If You Love Adventure, You’ll Love North Bend’s Quest Program
Quest program offers customized outdoor recreation experience
Are you itching to learn a new outdoor activity but don’t know where to start? North Bend State Park’s Quest program is just the thing for you!
Choose Your Own Adventure!
With the Quest program, you choose your own adventure — or two, or three! Create your own quest based on one or more outdoor activities at North Bend. There’s backpacking, rappelling and rock climbing, backcountry camping, canoeing and kayaking, mountain biking, navigation, geocaching, nature interpretation and yoga. You can even plan an overnight adventure — like camping out in the beautiful wooded setting.
Customize your experience based on your leisure time and interests. Not sure you want to go it alone just yet? That’s OK. The Quest program is great for individuals, couples or groups. You also can join one of the regularly scheduled group activities where you can learn alongside other adventure seekers.
Quest is Your Chance to Learn a New Hobby
One of the hardest parts of learning a new outdoor skill is knowing what equipment you need to get. That’s why Quest is the perfect outdoors introductory program. In addition to basic instruction, Quest programs include equipment loans to help get you started. At North Bend, we’re all about giving you the opportunity to try a new activity before deciding if you like it enough to purchase your own equipment.
Join a Group Class and Get More Out of Your Quest!
North Bend also offers regularly scheduled group programs as part of its Quest series. Contact the park at 304-643-2931 to schedule a group excursion. Here are a few examples of Quest opportunities scheduled Aug. 11. Registration is required and available until Aug. 10 by calling 304-643-2931 or by signing up at the park’s front desk.
Introduction to Rappelling: During this 2.5 hour session, you’ll learn how to be safe and use equipment. You’ll also learn some belaying and rappelling techniques. The class has a six-guests-to-1-guide ratio. The cost is $65 per person and all equipment is provided. Participants should meet at the North Bend Lodge at 10 a.m.
Mountain Biking Basics and Skills: During this four-hour session, you’ll learn how to maintain a bike, adjust your bike’s fit, peddle, get the most out of your gears, control your speed and stay balanced. The group will take one of the park’s trails to work on breaking techniques, cornering, handling terrain, picking lines. The cost is $35 per person. Participants should meet at the park’s basecamp location at 1 p.m.
Kayaking Basics: This class is designed to introduce and improve flat water skills. It’s also an opportunity to enjoy the natural environment of the park from a different perspective. This course will teach you how to get in and out of a kayak, be safe, stay balanced and paddle. The cost is $35 per person. All equipment is provided. Participants should meet at the Cokeley Area Boathouse at North Bend Lake at 6 p.m.
North Bend State Park is located minutes off U.S. Route 50, near Cairo and Harrisville. Park amenities include a lodge with a full-service restaurant and meeting space, cabins, campgrounds, a lake for fishing and boating, and 26 miles of hiking trails. The park’s access to several natural recreation areas make it the ideal location for Quest. You can climb the Big Easy rock cliffs above the North Fork of the Hughes River, paddle in the 305-acre North Bend Lake, or go for an overnight bike ride on the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail.
