Ausable Chasm

Bridge over Ausable Chasm

The Ausable Chasm is a 2 mile long sandstone gorge that is cut by the Ausable River. I had driven over it before but this time I decided to pay the admission to actually get down into it. I got the premium package which includes admission, the adventure trail and a float tour. I wanted to do the adventure trail first because I figured it would be really busy on the 4th of July.

Elephants Head

However, thanks to poor maps and staff direction I couldn't find the start of the damn trail.
After hiking up and down the first portion of the Rim Walk trail twice I finally decided to just continue down the gorge.

Rim Trail

I had the trail to myself for the most part and it was a gorgeous walk in the chasm. Halfway down you have the option to hop into a raft and get a guided tour the rest of the way down. There was no wait so I hopped right on. Our guide was great and it was nice to see the chasm from a different perspective.

I then hiked back up the other side of the rim and finally figured out where the adventure trail starts. Then I had to wait a half hour because they didn't have enough gear for everyone. I could see groups making their way across the start of the trail so I didn't much mind the wait because I figured it would clear them out. After harnessing myself in I elbowed my way to the front of the line and was the first up the cargo net.

Start of trail

The net leads up to rock lodge and then you proceed down the gorge via cable bridges, zip lines, and edge walks. Last fall I had done Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures with my brothers and it was absolutely amazing. Plus the carabiner system they used did not allow you to have both carabiners off a safety line. Not the case at the Ausable Chasm. You could just ignore your carabiners if you wanted to. They do make you practice to drill in the fact that you must always be clipped but there is definitely room for error in the system that did not make me totally comfortable.

Adventure Trail

I cruised along the first couple obstacles and was loving the unique vantage point and adrenaline rush when I rounded a curve and encountered the worst obstacle of all-a line of people! There was 15 people in line for 1 bridge across! It was taking people at least 5 minutes to get across. After 2 people crossed I had had enough and asked the 3 groups of people if they wouldn't mind me jumping in line because I was by myself. Otherwise I would have been there til closing time. They were nice enough to let me go and I sprinted across that bridge in about a minute flat. After that it was clear sailing to the end. I really enjoyed the elements of the adventure trail but the logistics of it were its downfall.