Sky Trail Ropes Course Now Open

MOSI’s new Sky Trail® Ropes Course is now open! The course opened on July 18th and since then over 10,000 people have conquered their fears and challenged the course.




The course features several types of obstacles in varying difficulties. These obstacles include rope bridges, balance beams and rope swings. The course is divided into three levels and ranges from 12 to 36 feet in the air.


The easiest obstacles are on the lowest level and feature more handles to grab on to while you are crossing. They also tend to be more stable and easier to cross.




The middle level contains slightly more challenging obstacles. While it may feature many of the same types of crossings, these crossings tend to sway the challenger slightly more.



The upper level is slightly smaller than the lower two but features the best views and most rewarding obstacles of the course. At 36 feet in the air feel free to gaze across parts of USF’s campus or simply check out the traffic on Fowler Avenue for your drive home.



Afraid of falling? Don’t be! Before beginning the course each person is strapped in to a safety harness making slips only a delay. MOSI employees are specially trained for the course and are also stationed to help you make it to the end. If you’re still afraid of challenging the next element of the course feel free to hold on to your anchor as you cross to the next island.



The course takes around 30 to 45 minutes to complete on average if you choose to complete every challenge on the course. However you are free to skip any bridges, and you can even climb straight to the top if you’re confident enough to take on the most difficult portions of the course.

The course will be open everyday. Weekday hours will be noon – 5 p.m. Saturday the course will open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. On Sunday it opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m.

Although you are able to tackle the new course solo, group rates are available. Please visit our website at www.mosi.org or call (813) 987-6000 for more information.

The only requirements are closed toe shoes, a height of at least 48 inches (or 42 if accompanied by an adult) and a sense of adventure.



MOSI would also like to thank the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa for letting MOSI host their team-building exercise and for challenging the ropes course together.

Take a walk on the wild side!

Lots of improvements have been happening along the trails in our Backwoods Forest Preserve. Of late several new kiosks have been installed at the trail heads that will soon be packed with information for our guests. The trails in the preserve have been resurfaced with a mix of native shells which allows rainwater to percolate through the trails and reduces the impact of the trails on this habitat. Also, a new boardwalk has been installed as a walkway over a wetland area so that visitors can get up close and personal with an otherwise difficult to investigate area.

About the Back Woods Forest Preserve:

Located in the Southeastern portion of the MOSI campus, the Back Woods is a diminutive forest oasis in a sea of urban development. Packed into 25 acres is a notable array of many Central Florida habitats, complete with distinct sandhill, hardwood wetland, mesic pine flatwoods, and upland hardwood hammock communities.

Currently, MOSI staff and volunteers are working to restore these habitats, remove invasive species, refurbish trails and boardwalks, and create new interpretive signage and guides to make this area a better educational experience for all of our guests and the surrounding community. Look for changes to the Back Woods as we continue to improve this area.

For updates, volunteer opportunities, and to follow our progress on this project; check out our Blog The Longleaf: An Urban Forest Legend.

The Back Woods forest is open to the public 365 days a year during the Museum’s operating hours (9-5 M-F, 9-6 Sat/Sun). There is no admission fee to the Back Woods and Museum admission is not required for use. Intoxicants, firearms, hunting, bicycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, motorized vehicle use, collecting of plants or animals, and smoking are not permitted within the preserve boundaries. Pets must be leashed and all pet waste picked up and disposed of properly.

In 2007 MOSI was awarded a Pollution Recovery Fund grant from the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Current restoration activities, including non-native invasive plant treatment, are funded under this grant.

View Full Album

Here are some pictures of early Spring in the Back Woods Forest Preserve at MOSI: new leaves, tiny flowers, colorful lichen, carpets of moss, seed pods and more!