The Best Zip-Lining in Montana

Montana is a true haven for all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts, from hikers and explorers to mountain bikers and skiers. It’s also a great place for adrenaline junkies looking to take on the great outdoors at greater speeds or heights.

Zip-lining in Montana is an exhilarating outlet for family fun that the terrain in the region is just made for. If you fancy getting a bird’s-eye view of some of the landscape, then what better way than soaring high above it on a zip-line!

This is a great and action-packed way to look down on some of the state’s most impressive terrain as you soar through Big Sky Country’s great big sky! There are both purpose-built aerial parks and custom tours alike in Montana to satisfy anyone’s zip-lining desires, so scenic and exciting that you’ll never be satisfied with a steady hike again.

So let’s check out in closer detail some of the possibilities for aerial adventures on offer in the gloriously rugged and breathtakingly scenic region of Big Sky by way of the best zip-lining in Montana.

1. Zipline Adventure Park, West Yellowstone

This zipline adventure in Montana’s West Yellowstone is the biggest in the region and is just 3 blocks away from the entrance of the national park. Like all the other parks and tours, this place is open only during the summer, and under normal operating hours that are 10 am to 10 pm.

In this park, you’ll find four different lines to suit all levels, as well as other activities like rope bridges and spider webs. You can find yourself anywhere from 15 to 50 feet off the ground depending on your adrenaline leanings, but this is a great place for the entire family to hone their zip-lining skills.

2. Glacier Ziplines, Columbia Falls

Glacier Ziplines is located quite close to the national park, between West Glacier and Whitefish. If you want some breath-taking aerial views with a few thrills to boot then you won’t be disappointed with the options for this Montana zipline.

Here you can experience the buzz of an 8-zipline canopy tour that takes in an 80-ft tower, along with a few other activities like sky ladders and bridges over the Flathead River. The tour takes you off across the terrain through the trees from the various platforms.

The tours are organized and managed by staff who will safely guide you through the right procedures, and the entire tour lasts for about two hours to get around the entire course.

3. Big Sky Zipline, Bozeman

The Big Sky Resort Zipline Tours offers various options of adrenaline-fuelled zip-lining. There’s something here to suit your level of preferred excitement whether you are a rank beginner just starting out or if you lean more towards being something of a zipping expert. Each tour takes around 3 hours to complete, with a maximum group number of 10-12 being allowed.

The activities begin with a 20-minute hike up the Lone Mountain with three zip lines waiting at the top. You can take in the scenic views of Lone Mountain along the Madison Range as you head up to the zip lines on the chair lift, then at the top, you’ll find the zip lines waiting for you.

The first option is the Adventure Zipline, which is all about speed. Another line is the Twin Zipline, which allows you and a partner to zipline together through the scenery. The Nature Zipline is a third option, and you can experience heights between 30 and 150 feet with these 3 options – so you can take your pick from speed, height, and picturesque views.

4. Whitefish Mountain Resort, Whitefish

Whitefish Mountain Resort is probably best known for being one of the top ski resorts that Montana has to offer. Located in the northwest the resort certainly has no lack of snow and is renowned for its consistently good skiing conditions. But guess what — when the snow melts, this place becomes home to some thrilling Zip Line Tours as an Aerial Adventure Park.

The resort offers a 3-hour zipline tour that includes 6 separate lines, and some of them can reach dizzying heights of up to 300 feet, with speeds close to 50 mph! There are also a bunch of other activities for younger kids who might not quite be ready for that, like Spider Monkey Mountain and the Strider Bike Park. You can also find Montana’s only Alpine Slide here, along with some incredibly scenic lift rides.

5. Montana Zipline Adventures, Anaconda

Montana Zip is located on the outer reaches of Anaconda, along the Pintler Scenic Highway. The surrounding wilderness is incredibly scenic, to say the least, and what better place to seek a spot of thrilling adventure.

In the midst of the panoramic Pintler Wilderness somewhere between the Yellowstone and Glacier National parks, you can get a spot of ziplining on what is actually Montana’s longest zipline course, at over 9,300 feet in length. There is a half-mile hike involved, to begin with, and the course features seven zips which take somewhere in the region of 2 – 3 hours to complete. One of the lines is a dual one, and the length of time involved is according to the size of the group, and participants need to be more than seven years old.

6. Glacier Highline, Coram

Glacier Highline is an Aerial Adventure Park in the West Glacier region of Montana. It features ziplining at around 30 feet, along with a variety of other aerial activities. This is a great stop-off for anyone visiting either Glacier national park or the Flathead Valley region, and entrance allows up to 2 hours of flying through various treetop activities as well as ziplining.

Glacier Highline was the first aerial adventure park in the region and offers over 50 different activities at various heights to suit all levels and ages. The park provides access to high ropes, ziplines, rock climbing, an inflatable obstacle course, a water slide, and swimming area.

7. Yellowstone Zipline Ecotour, Gardiner

This is apparently the closest zip line tour to Yellowstone National Park, near the East Entrance in the scenic Gardiner. The zipline tour is hosted on a private and historic ranch known as the Stermitz Ranch, in the Cinnabar Basin, which is surrounded by the bordering mountain ranges of the national park. The 1200-feet-long lines will take you soaring over 200ft into the air over various types of terrain, and as you fly along mountainous regions you’ll see some pristine vistas, mountain streams, and possibly some wildlife.

The Zipline Ecotour includes 3 lines and a couple of other aerial adventure elements. This location is somewhat remote and highly scenic and offers the opportunity to get a few closer insights into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The tour kicks off in Gardiner from where you will be shuttled to the course.

8. Snowbowl, Missoula

Snowbowl is just down the road from Missoula and is another venue with a reputation for skiing and other snow-based activities during the winter. Usually starting around mid-summer though, the zipline tour becomes one of the main attractions to the area.

There are four separate lines that allow you to soar over the base area, and the lines are paired together so you zip along with a friend for moral support if need be. “The G-Line” is the first line, and this soars along a 200 feet stretch. “Butler Brink” is the second line that is 2 times longer than the first one, and launches off the side of the mountain near the Grizzly Chute.

The “Tamarack Tunnel” is 700-feet long and takes you through the trees at heights of 100 feet or more. If you still want to take things up a notch from that, then the “Huckleberry Hustle” line will have you zipping close to 1000 feet through the forest, finally re-appearing at a height of around 150 feet up above the base area.

The four zip tour takes close to an hour to complete and includes a moderate hike. The tours run between 10:30 am and last at 4:30 pm, and reservations are recommended.

By Mark Barnett