While travelers may often associate ziplining and canopy tours with tropical destinations, it’s an adventure activity that’s been catching on increasingly in North America, and particularly at ski resorts. Many North America ski resorts now offer ziplining during the summer months, and a few resorts even offer a zipline experience in the winter. In fact, some of the fastest, longest, and highest ziplines in North America are at ski resorts. If you thought you could get speed and vertical skiing down a mountain, then you should try ziplining down it.
Keep reading for a list of some of the best ski resorts around North America for ziplining outdoor adventures.
Go ziplining at these ski resorts in North America
Hunter Mountain, New York
The New York Zipline Adventure Tour at Hunter Mountain is described as the highest, fastest, and longest zipline canopy tour in North America, and the second-largest zipline in the world. Visitors learn the necessary skills at Zipline Pilot Training School before kicking off the SkyRider Tour, zipping 600 feet above ground with crisscrossing twin ziplines. All total, guests zipline for 4.6 miles through the Catskills, from mountain peak to mountain peak, and back again, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Bretton Woods’ year-round Canopy Tour is highlighted by 9 ziplines ranging from 120 to 1,000 feet long and up to 165 feet off the forest floor. It includes 2 sky bridges, 3 rappels, 16 tree platforms, 30 mph zip speeds, and 1,000-foot descents. Simply put, this is a true adrenaline-pumping outdoor adventure. Plus, the sweeping views of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range can’t be beat. Make it an entire weekend with a stay at the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort.
Camelback Resort, Pennsylvania
Treetop Adventures lets you choose from three zipline options at Camelback Resort in the Pocono Mountains. Pennsylvania’s biggest Treetops Adventure course consists of an exhilarating three-hour, three-level course that’ll test your balance, sense of adventure, and more. Option 2 is the 1,000-foot Double Barrel Zipline, which is fun for racing your friends on. You’ll zip at speeds up to 60 mph from the summit to the base of the mountain. Lastly, Cambelback’s third adventure is a new and improved 4,000-foot flyer with four lines and Pennsylvania’s longest flyer.
Angel Fire, New Mexico
Angel Fire’s 4 ziplines range from 700 feet to more than 1,600 feet high above the Moreno Valley. Zipline tours include scenic walks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, but of course the headliner is flying above the treetops on the four ziplines with two professional guides. Guests who take the zipline tour generally are able to complete all of them within 2-3 hours, making for a perfect half-day adventure at Angel Fire. All ages can zipline from May through October.
Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana
Fly high above ski trails, over ravines, and through the trees on Montana’s longest zipline tour at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Experience 6 separate ziplines stretching as long as 1,900 feet across and up to 300 feet above the forest floor. Take in the views of Flathead Lake and the peaks of Glacier National Park while you fly across the mountain. Tours are led by two guides and involve a moderate amount of hiking, but can be completed in about two hours. Combine ziplining with a purchase of the six-line package, which features a six-zip ziplining tour, three rides on the alpine slide, and a round-trip scenic lift ticket.
Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
Whistler Blackcomb describes The Sasquatch as the longest zipline in Canada and the U.S. The Sasquatch is more than 1.2 miles long, and is a thrill-seeking experience flying 600 feet above the trees, some of which are 1,000 years old. While it’s more than a mile long, it’ll take just one minute to zipline from Blackcomb to Whistler.
Whistler Blackcomb has other ziplining experiences which involve numerous ziplines, plus several treetop bridges. You can’t go wrong with any of Whistler Blackcomb’s ziplining adventures.
Heavenly, California
Heavenly, on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore, features the Epic Discovery adventure park, which is comprised of a variety of adventures, including a couple of ziplines. Its Hot Shot zipline consists of four parallel lines, each 1,000 feet long. Hot Shot reaches speeds of 30-40 miles per hour. However, the headliner is the incredible views of Lake Tahoe.
Red Tail Flyer is Heavenly’s zipline for children. It’s 15 feet off the ground and 100 feet long, making it a great introduction to ziplining for young ones.
Sundance, Utah
Sundance’s ZipTour boasts one of the most significant vertical drops of any zipline tour in the country at 2,100 feet. Guests can fly side-by-side, controlling their own speed, and reach speeds up to 65 miles per hour. The most unique way to zipline at Sundance Mountain Resort is via the Full Moon ZipTour, offered on select weekend evenings, when guests zipline under the light of a full moon. Last, but not least, Sundance is one of the few resorts to offer winter ziplining. It involves an adventurous snowshoe hike, followed by 3,870 feet of ziplining. Needless to say, you’ll want to bundle up for the winter experience at Sundance Mountain Resort.
Snow King, Wyoming
Snow King bills its zipline as the steepest zipline in North America. The most exhilarating section of it involves a 36 percent grade and speeds of up to 60 mph. All total it’s nearly a mile down to the base of the mountain. There’s not a more unique way to see the Grand Tetons than with a bird’s eye view on Snow King Mountain’s zipline. For those who want more adventures and to test their skills, check out Snow King’s Treetop Adventure Course, which involves zip lines as well as cross suspended bridges, cross swinging logs, and a ride on an aerial skateboard.
Header image ©Sundance Mountain Resort
April 02, 2024
