One of the most popular activities in the area is the NY Zipline Adventures. The Zipline is open year round and the starting point for the experience is located just behind our building, a quick walk out our back door.
We did a search for reviews prior to making our booking and had a hard time finding a review that was short of raving about the Zipline. We did not hesitate to book and we were definitely not disappointed. If you are planning on doing the tour, we highly recommend booking at least a week in advance (and even further out for larger groups) as the Zipline typically sells out.
Although there are suggested ages, the restrictions for the Zipline are primarily weight based. Since you’ll be suspended on cables and gravity will be the only means of movement, the Zipline has strict weight requirements to ensure that all participants have a safe experience. For the Mid Mountain Tour, participants must be between 50-250 pounds and for the SkyRider Tour participants must be between 110-260 pounds. There is also a 6’5″ maximum height restriction for both tours.
After getting checked in and fitted for equipment (a harness and a helmet), it is an easy 10 minute hike to the Mid Mountain ziplines. The experience begins with a safety briefing where the guides explain how the equipment works and walk through the “do’s and don’ts” for the day. We were comforted by the focus the guides had on safety procedures and they were excellent at explaining the various mechanisms and contingencies that are in place.
From there, we climbed up a ladder to the first platform and spent the next several hours zipping around from tree to tree in the middle of the woods. Although the kids (and some of the adults) were anxious before the first ‘zip’, they were all fighting to be first in line after their first go. In addition to the zipline, there were various rope bridges and ladders which the kids enjoyed traversing. After several hours of fun in the trees, we got to the final platform from where we rappelled down 65 feet to the ground. All in all, it was a great afternoon and the kids are looking forward to becoming heavy enough to try out the SkyRider tour!
For the Skyrider tour, participants take the ski lift to the summit of the mountain to begin their experience. The tour includes 5 ziplines spanning nearly 5 miles! The longest zipline is over half a mile and over 600 feet above the valley floor. Although we have not (yet) done the Skyrider Tour, we did see others that were doing it. It was amazing how tiny they appeared over the largess of the tree canopy underneath them.
We had the opportunity to engage with various staff members beginning with booking, check-in, equipment fitting, and then the tour itself. We found them all to be courteous, engaged, and helpful – they all seemed to genuinely love their jobs.
With the Zipline being so convenient to our home, we look forward to doing it again once the kids weigh enough to experience the SkyRider tour!