW, this was still amazing.
The instructors/​volunteers are awesome and very encouraging. I came in thinking I was a daredevil, but each time I ended up feeling nervous, the crew and my team were there cheering me on. This is a great place to have a team offsite and Ian is an amazing lead.

I came here for a work off-​site. The instructors started out the day by getting everyone loose by doing some general teambuilding exercises. Then we spent maybe two hours on the ropes course, which was AWESOME.
Walking on a wire, going from rope to rope — well, now I know how a circus performer feels. Climbing to the top of a tall wooden totem pole and leaping off to touch a buoy in the air, I felt like I had temporarily achieved flight. The instructors are great — they were good at encouraging people to push themselves that one extra step. They are also very conscious of safety, which made me feel safe and comfortable with doing these things (I am usually very scared of heights).
Also, there is a zip line!

Through work, I’ve been punished one or twice with team-​building exercises on the high and low Ropes Course. The thing about doing this as a work event is that, regardless of what’s said, there’s still external pressure to participate and push yourself, People you work with and for are forming opinions based on the strength you display and your willingness to go the extra mile.
What it should be about is pushing yourself only because YOU want to take that extra challenge and see what it means and how it makes you feel. And that’s why coming here in a capacity unrelated to work is critical to how you feel about the experience.
All of the truly daunting challenges occur on the High Ropes, six scarily challenging endeavors that you work from 30 feet off the ground, attached only by a harness and a belayer below ensuring your safety. The theme here is «Challenge by Choice» and the belayers were good at encouraging me to go that extra mile. With each course, I found myself feeling adequately challenged by the process of moving from the tree I was on to the tree I needed to get to, and then on to the actual cable or pedestal or log. The belayers encouraged me from below, shouted tips on where to put my feet and hands and this was what I needed to «go there».
Challenging myself to accomplish these things that frankly scared the crap out of me left me full of pride in a way I don’t often feel. I could «do it» and it was without anyone but myself making me do so. This is a great experience, set amongst the tall trees and near to the ocean. Go, and erase some of those preconceptions you have of yourself. Whether you participate or watch, dress warmly, with many layers: this is possibly the most freezing San Francisco spot I’ve ever hung out in.

Tom Petty said it best. «And I’m freeeeee, free fallin’.»
If you ever need to challenge yourself, mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you have to do a ropes course.
I’m a huge adrenaline junkie, done the whole sky diving thing, love crazy roller coasters/​drop zones, enjoy rock climbing, etc. But, I’ve always wanted to see if I could do it a ropes course. Climb those high ladders, walk across a tight rope, push myself to my limit and then zip line and trust that I’ll land safely on my feet.
There were a few courses that I found easy for me to do, not as scary. But the one that I screamed my lungs off for was this tight rope where I had to change ropes all the way through. My legs shook because the ground seemed so far away, my hands hurt from gripping the rope so tightly and every inch felt like a mile Half way through, I wanted to give up because it was so difficult. I wanted to say, «forget this.» But, I pushed myself, shook the negativity away; saw the end and I kept going. Once I got the end, it felt amazing! I did it!
Unlike sky diving where you just fall, with a ropes course, you have to check in with yourself and find the strength within. A level of introspection and trust necessary to get through the course. Talk about a clarifying and enriching moment.
And the view is priceless. You see ocean beach in front of you, the beautiful waves below as you face your challenge. Poetic.
Tips: Make sure you layer up. It’s freezing, wear a hoodie, jacket, beanie, gloves, etc. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle too. Do it!

I came here with YAC yeaaars ago. Super fun!

