Sugar Land’s Brazos River Park alongside the U.S. 59 frontage road and the Brazos River will soon undergo an exciting change. In less than a year on the 67-acre park, there will be tree top adventures with zip lines, tree to tree crossings and axe throwing in the part of the park with the beautiful tree canopies. The park already has an impressive disc golf course, miles of trails, benches, picnic tables with BBQ grills, and a festival site among other amenities, so the addition of the outdoor pay for play adventures in the beautiful park setting seems to fit well as an educational outdoor friendly nature activity.

At the city council meeting on April 5, 2022, Sugar Land’s Parks and Recreation Director Joe Chesser presented a lease agreement that was also approved between Go Ape Brazos River Park, LLC and the City of Sugar Land for the adventure facilities on 19 acres within the Brazos River Park. Vernon West CEO of Go Ape approached the city with the idea of partnering with the tree top adventure in 2021, Chesser told councilmembers.

Go Ape, which currently has14 of the nature projects in the U.S., operates the closest one to Sugar Land in Plano and another one is about to have its agreement finalized in Arlington. West said Go Ape facilities also operate 35 in the UK. Since 2016, these have been established all over the eastern part of the US. and have been making their way to the Midwest.

Discussed during the project presentation were the different aspects of the project including the nature zip lines, climbing nets and rope courses up the trees geared toward all age groups. The climbing elements will be some 30 to 40 feet off the ground with views towards the river. Axe throwing will be totally enclosed and blend into the park surroundings, and there will be a double safety element on the zip lines, addressed in response to safety concerns by council.

Participants will also undergo safety training and receive instructions about the use and operation of equipment.

“We do have monitors that monitor the guests as they move through the equipment and we do closing checks to make sure all entry points are locked,” West said in relation to the functionality of the project.

For facility operations, Go Ape will be responsible for equipment and services, course inspections, safety plans, maintenance and brush clearance, signage, utility bills and other operational aspects.

The city will be responsible for providing the site, the parking space, restroom and access to electricity, trash, recycling and clean up and minimal mowing, as applicable.

The agreement between the city and Go Ape is for a term of at least 15 years with an option to extend it.

Go Ape will fully fund the cost of the facility and make quarterly payments to the city that includes base rent plus revenue sharing on a sliding scale. Rent to be paid to the city will be $12,000 a year and will cover the city’s cost for litter, mowing and custodial work.

Customers outside this area that will be attracted to the Go Ape adventures are expected to come from the South Texas region, making it a destination to the city.

The growth revenue of the Go Ape adventures is projected to be a minimum of $1.24 million a year with about $50,000 to be paid to the city. Construction at the Brazos River Park is projected to begin in early October for an opening date in early 2023. The city reports that the construction phase is not expected to impact people’s ability to enjoy the park nor will it affect any future development of the park.

Overall, this effort is a public private partnership intended to add benefit to the community and improve the quality of life in Sugar Land for residents and tourists with additional revenue also benefitting the city coffers.