Courtesy Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour
ST LOUIS – Eight zip lines will run along the rocky bluffs surrounded by the Shawnee National Forest in Marion, Illinois, on April 18. The Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour will be the state’s first entirely tree-based, eco-friendly zip line canopy tour.
Guests will soar over valleys in a zigzag direction across the 83-acre property’s bluffs with speeds topping at 35 mph and stretching more than 1,100 feet. Other calmer walks include 11 tree platforms, two short ground hikes and three aerial suspension bridges, the longest stretching 180 feet.
Two guides will take groups up to eight on the three-hour canopy tour while explaining the area’s ecology, geology and history.
“Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour is going to be more exciting and more educational than any other outdoor attraction in the Midwest,” said Marc Miles, developer of Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour. “People can experience zip lines in a number of places, but we are creating a full outdoor experience that combines the rush of flying among the treetops with learning about the flora, fauna and natural history of the area along the way.”
The tour broke ground in December 2012. Learn more at shawneezip.com.
