Frequently Asked Questions

Soaring Tree Top Adventures is a full-day family-friendly zipline tour. A ‘zipline’ is the generic term for what Soaring Canopy Tours is all about. Compared to other zipline canopy tour adventure courses, Soaring is the largest, longest, and safest zipline course in the world. The ziplines in our Durango zip line course are constructed of stainless steel helicopter-grade cable. Comparatively, other ziplines use “bright” steel, which is coarse and noisy (where the “zipline” noise comes from) and can get rust flakes in your eyes. Our stainless ziplines will never rust, and the higher quality, smooth wrap cable spans allow guests to enjoy this eco-adventure while taking in the beautiful and pristine surroundings during our family-friendly activity.

Soaring Canopy Tours is open from May 22-October 14, 2020 and reservations can be made NOW.

Our Colorado zipline adventure takes about 5 1/2 hours to complete the course, with a water/snack stop, bathroom break, and time to enjoy a four-course gourmet lunch in the trees.

For 2020, the cost for our full-day zipline adventure includes either round-trip helicopter transportation, or first class train transportation in Soaring’s exclusive first-class charter train, which are both new options this year! Your zipline adventure also includes about 5.5 hours of ziplining across our 27 zipline spans, a four-course gourmet lunch served in the trees, your Sky Ranger guides, an ecology tour with our Eco Rangers while out ziplining, and all of the equipment required to participate in our family-friendly zipline adventure.

The full-day package including the helicopter or charter train is $600/pp and can be booked online or via phone. Advance reservations are required. Both the helicopter and the train depart out of Rockwood, which is a neighborhood area about 25 minutes north of downtown Durango.

Soaring will offer special discount days that are announced each month and are based on availability, so please check our home page often for the latest specials.

Soaring also has group rates available for parties of 10 or more, and we offer special reduced rates from time to time. Please call (970) 769-2357 for more details!

We have a STRICT no-tipping policy.

Unlike most zipline courses that consist of 5 or 6 spans, there are 27 spans and 34 platforms that make up the course at Soaring Tree Top Adventures. There are also several unique elements to get into and out of the trees to enhance your day.

Our Durango zipline spans range in length from 56 feet to an exhilarating 1,400 feet, making us the largest zipline course in the US!

Soaring Tree Top Adventures provides each guest with a four-course gourmet lunch about half-way through the day. Menu selections are chosen by each guest upon arrival, and lunch is served on a beautiful zipline platform along the Animas River. Vegetarian items, gluten-free items, and children’s menu options are available, and our Soaring chefs can accommodate most allergy and dietary concerns. We strive to be the best zipline adventure in every aspect possible!

Yes. Though we are in a remote Colorado zipline setting, there are bathroom facilities available throughout the day.

Soaring runs rain or shine, so please come prepared with a hooded rain jacket or any other gear you’ll need to be comfortable outside in the elements. Remember, we are in the mountains and Soaring’s temperatures run 5-10 degrees cooler than downtown Durango!

Soaring is fully staffed with expert and friendly “Sky Rangers” – your zipline guides in the trees. A Sky Ranger will do all the work involved in sending and receiving you from each platform.

Soaring Tree Top Adventures takes its staff training very seriously. Each Sky Ranger is First Aid/CPR trained, and many Sky Rangers are Wilderness First Responder certified. Beyond that, each Sky Ranger is trained in Soaring’s zipline safety protocols on how to effectively and safely guide our zipline guests of all ages and levels of physical ability in the trees.

Soaring Tree Top Adventures holds a patent to a unique formula that allows our zipline guests to leave one tree and arrive at the next without having to slow down manually. With this patented formula, guests arrive at a comfortable pace to the next tree to step right up onto the platform. A Sky Ranger is there to greet you at the incoming platform to handle all of your gear and get you ready for your next zipline span.

Our first priority is always guest safety. Soaring has built backups into every aspect of its zipline course, and every detail has been planned out to ensure your day is completely safe and worry-free. Cables and connectors have been through rigorous engineering stress tests, and only top-of-the-line Petzl climbing equipment is used. The zipline course and equipment is thoroughly inspected daily. Guests are attached to the zipline cables and/or a safety cable the entire time they are in the trees and do not get unattached from these lines until they return to the ground.

Soaring Tree Top Adventures holds another patent in that the entire zipline course is built without any hooks, bolts, screws, or anything else penetrating the trees. There is nothing that even penetrates the bark of our Old Growth Ponderosa pines. It is a unique patent that allows the zipline platforms to be suspended in the trees without any harm to the trees at all. Sap flow and growth will never be impeded by Soaring’s system. According to well-known Arborist David Temple, upon inspection of the Soaring zipline course and of our patented system in the trees, he said about the trees: “these old girls won’t even know you’re here.”

