Ziplining in Arkansas – Look to the Ozarks and Ouachitas

For the adrenaline junkies and thrill-seekers, ziplines and ropes courses are fun and exhilarating ways to enjoy the outdoors. These have been popular in other parts of the country for a long time. But ziplining in Arkansas is still relatively new. But with all the hills, valleys, and scenic resources, Arkansas is a perfect fit for excellent zipline and canopy tour parks. These parks have been popping up in the mountainous regions over the last decade, and it’s likely that more are on the way!

Planning a visit one to of these parks is fairly easy. But it is recommended to call ahead as some of them require reservations or groups. No equipment is needed – everything you need is provided by the park. It is recommended that visitors first check the requirements, such as group size, weight limits, etc, and dress appropriately. Avoid loose-fitting clothing and flip-flops/sandles that may fall off. And if you want to take pictures or video, you better take an action camera you can mount or wear. They do not allow hand-held cameras or cell phones while on the zip lines. That’s basically it. Here is a list of the ziplines and ropes courses/canopy tours that can be found in Arkansas:

Ozark Region

• Horseshoe Canyon Adventures – Jasper, AR. This is the grand-daddy of ziplining in Arkansas. They have two ziplines: The “Pony Express” and “Iron Horse”. They claim that Iron Horse is the highest, longest, and fastest zipline in the state. It is nearly a half mile long and with a vertical drop of 277 ft and top speeds of over 50mph. This park also offers a huge sky swing, guided rock climbing, cabins and camping in a beautiful valley.
• Buffalo River Zipline Canopy Tours – Ponca, AR. Glide from platform to platform among the treetops near the Buffalo River National Park.
• Zipline Eureka Springs – Eureka Springs, AR. A tree-based zipline canopy tour that consists of 10 ziplines ranging from 120 to 1800 feet long. The heights vary from 20 to 200 feet in the air. There is also a suspended sky bridge and some short hikes.
• Loco Ropes – Mountain View, AR. I can personally recommend this park, having visited it. This park has a really cool ropes course suspended high in the trees that incorporates two different zip lines. There is also the “Firemen’s Tower” where visitors can try out the 3rd zip line or the “parachute jump”, which I highly recommend. All activities are available a la carte, and the staff is terrific!
• Griffin Park – Hardy, AR. Near the Spring River in North Arkansas. “Zippin Griffin” at Griffin Park boasts “one the longest, highest and fastest zip lines in the state of Arkansas. The first two zips are parallel lines that are 1700 feet long. Riders will travel 50 mph over the South Fork of the Spring River. There are six zips total with seven lines”.

Ouachita Region

• Ouachita Bend Adventures – Hot Springs, AR. This park consists of 7 ziplines combined with some hiking in between landing and take-off platforms. It is located in a beautiful rugged area of the Ouachita Mountains and near the Ouachita River.
• AdventureWorks – Hot Springs, AR. This park features 12 ziplines with over a mile of zip adventures. They also have a sky bridge with observation deck, and are located close to Catherine’s Landing lodge. This is another park I have visited and can personally recommend. They have a fun, professional staff and safety is stricly enforced.
• Rowdy Adventures – Okalona, AR. This park offers many adventures including ziplines, horseback and ATV tours, climbing wall, and canoeing on the Little Missouri River. Self-proclaimed as “The South’s largest zipline adventure”, the zipline tour consists of 14 ziplines to send guest flying through the treetops.
• Camp Winnamocka – Arkadelphia, AR. Designed for groups, this park features an array of activities for different ages. There is a Low-Element Ropes Course (closer to the ground) and a High-Element Ropes Course. On the high course, participants “traverse logs, wires, ropes, and cargo nets sometimes 35 feet in the air, or swing from a 450-foot zip line”.

Building Your Own Zipline

For the ultra-adventurous or entrepreneurial types interested in building their own ziplines or creating a new zipline park. Here are a couple of sites that may be helpful. These provide information on buying materials and building them. You’ll also find info on how to comply with state regulations to pass inspection and attain licensing. (Be sure to research insurance and liability requirements before investing):

• Zipline Inspections – Information on zipline regulations, inspections, licensing, building and maintenance, training, and products.
• Zipline Rider – Good information on how to properly build ziplines. Also includes links to purchase zipline building materials and kits.

Send Us Your Updates!

If you know of or own a zipline park that we have missed, please let us know. Email us Contact Us with your info and we will add it to the list. If you have a website we can link to, even better! And if you own a zipline and would like us to visit, we would love to write a blog story on it. We’ll be happy to cover anything related to ziplining in Arkansas. Give us a shout!