It’s no secret that Colorado is booming with adventures for the thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie. In most cases, you have to travel far and wide and spend outrageous amounts on gear just to get your fix. Well, we’ve come up with two places worth visiting to get an exhilarating experience this Fall without having to backpack 20 miles. For the state known for its altitude, rivers, and mountain destinations, we couldn’t think of a better way to experience the intensity of the Colorado landscape than ziplining in the San Juan and Rocky Mountains at speeds close to 60mph.
Cliffside Zipline
Arkansas Valley Adventures (AVA) Cliffside Zipline course in Idaho springs allows you to traverse the natural cliffside topography with six exhilarating ziplines. On this aerial adventure, you’ll have pristine views of the Rocky Mountains and Autumnal foliage transition. The best part about this course is it’s a completely unique experience for everyone who tries it. You get to choose your route, meaning you can opt into the 50 foot free fall called “Quickjump”, surf it up on the “Surf Zip”, or make your way across the “Jungle Bridge”, “Bridge of Doom” or “Highline”. Think you can handle the speed more than your bud? Go for a race on the 600-foot dual-zip race line! This course has it all: cliffside landings, beautiful mountain views, and ziplining over the clear creek river just to top it all off. If you’re looking to up the intensity level even more, try the Mount Evans Via Ferrata, also in Idaho Springs.
Durango Adventures
For those of you who find six or seven ziplines intimidating but really want to push your limits, look no further than Durango Adventures who ups the ante when it comes to intensity with not six but twelve ziplines in one course. While there aren’t many opportunities to switch-up your course, you are given non-stop aerial thrills for twelve straight ziplines. If you are planning on scratching ziplining off your bucket list, or looking to overcome your fear of heights, this is a sure-fire way to face your acrophobia. Don’t worry, like AVA, the awesome people at Durango Adventures are committed to safety. Aside from the unrelenting ziplines you’ll also have time to enjoy beautiful views of the San Juan Mountains near Durango, CO.
Photo Courtesy of durangoadventures.com
Honorable Mention
This zipline course didn’t make it into our very short list of the top 2 extreme ziplines in Colorado, but it is certainly not far behind.
Mountaintop Zipline
The Mountaintop Zipline is another zipline course by Arkansas Valley Adventures that only missed the top two spot because it’s Buena Vista location deep in the Rocky Mountains forces a shorter season, typically from April to August. However, the incredible views of the famous Arkansas River, mountaintop platforms, via ferrata option, and 1/2 mile dual-zipline race makes this course hard not to consider for a top two spot. If you opt for the via ferrata option instead, you’ll actually use ziplines to get around as well as traverse across rock faces.
