SMOKY MOUNTAIN ZIPLINES AND CANOPY TOURS
For vacationers seeking an even bigger thrill Smoky Mountain Ziplines and Canopy Tours boasts 23 lines where guests will reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. These 23 spectacular Ziplines lines include over 8,000 feet of cable strung at different heights through the majestic scenery of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Smoky Mountain Zipline Guide Director, Part-owner and operator Ross “Bodhi” Ogle describes, “We currently have 23 lines to offer across three different packages. We do not offer the highest or longest lines to be honest although we are in the process of trying to remedy that. We were the second course to open in town though. As one of the pioneers of our area in the zipline industry, our course was tailored to the town from which we sprang. Pigeon Forge is a family town and where other courses went for the thrill factor of placing tourists on long lines right out of the gate, our course took a more personal approach. We slowed things down a little bit. We start off nice and easy so that even grandma isn’t afraid to give it a try. As our courses progress down our mountains our lines get longer and higher and faster growing as your confidence does also.”
The land that Smoky Mountain Zip Lines currently inhabits was originally slated to be a cabin development. However, like many other area businesses things changed when the recession hit in 2007 to 2008 and the housing market failed in the area. The plans for the future cabin development was scrapped, and the owners – whom had had the zipline bug for a number of years – did some research. A year later construction began and Smoky Mountain Ziplines was born on August 21st, 2009.
With 23 lines, Smoky Mountain Ziplines has a variety of different tours and experiences to choose from. From beginner to more thrilling and fast courses. As SMZ Guide Director Bodhi Ogle, explains, “Our most popular tour is our one and a half hour nine line tour. This tour has some of our courses best lines for a very reasonable price considering the services that are offered. At just short of three thousand foot of cable, you get to experience our hospitality and some of the best lines on our canopy tour side of the mountain. Originally when we opened we only featured a fourteen line tour and a full package tour, but as the years progressed we noticed a trend of people struggling to try and fit all of this wonderful area’s attractions into too little time, so the nine line tour was born. This tour allowed those guests that were seeking to make the most of their time in the Smokies a chance to get the best ziplining in town at a price that was both easier on their wallet and offered more time for go karts and dinner shows.”
Safety is a priority for Smoky Mountain Ziplines. As Bodhi Ogle notes, “We are an extremely safety minded company and all of our guides undergo a rigorous in house training program consisting of weeks not days and hours of on the job training, A dedicated core of our crew is also trained and certified in high angle and low angle rescue as well as operational rope rescue to the extent that even the local fire chief commended our efforts. All the guiding staff is first aid and car certified to boot. But to summarize all you really need to do is visit Tripadvisor and read some of our reviews. We don’t have the longest line or the highest line or even the best view in the smokies, but we do have the best guide staff in town and the safest operation and we are the friendliest and I guarantee you that we’ll take your family adventure to new heights.”
The staff at Smoky Mountain Ziplines are not only concerned with safety, but they are determined to help every guest have a fun and memorable experience. As Bodhi Ogle ads, “I would say that our staff is our single most important feature. We would not exist if not for the dedicated efforts of our extended family. For one we really don’t have employees; we’re one big extended family. Our guides enjoy their jobs and care about what they do. Our course was built by us, and when something needs fixed we have the tools and the training on staff. We don’t have to wait for the professionals to arrive because we are the professionals. We are organizational members of both the ACCT (Association of Challenge Course Technology) and the ASTM Standards developing association that is currently working on Tennessee’s state regulation of ziplining. We also have an ACCT certified inspector on staff.”
Smoky Mountain Ziplines strives to make their tours a family experience. As Bodhi Ogle explains, “At Smoky Mountain Ziplines we are all about families and kids of any age. We take tours with children as young as 5 years old all the way up to my personal record of 93. Children aged 5 to 7 must ride tandem with one of our certified guides, but our course allows us to ride children aged 8 and up and sixty pounds or more by themselves. In fact most of the time the children are less apprehensive than mom and dad. We also strive to hire guides that are family oriented and many of them have children of their own.”
Hand-in-hand with their efforts to accommodate families, Smoky Mountain Ziplines understands that every family and vacationer works on a different budget. Therefore, they try to accommodate a variety of vacation budgets by offering many different packages. As Bodhi Ogle explains, “We have plenty of options for all budgets and ages. All of our tours feature the original army truck ride in a military deuce and a half as well as free drinks for everyone (zippers and waiters) at our base camp. Our three hour full package tour is also the longest tour and features more lines than any tour in the smokies. As an upgrade for either our nine line or 14 line tours or comprehensive with the full package tour, our super lines are still some of the fastest lines in town at speeds of up to an unexaggerated 40 mph.”
Smoky Mountain Ziplines understands that many people may have reservations about zip-lining. As Bodhi concludes, this is their advice for someone who is on the fence: “I would say call us up, make a reservation with your name, phone number, and number of guests, (none of that we’ll take your credit card and charge you if you don’t show up stuff going on here.) When you get here, help yourself to complimentary soft drinks and clean bathrooms. Then we’ll kindly gear you up in our harness room and drive you to the top of the mountain in our deuce and a half. Once we get you to the top we’re gonna double check your gear and walk you through our safety speech. From there its two low and slow lines to get your wings under you. If after all that you still don’t want to keep zipping down to line three, we’ll happily come get you and give you all your money back. We do this because ziplining is something we heartfully enjoy here and we want everyone that comes out here and shares this with us to have not just a good time, but a great time.”