Yes. Even if you can’t zip line, you may come up as a “Day Guest” – you’ll be with your family on the train and while they get in their harnesses and go through our Soaring Learning Center. You may watch and take pictures of them ziplining through the first several spans of the course, which parallels on an even footpath before the group heads into deeper woods. You’ll join your family for a four-course gourmet lunch on an elevated platform, and then you can follow along the river section in the afternoon enjoying the experience and taking pictures as they zipline back and forth across the river. The price for a Day Guest is $299, which includes access to the property, your train transportation, and lunch.

Easy! Call us, and we’ll make your Soaring reservations and your first-class train car reservations in Soaring’s luxury train cars for you and your friends going to Silverton. You can also book both of these options online under our Reservations tab.

While legislative changes have occurred regarding marijuana at the state level, Soaring America, LLC follows the Federal standpoint of it being illegal on property – for staff as well as for guests. Staff are randomly drug screened. Safety at our Durango zipline is paramount and we continue to enforce strict guidelines to keep everyone safe. Alcohol and drug use of any sort is not permitted prior to or during Soaring. Anyone suspected of being under the influence will not be permitted in the trees. All smoking, including vapor cigarette devices and any other smoking paraphernalia, is prohibited on the course and at Soaring.

Similar to other leading adventure destinations in the country (e.g., Disney, Six Flags, Universal), Soaring does not permit the use of selfie sticks and various Go Pro mounts during your adventure. We will allow the use of a non-extendable handgrip mount of up to 6 inches with a wrist strap, however, use of these devices is done at your own discretion, as Soaring Tree Top Adventures is not responsible in the unlikely event that you or your device becomes injured or damaged due to improper usage while on the Soaring course.

Our family-friendly zipline adventure can be enjoyed by guests of all ages. Ages 4-94 have participated in our zipline canopy tour.

Yes. The recommended minimum weight for ziplining is 50 pounds, and the maximum weight is 265 pounds. If anyone in your party is above or below the recommended weight, please give us a call to discuss!

No experience necessary! If you are able to walk, climb stairs, and do some uphill hiking in a forest, you are able to go ziplining with us. Our Sky Rangers, or zipline guides, will handle all of your equipment, so you will be able to enjoy the best zipline in the US and be completely safe while having fun.

Ziplining requires that guests have the ability to climb stairs and hike up and downhill climbs on forest paths. You must be able to bend your knees and “sit” in the harness as you zipline from tree to tree.

No. The zipline course and location are in an outdoor, wilderness environment.

No. Soaring will not assume the liability for an expecting mother. However, she may come up to Soaring as a Day Guest, or non-ziplining guest, to accompany her family members who may be ziplining with us.

Due to our location and due to the severe fire hazards in the area, smoking is strictly prohibited at Soaring as well as on the D&SNG train. Also, all smoking devices, such as vapor cigarettes and any other smoking paraphernalia, are not permitted.

Please let us know if you have any health concerns that you think Soaring should know about.

Yes. Our Colorado zipline is very remotely located on private land surrounded by the San Juan National Forest, which is why we have such a beautiful, pristine Old Growth forest. And, by taking the train to Soaring, you get two of the best things to do in Durango, all in one day!

Our Colorado zipline is located 32 miles north of downtown Durango, and six miles north by rail from the village of Rockwood, about halfway between Durango & Silverton on the train.

Really! The closest you can park to our remote Durango zipline is in the village of Rockwood, which is 26 miles north of downtown Durango. From Rockwood, you will need to take the train to get to our zipline adventure.

Yes, can take the train from either Durango or Rockwood to our remote zipline location. Those staying in downtown Durango should take the train from the station in Durango, where those staying north of town may prefer the Rockwood station. Also, if you prefer a shorter train ride (40 minutes) with the best views of the Animas River high-line canyon, Soaring recommends Rockwood for your boarding point. Either way, you get the best of the best part of the trip: the scenic highline canyon of the Animas River, famous from many movies such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, many John Wayne movies, and most recently (2005), a quick segment in The Prestige. No matter which boarding point you choose, you still get two of the best things to do in Durango in one day!

Soaring is a full-day adventure package. Our Soaring staff will make your train reservations for you so that it coincides with your zipline date. One-stop shopping for the best zipline in the U.S.!

The train ride from downtown Durango to our Durango zipline is about 2 hours, which is half-way to Silverton. If you board the train at Rockwood (recommended), your train ride is 40 minutes.

Easy! Call us, and we’ll make your Soaring reservations and your first-class train car reservations in Soaring’s luxury train cars for you and your friends going to Silverton. You can also book both of these options online under our Reservations tab.

Please call Soaring Tree Top Adventures: 970-769-2357. Soaring is rated one of the best things to do in Durango, CO and we are delighted to help answer your questions about our zipline adventure.

Aside from world-class white water rafting, in Durango, Durango is near many great attractions in nearby towns. There are many worthwhile things to do in Telluride, Colorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Moab, Utah. Each of these cities are only a few hours’ drive from Durango. The historic Mesa Verde National Park is only about an hour’s drive from downtown Durango.