Much planning and foresight went into the planning of this figurative dutch ruddder sess with my cronies, highlighted by forgetting to give out and fill out 9 waiver forms. Waiver forms, what a preposterous concept! I know we all awoke Sunday morning and anxiously peered out the window to see if there was a semblance of rain. The past couple days, the weather defied the weathermen and I was hoping for one last hurrah as I envisioned my photographer roomate on bended knee, snapping pics, reloading film, and snapping more pics of all of us, mainly me, completing this adventure course with the utmost of ninja focus. However, it was pretty wet and I was told by Fort Miley that barring storm, the show would go on. The conditions were pretty miserable, however, when life gives you lemons… o what’s that popular saying… cut them into wedges and use them for stuntmans. Why make lemonade or lemon drops when you can snorta line of salt, take a shot of tequila and squirt lemon in your eye… if that isn’t wadDUUUP, i don’t know what is.
The Fort Miley course is tucked away in a secluded part of Lands End. It is remote and our party couldn’t find it for the longest time. Our guides waited patiently for all of us to arrive. I expected Paul Bunyan type cats, grizzled outdoor vets who survived many Apache Wars and run ins with the great chief Geronimo, basically the guys who birthed Bear Grylls and Chuck Norris characters from their semen, however, were greeted by SFSU students, namely a very jovial guy who looked like he belong at a luau in Hawaii. They immediately had us play games that instilled a sense of comradery, having us yell nonsensical words in unison and holding hands… basically north korean army training that i am sure my friend hahnjob deeply enjoyed. They versed us in safety and procedure but really did not elaborate and basically, none of knew what we were doing. That’s the the key ingredient in the brewing of an adventure tho. I must note that when you strap up, it bundles your nether regions up into a tidy package and i could not resist tapping Mindy aka Huyen there multiple times. The funny thing is he did not tell me to desist, only grinned wider and wider. Damn him… he baited me.
There were 5 courses open that day, that range from walking across a log to ziplinning to walking a tightrope. All involved some variation of those. From the ground up, 20 feet does not look that high, however, when you are up there, it is pretty scary. I am scared of heights also so I had to use ninja focus to slow my heart rate down so that I could complete these hurdles. Time flies and you are constantly below, encouraging your friends to finish or in our case berate and heckle. Jeering your friend from below, in my case Huyen, on how he looks exactly like a spider monkey, while laughing at his legs quivering on the tightrope yet patting him on the back on his finishing is rewarding all in its own. All the guides are super helpful and offer words of real encouragement, ones your friends do not provide. My only complaint was the advertised time of 1 – 4, however, they sent us on our way around 3. However, the course is extremely cheap, $ 25 for students, $ 35 non-​students, however, they are very lax with their check-​in process. I enjoy settings like that even though I am sure there is a cost benefit giveaway in safety and professionalism but those do not foster as much fun.
I highly recommend going with a group of friends. I intend to go back with Le Chez and Kder when the cosmic rays become more frequent. The former flaked out due to his mysterious «groin pull». Once you finish the course, you will feel mentally exhausted as it takes a lot of concentration to maintain balance. Your legs will be quivering and feel waek and you will have the best nap ever after. The course was so fun that getting sick was a tradeoff I would do again in a heartbeat. Dress warm due to the close proximity to the ocean.

I never even knew this place existed, found out its top secret, the staff is great, I felt like I was a part of survivor, who knew!!!

I was here last weekend on a Sunday for a friend’s birthday celebration and it was one of the best experiences of my life! I’m a big chicken, the one that always hated PE, always had the worst mile time, always blamed my asthma for not wanting to play a game of tag. Just recently, I’ve discovered my athletic side and it turns out, I’m not as weak as I thought. This place will definitely test you, no matter if you’re a novice or if you think you have a sexier core than Tony Little. I attributed my decent balancing skills to my newfound love of yoga.
The staff was great. They started off with a little name ice breaker, then some group stretches, stuff to get our brains & bodies warmed up. Indeed this will bring whatever group you’re with closer together. As you watch others (friends or people you just met) cross the skinniest of wires high in the air, you’ll find yourself cheering them wholeheartedly.
It wasn’t an open day. Our group reserved the course from 1:00 — 4:30. There were about 10 of us and we paid $ 20 each. Definitely dress warm but dress in layers. Your goose down parka will just be in the way when you’re trying to get your harness on. One more note, you’ll be sore as hell the next day.

