Zip Through the Summer

Area zipline parks offer thrills and birdseye views

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Want a thrilling activity to do with older grandchildren? Look no further than ziplining.

Using safety harnesses and belays, zipline parks provide a safe way to skim through the treetops. Parks include things to do for younger and older children, but generally are not meant for children younger than 4.

 

Zip line at Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventure in Canandaigua.

Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventure in Canandaigua is the best local place to go if you have a mix of ages in your group. Children 4-7 who will enjoy the Kids Adventure Park ($28 each) and pre-teen through teen grandchildren who can join you in the main Aerial Adventure Park ($57 each). Each park is mostly high ropes obstacle courses but includes zipline elements. High ropes courses include walking and climbing on suspended logs and tippy bridges between treetop platforms, plus numerous other climbing elements to challenge your problem-solving skills and sense of balance. The safety equipment ensures you won’t fall far. The courses are ranked by difficulty so you can gradually increase the difficulty as you complete them. If all you want to do is zipline, the Zipline Canopy Tour is for you. (It’s $109 per person, and you must weigh between 80 and 250 pounds.) It features seven different rides measuring more than 5,000 feet. The admission is for an all-day pass (not per ride). The only exception is Bristol’s The Launch ($20 or $16 as an add-on to park admission), which as its name denotes launches a single rider 63 feet in the air with up to 3.8 Gs of force. It’s like being the pebble in a giant slingshot.

More info: www.bristolmountainadventures.com

 

Sky High Aerial Adventure Park in Ellicottville also offers a high ropes course with zipline elements ($62) over five acres of woods. The facility also has a Mountain Coaster Ride (add to the Aerial Park, $70), or make a day of it with the Aerial Park for three hours, plus unlimited Mountain Coaster rides ($80). As with Bristol Mountain, the courses are rated by difficulty. The Mountain Coaster requires no skill to ride. The park’s Climbing Forest is like a climbing wall but in 3D, intended for ages 5 and older.

More info: www.holidayvalley.com

 

Peek’n Peak Resort in Clymer offers a weekend adventure package including one giant zipline ride, up to three hours of the Aerial Adventure Climb, one Soaring Eagle ride, unlimited regular chairlift rides and unlimited miniature golf starting at $17 for children and $64 for those 12-plus. Weekday packages do not include the giant zipline. The Soaring Eagle ride is a 1,400-foot long seated zipline for two riders 130 feet above the ground.

More info: www.pknpk.com

 

Staying Safe

Zip lining at Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland.

To enjoy your day at an adventure park:

• Thoroughly understand the park’s height, weight and health recommendations. A grandchild who is too small to participate in most of the activities will feel disappointed.

• Wear appropriate clothing, such as closed-toed shoes with good treads, close-fitting clothing and sturdy fabric, like denim. Tie back long hair and skip dangling jewelry.

• Bring along water bottles, snacks, bug repellent, sunglasses and sunscreen.

• Remind the grandchildren to use the bathroom before donning the harness.

• Also remind them to follow all the rules of the park, wear all the provided safety gear, stay on the course and listen to the guides.

• Follow the park’s guidelines if someone gets stuck on a zipline. Do not try to get them back to a landing or to the ground yourself.

• Since you’ll be in a forest, check for ticks afterwards.