Redwood creek challenge trail
Written: Sep 06 '05 (Updated Dec 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good for all ages, plenty of room to run around, one entrance/exit, relatively safe.
Cons: A little boring for adults (which could be a pro)
The Bottom Line: A nice little retreat for children to run amuck.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - California Adventu... |
This is basically a child’s play land in California Adventure. The theme is an outdoors/National Park theme. Even the park workers are in a pseudo park ranger uniform. There is plenty of room for a child to run around in and a weary adult could easily rest of an hour while their children play. A nice little retreat.
Location
It is almost directly across from grizzly rapids and south/southeast of the lodge. If you are coming from condor flats (or the hotel) you pass the entrance to grizzly rapids (on your left) and the park is about 30-50 yards further to your right.
How it works
There are basically 3 levels to it. The top level is a rope bridge/course that goes from one end to the other. The bridge is enclosed by rope on both sides and the bottom so it is perfectly safe. You can get to it through stairs in the north end or stair/rope ramp on the south side. At this level you also have two stations that have National forest/National Park information and tools. Nothing major, it just adds to the overall theme. My son loves these rope walkways and will tear through them, which is nice because he expends a lot of energy doing it.
The second level has another forestry themed building that you can go into. It also has some rock samples and tools. The two large slides are also at this level. In addition you have two bridges that can sway back and forth.
The bottom level has the cave, 2 small slides, rock wall, rope ride, the brother bear show, and a hanging log tunnel to crawl through. There is also a cross section of a tree that is pretty interesting. In addition, there is a stream that flows from one end to the other to add to the illusion of a real forest.
The activities.
There are several activities at the first level.
Rock Climbing Wall- This is a simple rock climbing wall for children of all ages. Just keep in mind that you need to have shoes, not sandals on. It is a vertical wall, not horizontal. So if you fall you only fall 1-2 feet. It is pretty simple and kid friendly.
Rope ride- This is a round disk that is connected to a vertical rope that is connected to a horizontal rope. Children (sorry no adults allowed) take the rope and disk to one end of the area and ride on the disk to the opposite end. When the unit gets to the end the top hits a bumper that causes the rider to flip to a 90-degree angle and back down again. Then the rope and disk slide in the opposite direction about 10 feet. It looks like a lot of fun, too bad no adults are allowed. It works on gravity, no electricity needed.
Cave- There is a very small cave in the southern end of the park. In this cave is two touch screens that when they are touched show an animal. I think the animals are characters in the brother bear movie but since I haven’t seen it I do not know. It was installed when they installed the brother bear show. Before then it was just a cave with bear noises, which I thought was a lot cooler.
In front of the cave is a small stream that kids can walk in and splash in. It is nice on a hot day, but not if your child is still in diapers.
Slides- There are two slides. The one on the bottom level does not have a height limit and is only 8 feet (or so) long. It is shaped in a S like shape and there are two of these small slides side by side. There are also two longer slides that start at the second level and end up on the first level. It has a height limit but it is pretty low. My son could go down it by the time he was 2.
The show
The show is based off the brother bear movie. I thought it was pretty stupid. It is just a couple of talking totem poles and an actor that tells one of those cute Disney stories. If you like that sort of thing then feel free to see it, if you’re like me then just skip it.
Age consideration
This park is good for children 2 and up, preferably 3 and up. But my daughter when she was 1.5 years could do most of the things in this area with supervision. My son (almost 4) could pretty much participate in this park with no supervision, but I do keep an eye on where he is.
The best place to supervise young children
I suggest the second tier near the two big slides. This way you can walk along and see most of the park area. There are a lot of blind spots so parents with young children should stay with their children the whole time.
About their maintenance schedule
I’m not sure if they do it once a year of once every two years but fall 05 and fall 03 they closed off the park to do maintenance. And it needs it. As of this writing one of the slides was closed and the ropes are starting to look a little frazzled, so maintenance is definitely needed.
Also, I have never been there and had been concerned for my child’s safety. The same cannot be said about Tom Sawyers Island. Once my child picked up a board and a nail was protruding from it. Kind of scary. I told a couple of park personnel and they did not seem too concerned which ticked me off. I have never had that experience at this attraction.
Who is this for?
Children and pre-teens.
Hidden Mickey's
There are three in the map right at the entrance.
I havn't confirmed it yet but a worker thought there was one in/on the bear cave.
Summary
This is a fun area for kids to run around in. It has a couple of attractions that require your child to wait in a line but for the most part they can run around freely. The main attraction is a rope style bridge that is about 3 stories tall and the kids love it. If you are a teenager or adult then you will probably not get that much out of the park, but children love this area. Worth a visit for children and pre-teens.
Disneyland Attractions.
Indiana Jones Adventure.
Space Mountain.
The Haunted Mansion
Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin.
Shootin Exhibition.
Main street cinema
Main street horse drawn carriage
Goofys Bounce House.
Tarzans Treehouse
California Adventure attractions
Tower of Terror.
Soar’in over California.
Boudin Bakery.
Mission Tortilla Factory.
Golden Dreams
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
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