For some people, their idea of a great vacation is one continuous adrenaline rush. For others, the thought of adding a little excitement to an other wise relaxing trip makes for the perfect vacation. If either of these describe your vacation taste, or your somewhere in between, you need to experience an activity that has exploded in popularity in recent years in most of the more popular vacation areas around the nation. Zip line courses offer everything from daring glides to more laid-back aerial adventures for family travelers - or those devoid of the daredevil gene. Check out these great zip line spots on your next vacation for a sky high adventure.
Smugglers' Notch, VT.
Located at the Smugglers' Notch resort in Northern Vermont, ArborTrek offers climbing adventures, treetop obstacle courses, and three different zip line tour options depending on the season. Don't miss one of their award winning winter tours, complete with stunning views of the snow-covered canopies of the Green Mountains. Depending on your experience level, you will spend one to three hours on a fully guided zip line canopy tour that combines the thrill of up to 4500 feet of high speed zip lines and commentary on the local ecology and natural history. During this adventure, you will cross sky bridges high above the forest and rappel from trees, exploring areas that can't be reached by hikers.
Rockbridge, OH.
Famous for their "SuperZip", Hocking Hills Canopy Tours can get you going up to speeds of over 50 mph as you sail down over a stream, caves and rock cliffs. Get a bird's eye view of the native wildlife, plants and rocks at one of Ohio's top attractions. They also offer nighttime zips, and separate tours for children.
Durango, CO.
What does the historic "narrow gauge" railroad in Durango have to do with a zip line adventure? It is the only way to reach the longest zip lining course in the world - Soaring Tree Top Adventures in Durango, Colorado. Here, thrill-seekers zip over a mile and a half cable on 27 different zip lines. After you zip through the trees for five incredible hours, you'll be treated to a four course gourmet lunch while overlooking the Animas River.
Big Sky, MT.
For a change of scenery, Big Sky Resort will allow you to fly high along the rocky ridges just 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park after some mild hiking. At Big Sky Resort, you can soar past expansive views of Lone Mountain and the Spanish Peaks of the Madison mountain range, or take the nature zip, which consists of three zip lines 30 to 60 feet in the air. Up the fun factor even more by racing your travel partners on a twin zip line.
Park City, UT.
Hold on tight as you experience a 500 foot vertical drop on the steepest zip line in the world at the Olympic Park in Park City. The XTREME ZipRider course runs parallel to the 120 meter Nordic jump, (you might even be in the air at the same time as athletes during practice). Sound a little to intense for you? Olympic Park also offers a shorter "Ultra ZipRider" - a four cable zip line that's 750 feet long for the non-daredevils.
Charlemont, MA.
The Berkshire East Zip Line is a great option for adventure lovers on a budget, with tours starting around $30. They also offer something for everyone on their three family friendly tour options. The Base Tour will introduce newbies to zip lining, while the Mountain Top Tour offers seven zips, two hikes and two great ski lift rides with incredible views of the valley. Once you're ready for something more extreme, sign up for the Valley Jump, which consists of two 1/2 mile long zip lines approaching 200 feet off the ground. For one of the most colorful tours, take a trip in the fall during "leaf" season when the Appalachian Mountains look afire with red, yellow, and orange hues among the forest canopies.
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