5 Most Death-Defying Zip Lines in Colorado

Top of the Rockies Zip Line via Facebook.

If heights don’t make you want to throw up and you’re looking for a little adventure here in Colorado, maybe you should try zip lining. With rocky cliffs, gorges and forests galore, there’s a lot of variety when it comes to landscape to hurdle yourself off of. So it’s no wonder that our state is home to some pretty gnarly and adrenaline-pumping ziplines. Here are the five most death-defying zip lines in Colorado. Do them only if you dare, and if you pass out from the nerves before you even give it a go, don’t say we didn’t warn you.

1. Lost Canyon Zipline Tour, Salida

Lost Canyon Zipline Tour via Facebook.

Price: $79
Information: Visit captainzipline.com or call 1-877-947-5463.

Why it’ll freak you out: Captain Zipline prides itself in offering a “no-sweat adrenaline rush” and the zip line tour that’s roughly two and a half hours worth of zip lining around the park over a rocky canyon roughly 200 feet deep is enough to make anyone’s blood pump. The Lost Canyon Zipline Tour features seven cables that increase in length and excitement with suggestive names like “The Intimidator,” “Leap of Faith” and “Gun Barrel.” Visitors should be prepared to hike though since there is a short journey from platform to platform. On the zip tour, you’ll see the canyon, as well as, views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the whitewater of the Arkansas River below, and a peek into Colorado’s old silver mine shafts. As Colorado’s largest aerial adventure park, Captain Zipline also has an aerial course featuring 120 catwalks, swings, nets, ladders and bridges to climb above the canyon if the zip lining itself isn’t scary enough for you.

2. Cliffside Adventure, Idaho Springs

Price: $99 – $109
Information: Visit coloradorafting.net or call 970-423-7031.

Why it’ll freak you out: Zip adjacent to a cliff in this three-hour long zip line adventure only an hour outside of Denver. Six different lines include stunts to scare you such as a 50-foot free fall, a surf zip where you fly through the air on a skateboard and a place where you can race parallel to a buddy. Visitors can also dare to zip around the park at night in the optional Starlight Zipline Adventure where you get headlights and glow sticks to help you navigate in total darkness.

3. Cloudscraper Zip Line, Cañon City

Price: $76 including adult park admission
Information: Visit royalgorgebridge.com or call 1-888-333-5597.

Why it’ll freak you out: Did you know that Colorado has the highest zip line in America?! No? Well, it is certainly available to you Denverites. Not far from Colorado Springs, Cañon City is famously home to Royal Gorge that features granite cliffs 965 feet above the Arkansas River and a rickety suspension bridge accessible on foot. The Cloudscraper Zip Line journeys over this gorge with a length of 2,400 feet at a height of 1,200 feet. Do it only if you dare. If you chicken out, you probably won’t be able to get a refund. Visitors to Royal Gorge can also choose to swing over the gorge on the Royal Rush Skycoaster at 50 mph if zip lining is too tame, or simply ride the gondola if they’re a wuss.

The view beneath your feet on the Cloudscraper Zip Line via Facebook.

4. Top of the Rockies Zip Line, Leadville

Top of the Rockies Zip Line via Facebook.

Price: $125 – $155
Information: Visit topoftherockieszipline.com or call 970-668-5323.

Why it’ll freak you out: If high altitude doesn’t already make you faint due to a lesser amount of oxygen reaching your lungs, why not try doing something even more exhilarating? The Top of the Rockies Zip Line in Leadville starts at 11,200 feet and offers breathtaking views of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert and the Rocky Mountains. It is also the only zip line in the world that soars over a train (the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad). They boast a 100 percent record of safety, but you never know.

5. The Canyon Plunge, Vail

Price: $155
Information: Visit www.zipadventures.com or call 970-926-9470.

Why it’ll freak you out: If you can trust engineers, then this brand new zip line featuring a 20 mph 65-foot drop in Vail might be for you. An eddy magnetic braking system that is supposed to control your final descent is ready to catch those who choose to jump, skip, run or simply step off the edge. For thrill-seekers, this is definitely a plunge worth your while.

2 comments
  1. These are great, but you should include Broadmoor Soaring Adventure. https:/./BroadmoorOutfitters.com . There are suspension bridges rappels , free hiking in seven falls. It is a great day.

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