Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Attraction News From Around The Country Shows Growth In Ziplines
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on August 11, 2015
Whether your Smoky Mountain vacation has you staying in Pigeon Forge, Sevierville or Gatlinburg, zip line fans and newbies alike need to set their sights on Smoky Mountain Ziplines in Pigeon Forge. Our attraction is known for its scenic canopy tour, with ziplines that take you through our mountain treetops at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.
But in case you find yourself traveling beyond our beautiful East Tennessee mountains in the next couple of years, you might be interested in knowing what sorts of zipline fun other attractions are offering in other parts of the country and around the world. So this week, we're presenting a hodgepodge of news about other notable zipline attractions.
If you happen to be seeking adventure in upstate New York, you might want to check out the Eagle Flyer at the Wild West Ranch attraction in Lake George. Developed by Ralph Macchio, Sr. (yes, father of the Karate Kid himself), the zipline will be one of the country's longest at 3,450 feet and will reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.
The four-cable ride has roughly a 1,000-foot vertical drop between the top and bottom of the mountain, and passengers will be shuttled to the top on an unpaved road, much like we do here at Smoky Mountain Ziplines. The ride lasts approximately one minute, and thrill-seekers are allowed to ride headfirst if they wish.
Just to show you that ziplining is a popular activity worldwide (actually, many global cultures historically used – and still use – ziplines as part of their everyday work and lives), you truly adventurous folks can journey to Pokhara, Nepal, home of the ZipFlyer at High Ground Adventures. That place is home to a zipline that's more than a mile long and has a 2,000-foot vertical drop. Riders reach speeds of 85 and 90 miles per hour. The ride lasts two minutes, and you get awesome views of the nearby Himalayas, where you'll find the tallest mountains in the world, including Mt. Everest. Operators say the best time to ride is at 6 a.m., when the sunlight is glimmering off the surrounding mountains.
Speaking of mile-long rides, Costa Rica's longest ocean-view zipline is scheduled to open this fall. Spanning nearly a mile between two mountain peaks, the zipline at the soon-to-open Diamante Eco Adventure Park is suspended more than 80 stories in the air, and the dual cable allows you to ride side-by-side with a buddy. Situated along Matapalo Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the park also features a Jungle Surf experience, on which riders glide through the trees on a “jungle surfboard.”
But you know, we in the zipline industry aren't just about coming up with the biggest, the baddest and the fastest. Sometimes, we use our resources to help our fellow man. At the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Summer Camp event, held annually at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Irvine, California, they've designed a zipline for campers dealing with muscular dystrophy.
Although a zipline had been in place at the education center for years, it wasn't until last year that the facility made the launch deck wheelchair-accessible, allowing MDA campers to zipline for the first time. The staff also fashioned a contraption out of pool noodles and rope to go under the necks and legs of campers to give them an extra feeling of security in flight. Next, they made the landing deck wheelchair accessible.
At this year's camp, some 76 of the camp's 126 campers overcame their challenges and enjoyed sailing over the zipline's canyon-side course.
