Zipline Tours Year-round on the SkyRider in New York

These days, odds are excellent that you'll find a zipline adventure within a few hours of your home. If you live on the East Coast, just head to Hunter Mountain in New York's Catskill mountains. The owners of New York Zipline Adventure Tours say the SkyRider, which has 4.6 miles of ziplines, is the longest and highest zip line tour in North America, and the second largest in the world. All I know for sure is that riding on a zipline is an fun form of adventure travel. You'll have to decide for yourself, because riding a zipline is one of those adventurous experiences that most ages can enjoy and the skills required can be learned quickly.

The SkyRider adventure tour begins with a chair-lift ride or off-road adventure to the top of Hunter Mountain depending on the seasons and weather. Before taking off on a zipline, you'll attend Zipline Pilot Training School, where you will learn the skills required to safely experience this adrenaline rush. The SkyRyder adventure tour has five separate, extremely long, fast and high ziplines. All of them have side-by-side racing zips, so you can compete with friends if you're the competitive type. The longest zipline is 3,200 feet and 600 feet off the ground! At one point, you'll have to choose between crossing the 500' Burma Bridge or taking the 500' Zapline, where you run as fast as you can to make it across or pull yourself by rescue rope the rest of the way.

In addition to the SkyRider, there is a Mid Mountain tour. During the two-hour tour, guests go through the forest on a series of six ziplines, four bridges and do a rappel.

When to Go on a Zipline Tour in New York

The ziplines at Hunter Mountain, are located about two hours from New York City. The ziplines are open year-round, so you can combine rides with a day of skiing, or hiking or mountain biking in the summer, if you're hyper-active.

Tours operate from 9 am to 4 pm and start at $89. This is a popular activity, so advance reservations are strongly recommended. For all the details and a video of folks zipping along the lines, visit New York Zipline Adventure Tours.

Find More Zipline Tours

Start at Top Zipline and Canopy Tours. If you already know where you are vacationing, many vacation packages offer a zipline tour option and other countries you can usually book them through the hotel concierge or front desk. You can also book before you go directly with a company via its Internet site.

Ready to soar like a bird from tree to tree in a rain forest but you'd like to know what you are in for first? Zipline or canopy tours give you a bird's-eye view of the forest, move you across canyons and show you scenery that can't be viewed from the ground. Before you hook onto a line and start zipping, however, reputable zipline tour operators give you basic training, which may include a fast ride on wire close to the ground. Visit How to Take a Zipline Tour.