Unique Durango Zip Line Adventure has Visitors Soaring
Summer/Fall 19
Soaring Tree Top Adventures: A Unique, Family-Friendly Zip line Adventure in Durango
The mystical beauty of the forest is usually only seen from the forest floor. For most people, flying between its branches remains the stuff of fantasy. But for a lucky few, there’s Soaring Tree Top Adventures’ zip line in Durango, Colorado. With 27 breathtaking spans, Soaring offers the largest zip line course in the world. This all-day, family-friendly adventure features 5.5 hours of ziplining, a four-course gourmet lunch in the trees, an ecology tour, and first class train transportation to Soaring in their own private, luxurious train cars, offering guests two of the best Durango attractions in one day. Soaring takes the time to slow your hectic vacation down, to enjoy every moment in an exhilarating yet heart-pounding way.
Soaring Tree Top Adventures has drawn rave reviews for its 1.5-mile-plus zip line course, which lets guests fly through the treetops. The unique Colorado zip line is the first course of its kind and scale in the United States. National Geographic Adventure named it one of the Top 10 Sky-High Thrills in the country – it’s the only zip line on the list.
On TripAdvisor, Soaring Tree Top Adventures also rates as the #1 Outdoor Activity in Durango. The remote course lets visitors safely zip line over Aspen forest, mountain glens, and the clean, cool waters of the Animas River as well as the flora and fauna from a vantage point high in the sky. It’s an adventure that the whole family can share. Children as young as four, and grandparents as old as 94 have created lasting memories together here on the 27 unique zip line spans ranging from 56 to 1400 feet.
The full-day adventure package begins with an historic train ride on the Durango & Silverton Railroad, transporting guests from their workaday world into adventure. On board the train in Soaring’s private, First Class Tall Timber Legend train car, guests experience ticketless travel, open seating, breathtaking views of the Animas River canyon, and the hearty anticipation of the adventure ahead. The First Class comfort and amazing views represent the first memories that people take away from this five star adventure in the sky.
Flying like the actors in “Peter Pan,” only with visibly sturdy harnesses and cables, guests sail through aspen glades, sometimes crisscrossing the Animas, to the next old-growth ponderosa bearing a stainless steel platform that looks deceptively delicate. The owners had Lord of the Rings’ elven city Lothlorien in mind when creating the wispy curves and light feel of the platforms in the trees. The zip line spans as well as the platforms and connectors are constructed entirely of stainless, which will never rust or flake.
Creating the course was a big change from the tradition of the five-star, exclusive Tall Timber Resort where Soaring is located. Owner Denny Beggrow says resort guests were no longer satisfied with just being pampered in an exclusive five-star resort with spectacular scenery. Hiking, fishing, and horseback riding were too ‘old-school’ for families who increasingly wanted vacations with extreme or exhilarating sports. So the resort set out to add adrenaline to the resort’s many offerings.
Beggrow and his son Johnroy designed and built their Soaring zip line course with help from local metal artisan Ralph Holt. The unique tree-hugging platforms, approved by a master arborist, are part of a patented hugging system designed to release pressure off tree bark until weight is brought to bear on the platform. The more weight on the platform, the tighter the hug. But nothing penetrates the bark or is bolted into any tree, Denny Beggrow says. “Our old growth Ponderosa forest is too precious and needs to be protected. We have several generations of the family that have lived in this canyon, and we want these trees to continue to be around for a long time.”
They started testing the first zip line spans in August 2004. The course, now more than a mile and a half long, was largely complete and ready for guests in May 2005. And for the first time in its history, the resort’s grounds were open to the general public. The zip line adventure was so immensely popular that the Beggrows phased out the resort in 2008, and guests come Soaring for the full day of adventure.
Patented engineering innovations and plentiful “Sky Rangers” (zip line guides) allow fliers to zip to the next platform but to land relatively gently whatever the age, size, or skill of the airborne participants. It is exhilaration without exertion or much risk.
“I’ve been zip-lining all over the world, and this is my favorite course,” says 14-year-old Jase Stetson from Laguna Beach, Calif. “On other courses they have giant sponges at the end, and you slam into them. Here you come slowly up on the platform.”
Sky Rangers lead the guests through the old-growth Ponderosa forest on the 5.5 hour Colorado zip line adventure. Soaring includes a four-course lunch served on an elevated platform in the trees overlooking the Animas River where chefs accommodate all dietary needs and requests. And an eco tour led by Soaring’s naturalist staff completes the full appreciation of flora and fauna in the beautiful alpine terrain that Soaring calls home.
Adventure seekers enjoy the Colorado mountains in a way that few will, gliding through Aspen forests, across mountain glens and traversing unique zip line spans across the rushing Animas River. This exhilarating tour culminates with the 14’er: a 1400’ zip line where guests reach speeds of 40 m.p.h.
Soaring Tree Top Adventures is open from mid-May to mid-October every year. Reservations can be made online or by phone. Visit www.SoaringColorado.com or call 970-769-2357.
Please visit Soaring’s website for special discounts and offers, and to watch a video of this incredible tour.
Reserve your spot today for this one-of-a-kind bucket list adventure. It’s a day of memories and fun that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Soaring Tree Top Adventures
970-769-2357