Just For Kids

Soar Through The Trees In The Smoky Mountains

No need to travel to the tropics to fly through a rain forest. The first Canopy Tour in the North Carolina Smokies is now as close as the Nantahala Gorge, and you won't need a passport to visit. The Smoky Mountain region is already well known for outdoor adventure and has now become even more exciting.

Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours offers a three-hour “glide and slide” experience that simulates flying and is fueled by gravity and a gradual elevation change. More than just a zip-line ride, it takes you through multiple ecosystems; over hemlocks, and into hardwood treetops. The route takes you above the forest floor which is blanketed with mountain laurel, dogwood, fern, rhododendron, flame azalea, wild magnolia, and many other native plants. Your Canopy Ranger will also share the natural and cultural history of the gorge as you travel from section to section.

While traveling over the half-mile course across the twenty acres, the zip-line is just one way to get to each platform. Participants will also use three Sky Bridges and five transfer bridges to get to the eleven zip-line sections that zigzag from the slope sides, trees, and elevated platforms. State-of-the-art equipment is provided including a helmet, full body harness, trolley, gloves, and a tether safety line. The professional Canopy Rangers that accompany each group provide all the necessary instruction and assistance.

All participants are required to wear closed-toed shoes and must tie back any long or loose hair. Harnesses will wrap around the upper thigh, shoulders, and waist, so shirts and pants should cover modestly. All participants must be in reasonably good physical condition; you must be able to raise your arms over your head to self-regulate speed and braking. You should consult a physician if you suffer from chronic back or shoulder injuries, and have no hard or soft casts.

Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours is working with the original outdoor company in the southeast, Wildwater Ltd. Rafting. Wildwater Ltd. started their operations in 1971 on the Chattooga River. Since then they have expanded their whitewater rafting to four other rivers in the southeast and offer several outdoor adventure firsts; the first on the Chattooga River, the first to offer the “Raft & Rail© Excursion” with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and the first Yurt-specific lodging in the southeast. Now they have added the first Canopy Tour zip-line in the North Carolina Smokies.

The Canopy Tour begins in July and will be a four-season experience, as weather permits. The Tour is located 12 miles west of Bryson City, North Carolina at the Falling Waters Adventure Resort in the Nantahala River Gorge.  For reservations and availability call 877-247-5535 or visit www.nantahalagorgecanopytours.com.

courtesy of Carolyn Allison

added: June 29, 2009

updated: June 30, 2009