Travel

Zipped Up

The Steepest, Highest and Wildest Zip Lines

Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you could use a little wind in your hair. Our advice: strapping yourself into a harness, grabbing onto a rope and zip-lining off a volcano, a cliff and/or Mount Rushmore. Here, the five most intriguingly intense places in the US to do it. Also known as the five places to begin your training for the Navy SEALs’ zip line squad.

PARK CITY, UT

The World’s Steepest Zip Line

The Spot: Xtreme Zipline
The Stats: 400 feet long, 400 feet high, 50 mph top speed
The Line: This line follows the K-120 ski jumping hill used in the 2002 Winter Games, just without the chance of a dramatic, agony-of-defeat-style crash landing while wearing a spandex body suit. Also, there’s no chance of some eager Russian judge robbing you of a medal.

WHITESBURG, GA

A Zip Line, Designed by You

The Spot: Screaming Eagle Zip Line Canopy Tours
The Stats: Length is up to you, 300 feet high, 65 mph top speed
The Line: Chances are, you never considered a career in zip line design. Undoubtedly the right call, but just to make sure, check out this spot—they’ll give you up to five miles of zip lines at your disposal, and you can make your way through the course using any route you come up with. Kind of like being an honorary Ewok.

MAUI, HI

You vs. The Volcano

The Spot: Haleakala Skyline Tours
The Stats: 1,490 feet long, 125 feet high, 40 mph top speed
The Line: Let this wash over you: you can zip 1,500 feet off a volcano. Just note that should the Haleakala Crater erupt while you do, your helmet and harness will offer limited protection from scalding lava.

SALIDA, CO

Zipping Off a Canyon Edge

The Spot: Captain Zipline
The Stats: 2,400 feet long, 500 feet high, 40 mph top speed
The Line: You’ll start your zip by running off a cliff, soaring over the Arkansas River, through Box Canyon, and then coming to a landing directly on your feet. Well, ideally that’s what happens.

OCCIDENTAL, CA

Zipping over Redwoods

The Spot: Sonoma Canopy Tours
The Stats: 800 feet long, 300 feet high, 25 mph top speed
The Line: Your 800-foot zip through California’s coastal forest will take you straight into a growth of 700-year-old redwood trees and over a deep natural ravine. Just be warned: in case of collision, the trees are so far undefeated.