Zip Above it All!

Boone Area Options Just Keep Getting Better!

From Costa Rica to British Columbia, New Zealand to the N.C. High Country, the hottest adventure travel destinations offer thrill-inducing encounters with the environment. One of the Boone Area's best eco-tourism adventures is zip-lining, a cable-suspended ride above and between the treetops.

Hawksnest Zipline in the town of Seven Devils is one of the largest collections of zip-line cables in the East. Screaming Ziplines adds even more choices and fun. And brand-new in Boone, Sky Valley Zip Tours is just minutes from Boone Mall and includes forest canopy walks as well as zip lines.

Like bungee jumpers, zip-liners experience an exciting surge of adrenaline. They also enjoy expansive High Country views available only when you're zipping above ground-level. Zip-lines are often called "eco-tours" because the goal is to offer a thrilling ride that brings riders into close contact with the outdoors (perhaps even glimpses of wildlife) while also protecting the environment and learning about the area.

Whether you're a dedicated thrill-seeker or want an accessible family adventure, Hawksnest Zipline,  Screaming Ziplines, and Sky Valley Zip Tours combine to make the Boone Area High Country one of the best places in Eastern America to try the hot sport of zip-lining. The equipment includes helmets, harnesses, and instruction that permit even young zippers to safely fly through the air.

At Hawksnest, you'll zip through the trees and across open meadows in a high valley below the dramatic peaks of Hanging Rock, one of the Boone Area's most spectacular, pointed peaks. There's nearly a mile-and-a-half of zipping available on ten interconnected cables. Eight cables being added in 2011 are expected to total more then three miles of rides. In the winter, when Hawksnest Resort offers the largest snow-tubing facility in the East, zip-line riders soar above while snow tubers plummet down the runs below. Hawksnest asks riders (age 5 and up) to reserve in advance and arrive a half-hour before their rides.

At Screaming Ziplines, you'll soar over high meadows just west of Boone in Zionville.

Sky Valley Ziplines is just minutes from Boone Mall in the spectacular setting of the former Camp Sky Ranch. The three-hour tour of the beautiful 140-acre site starts with an ATV ride across the river and up to the start. Then it's through the trees, high above a deep valley with distant views, above a cascading stream, and across a swinging bridge to gauranteed thrills. A photographer accompanies each tour.