How to Build an Outdoor Obstacle Course

Walk the space where you intend on building your outdoor obstacle course and brainstorm ideas for a course layout. Physically traversing the grounds will give you the best perspective on all of the possibilities. Carry a small notebook with you and also a camera to take pictures of the land. You can reference these notes and pictures when you sit down to create your official blueprints.

Begin drafting your formal blueprints. Take the time to sit down in an isolated, quiet location and make some formal blueprints for your outdoor obstacle course. This will ensure that you don't make any mistakes and that it is laid out in the most efficient way possible.

Try and get most of your supplies for free. Popular items for use in obstacle courses such as old tires and wood can be obtained for free from junkyards or housing scrap centers. Searching for the bulk of your materials from free places like this will cut your budget down dramatically.

Remove large boulders, tree branches, and any other obstructions that clutter the area where you intend to build your outdoor obstacle course. It is essential that the area is free of hazards and is ready for you to begin construction.

Build the largest obstacles first. Generally speaking, the largest obstacles will present the most construction difficulty, and by building them first you can tackle any problems early on in the process. Dealing with any potential problems early on will allow you to make any necessary changes to your blueprints before too much of the course has already been built.

Construct the smaller obstacles. With all of the major obstacles already built it's much easier to fill in small things like hurdles or tire related obstacles.

Run a safety check on your obstacle course. Make sure that all of the bolts on your wooden structures are tightened properly and ensure that there's nothing else that presents a safety hazard.

Test out your course. Run through it yourself to make sure that it not only matches your blueprints, but also what you had envisioned in your mind. If you took the proper amount of time to plan, and followed your blueprints exactly there should be no issues.