On the bucket lists of those people seeking adrenaline-pumping, fear-inducing and all-around thrilling adventure, is (if you haven’t already guessed from the title of this article) zip lining. Trusting your life with some straps and a cable to go flying over breathtaking landscapes, you’d have to be crazy right? Wrong. North America in particular has a multitude of zip line courses spread throughout the United States and Canada, making this unique experience accessible to everyone. Below are some of the most noteworthy tours, sure to satisfy anyone’s need for adventure.

Currently, the fastest and highest zip line in North America can be found in Hunter Mountain New York, at New York Zipline Adventure Tours. The SkyRider Tour offered there includes over 4.6 miles of zip line, and can reach speeds of up to 50 mph. The tour takes about three hours to complete and provides views of the scenic mountainous New York landscape. Not only is this zip line the best in North America, it’s also the second largest in the world! Any adrenaline junky is sure to find their fix on this tour.

Brand new this July, the Sasquatch Zipline Tour offered by Ziptrek Ecotours is sure to provide the adventure of a lifetime. Located in British Columbia, Canada, this tour kicks out Hunter Mountain’s zip line as the longest zip line in North America. With cable stretching over 7,000 feet (that’s over a mile!) and reaching heights 600 feet above the Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains, it’s sure to pack a heart-pumping punch. Ziptrek Ecotours are known for accentuating the natural beauty of the environment, opening patrons’ eyes to the wonder of the nature around them. Why not appreciate Earth’s natural beauty while racing a friend down the dual side-by-side zip line available on this tour?

The XTREME ZipRider at Utah Olympic Park is the steepest zip line in North America, one of the steepest in the world as well. Flying over Olympic ski jumps, travelers can reach speeds of up to 50 mph, and with 1,500 feet of cable, adventurers will feel like Olympians soaring down the slopes.

Skyline Eco-Adventures now offers the Haleakala Sunrise Bike n’ Zip Tour in Hawaii. While experiencing the incredible sunrise from Haleakala National Park, patrons bike down a mountain to get to Skyline’s Haleakala Zipline course, which boasts the very first zip line in the United States. This tour uniquely includes a pendulum zip line allowing travelers to zip both forwards and backwards!

It’s time to strap on a helmet and take the zip-lining plunge! With so many options between the United States and Canada, anyone seeking a high-flying, adrenaline-filled adventure is sure to find one among the beautiful landscapes stretching between the Atlantic and Pacific.

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Photo courtesy | ZipRider