A group of us did this on a Sunday afternoon from 1−4pm. As it was ‘Open Day’ there were a lot of people and we had to wait in line for our turns for each course. In total, there were 5 courses that we could choose from, but having to wait in line and only being allowed to do the zip line once I only got to do 2 courses. Although I had moments when I was completely scared, freaked out and was thinking «WTF…why am I doing this!?!», overall the courses were not as difficult as I thought they would be…
Course #1: You have to came a ladder that is leaning against one tree. Once on top, you climb a few feet up along the tree and position your feet on a rope that is tied to this tree to another that is several feet away. Parallel to this rope is another rope that you hold on to to ‘walk’ across. Once you make it across to the other tree, you can ride the zip line, which was really fun. The only scary part was jumping off and feeling airborne for about 2 seconds. YIKES!
Course #2: More difficult. You climb up one tree and have your feet positioned on a rope that is tied to another tree. You hold a rope that is tied only to this tree and make your way across the rope. At the same time, your partner is doing on the same on the other tree. You are suppose to meet half way, switch ropes, and continue to the other tree. I am very proud to say that my partner and I were able to do this but I got rope burn in the process. STUPID PARTNER’S FAULT! And it hurts like a beeeeep right now as I type! Showering has been interesting. lol.
Anyways, they have other cool courses for those who want more of a challenge. Just make sure you move quickly and get in line so you can try everything. The instructors were really nice, fun, and encouraging. I thought that there would be more team building activities, but the extent of our ‘team building’ was cheering each other on. It was fun and a great place to try ropes courses for the first time. Scary how fearless ten-​year-​old kids can be while you are totally freaked out. Haha.
It is $ 25 if you are ehmm student, $ 35 if you don’t have your student id. :)

I’m all talk. True ‘effin story, but I’m trying to come out of my shell and do more outdoorsy and more physically challenging things. I climbed and conquered two obstacles at this ropes course that left me feeling unstoppable and bad ass.
The first feat was climbing a 20 foot ladder and then climbing up a tree with small wet (morning dew/​condensation on a cold morning), metal pegs and up onto a tightrope, bracing two other tightropes with my hands. I must’ve been 30ft off of the ground, sweating balls, with 20 or so of my classmates below watching. I felt like I was doing one of those silly physical challenges on the Real World vs. Road Rules shows, because at the end of the tightrope, there was a huge zipline down to the forest floor. Wedgie central with the harness on the way down, but exhilarating and fun.
The second challenge was climbing an entirely vertical ladder and then up a completely vertical log with small wet, metal pegs, and then standing on top. Well I spent a good 5 minutes crouched at the top, nervous, frozen and unable to move. The pole shook like crazy and it didn’t help my upper legs and arms have no strength whatsoever, so I didn’t think I’d be able to hoist myself atop, but I did. There are two hanging targets, one blue buoy about 5−7ft away and one rubber chicken out ever further out, that you can try to jump and smack. Well, I got the blue one! It sounds pretty lame when I’m explaining it now, but this was one of the most physically and mentally challenging things I’ve ever done. I didn’t want to fail in front of my peers!
If you have a chance to go with a group you work with or some other organization, this is a great team-​building and bonding activity. There are several other obstacles you can try, and the staff are really down to Earth and make sure you’re in good hands and safe, and they also offer plenty of encouragement.

The instructional style here is best suited for sixth graders. Our lumberjack of a guide wasn’t adept at adjusting his repertoire for people of my maturity level and stature. Both of which are great. The first two and a half hours were spent listening to lumberjack bark gimmicky safety rules at us. If I wanted to be barked at by a campcounselor lumberjack, I would have gone back to lumberjack camp.
But the last half hour was awesome. I did something more brave than you would ever be able to do. And I did it blindfolded. And I did it with style. Not so much grace, but style.
The port-​a-​potties are a little rank, but — then again — so is your butt.

This is pretty much a ropes course built into the trees using cables, ladders and ropes. I don’t get to do these things very often, but when I have the opportunity to do a zip line/​flying fox, I am so there!
The day I went, they had five elements open. I only had time to do about three or four of them. This is a great team building activity — with friends, colleagues, family members, and even strangers. You get to challenge yourself to try things you may never have done before and conquer everyone’s fear of heights and falling.
It can get very nippy out there, so dress in layers like they suggest. Heavy jackets might make it more challenging for you to do the elements, so thin layers work better. And I do advise wearing a beanie as the helmets have been worn my many sweaty heads before you and they do stink a bit!
Downside — not all elements are open at the same time. This is also because they aren’t enough people working there to keep on the elements open. As a result, there can be some down time as you wait in line for the more popular elements.

Prices ranges from —
Youth and students: $ 25.00.
Adults: $ 35.00.
If you arrange a private program of at least 10 or more, the prices drops down to $ 20/​pp.
If you know a bunch of active people, organize a group to go. Just make sure your friends aren’t flakes since you will have to put your reservation deposit down ahead of time.
I would definitely go again! If anyone is every down, let me know and I’ll join along! This time, I’ll try to be more aggressive about getting my friends to come too!