OFF-THE-GROUND SUMMER ADVENTURES Zip lining options growing regionally

By Tracy Damon Marketing Correspondent

Until recent years, zip lining tended to be something you did on vacation, perhaps in an exotic jungle locale. Surprisingly, that’s not where the activity originated. Zip lining goes back several centuries, with people using them as transportation and to move goods through mountainous areas like the Alps and the Himalayas, or to traverse rivers prior to bridges being built.

Once bridges and modern roads covered the landscape, zip lining was no longer needed for the most part. But it saw a resurgence in the 1970s when an American researcher in Costa Rica started using zip lines as a way to traverse the thick rainforest canopy faster than on foot. Zip lining didn’t catch on for fun until 1996 when the world’s first recreational zipline was built, also in Costa Rica. Today, there are over 400 zip line companies around the world, including several in Washington and North Idaho.

When you think of Wallace, Idaho, you may think of mining, union uprisings, and the golden age of bordellos. Until recently, the Oasis Bordello Museum was one of the top tourist sites in Wallace. Today, Silver Streak Zipline Tours gives another more modern option for recreation here. Set on 265 acres of natural mountainous terrain, this park features two courses with 11 lines, some as high as 400 feet and as fast as 55 miles per hour.

“We have several zip lines that reach speed that high depending on your gravitational pull,” said Scott Haney of Silver Streak.

Silver Streak offers three zipline packages, starting at $80, and each comes with a free scenic UTV ride up the mountain. Plus, there are yurts and a new zip line option being added this summer. “This year, we will offer the ‘supe rhero’ so you can travel across the mountains in a prone Superman position,” said Haney.

A little to the west, Coeur d’Alene also has a zip line company. Timberline Adventures offers seven zip lines, two sky bridges, a treehouse 30 feet in the air, lunch and s’mores tour options, amazing views of Lake Coeur d’Alene, and an ecological focus.

“While safety is our No. 1 priority, being eco-friendly is also high on the list,” says the Timberline Adventures website. “Moose, deer, bear, eagles and many other animals call this place home, and we do all we can to honor and respect the impact our presence can make.”

The fun starts at $95 at Timberline Adventures. A 10% discount for active or retired military is offered plus group discounts.

Mica Moon Zip Tours in Liberty Lake has nine “zips” that travel through the treetops, the longest being “Big Mama,” at 3,500 feet long.

“It is one of the longest canopy zip tour lines in the country,” Mica Moon operator Drew Stewart wrote in an email. “The highest point you are at is in the middle of our first canyon crossing at over 500 feet in the air.”

Mica Moon also offers an aerial trekking park; a kind of ropes course in the air with obstacles of varying degrees of difficulty so there is something for everyone.

“The adventure park consists of a vast variety of different elements between trees. Some include a Tarzan swing, zip line, rolling wine barrels, wooden bridges, skateboard zip line, a ‘Leap of Faith’, rock climbing ladder, and more,” Stewart wrote. Mica Moon Zip Tours start at $59.

The newest offering in the area is Soaring Eagle at Triple Play Family Fun Park, just north of Coeur d’Alene, which opened this spring. The 35-mph zip line goes as high as 80 feet and travels more than 400 feet over the outdoor golf course and go-kart areas. Guests sit in a two-person chair.

Children between 42 and 48 inches must ride with an adult.

Other zip lines outside of the Inland Northwest include:

• Skamania Lodge Adventures in Stevenson features a zip line tour with seven lines through moss-covered firs of the rain forest canopy. Lines range from 100 to 900 feet long. Three sky bridges round out the tour for about a two-anda-half-hour adventure for $110. There is also an aerial park.

• Canopy Tours NW is at the 231-acre sustainablymanaged Kristoferson farm on Camano Island. The property has been in the same family since 1914, has had four generations of family manage it, as well as buildings featured on the national historic register. “Protected by conservation easements, Kristoferson Farm is a certified organic farm and timber operation, and a recipient of Wildlife Farmer of the Year awarded by Washington State. Interpretive displays on platforms and knowledgeable zipline guides highlight forest ecology, management, flora and fauna, as well as farm history,” said Mona Campbell, director of marketing. Canopy Tours NW features six zip lines, a log bridge, a 47foot final descent, and a ride in a historic “unimog” forest vehicle, a 1963 Swiss army transport.

• Bellevue Zip Tours offers seven zip lines and two suspension bridges through the maple and Douglas fir forest of Eastgate Park, just outside of downtown Bellevue. The lines are as long as 458 feet and as high off the ground as 80 feet. You can check out impressive views of Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak at speeds of 35 miles per hour. Bellevue Zip Tours is owned by Northwest Teambuilding and the City of Bellevue. Admission is $90 for adults and $75 for youth.

Center, Canopy Tours NW. Top, Triple Play Family Fun Center.