experience is required.
These tours are also called canopy tours, because the action
occurs in the tree canopy.
Borrowing heavily from the technology used in rock and mountain
climbing, zipliners don harnesses clipped onto steel cables
that run from point A to point B, typically landing on platforms
located high above the ground. Traversing from one platform to
the next via cable, propelled by the sheer force of gravity, the thrill
of the ride includes reaching impressive speeds.
As part of our fitness challenge, one in our trio, Trish Matson,
expressed a desire to use zipling as a benchmark goal for her training;
so we set about to discover the best way to accommodate that
for her.
In mid-July, five of us — Trish, Nikki McCall from our administrative
staff, photography director Allison Potter, my trainer LaMaine
Williams and I — ventured the easy two-hour drive to Carver’s Falls,
ZipQuest Waterfall and Treetop
Adventure (north Fayetteville)
Eight ziplines and three “Indiana Jones”
canopy bridges. Riders will coast down lines
nearly 1,000 feet long over varied topography
that includes passing above Carver’s Falls
— the largest waterfall in central and eastern
North Carolina. www.zipquest.com
Big Woods Zip Line and Canopy Tour
(next door to Sanders Ridge Winery in Boonville
near Winston-Salem)
This tour combines a zipline adventure with
a visit to one of North Carolina’s 90-plus wineries.
It offers 150 acres of secluded Yadkin
Valley forests on a canopy tour with 14 platforms
and 12 cables up to 65 feet high.
www.bigwoodszipline.com
beachbites
12
WBM september 2011
Navitat Canopy Adventures
(20 minutes from Asheville)
Coast through 240 acres in Moody Cove over
mountain streams and a few 100-year-old
hardwoods. www.navitat.com
Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours
(southwest of Bryson City)
A smooth, bird’s-eye glide through 20 acres of
the Nantahala National Forest, with its looming
peaks, inviting waters, wooded trails and scenic
wonders. www.wildwaterrafting.com
Carolina Ziplines Canopy Tours
(north of Winston-Salem in Westfield)
After opening ziplines in Costa Rica and Ecuador,
its owners opened their first U.S. attraction in the
piedmont, at the edge of Hanging Rock State
Park. www.carolinaziplines.com
Road trip
Zippin’
through
Carolina
North Carolina’s scenic
topography has made it the
location for zipline attractions.
Guide Ryan McClymonds and LaMaine Williams
Photos by Allison Potter
Nikki McCall