USA TODAY 10Best
10 must-visit aerial adventure parks in the United States
Best Aerial Adventure Park (2023)
Zip lining and treetop tours have exploded in popularity as a way to experience the forest canopy in a safe and thrilling environment. To find the best, we asked a panel of experts to nominate their favorite aerial adventure parks in the United States, then readers ranked the 10 best of 2023.
- Navitat Knoxville - Knoxville, Tennessee
- The Gorge - Saluda, North Carolina
- Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventures - Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park - Multiple locations
- Camelback Mountain Adventures - Tannersville, Pennsylvania
- The Forge: Lemont Quarries - Lemont, Illinois
- Shepherd's Adventure Park - Branson, Missouri
- Hocking Hills Canopy Tours - Rockbridge, Ohio
- ZipZone Outdoor Adventures - Columbus, Ohio
- The Redwood Sky Walk - Eureka, California
Photo courtesy of @Navitat
No. 10:
Zip lines, swings and nets are just a few of the obstacles found at Navitat Knoxville, an adventure park located in eastern Tennessee. Upon arrival, guests are allotted two hours to tackle the park’s six courses, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to extreme.
No. 9:
The Gorge bills itself as steep, fast and beautiful. This tree-based adventure in North Carolina comprises 11 zip lines spanning over a mile with a total descent of more than 1,100 vertical feet. The course also includes a sky bridge and three rappels.
Photo courtesy of Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventures
No. 8:
At Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventures, 49 unique obstacles await visitors in the canopy of live oak trees. Guests can choose between seven trails and three difficulty levels to explore the park via suspension bridges, zip lines, catwalks, nets and rope bridges.
Photo courtesy of Go Ape USA
No. 7:
With 15 locations across the United States, Go Ape is all about offering their guests an "unparalleled outdoor adventure experience." Whether you're looking for a one-hour introductory journey or want to "Go Ape" with a two- to three-hour aerial adventure, you'll be kept entertained and challenged by their rope ladders, wobbly bridges, challenging crossings, nets and tricky planks.
Photo courtesy of Camelback Resort
No. 6:
Camelback Mountain Adventures in Pennsylvania is home to the longest zip line in Pennsylvania, the 4,000-foot Zip Flyer. If that’s not reason enough to visit, the park also features aerial obstacle courses for kids and adults, a steel-track mountain coaster and twin 1,000-foot-long zip lines.
Photo courtesy of The Forge: Lemont Quarries
No. 5:
The Forge: Lemont Quarries offers adventures for all ages in the form of ropes courses, climbing walls and a 1,000-foot zipline. The ropes courses present hundreds of elements at varying degrees of difficulty, while the climbing walls range from close-to-the-ground bouldering to 90-foot-tall rock walls.
Photo courtesy of The Shepherd of the Hills
No. 4:
Shepherd's Adventure Park brings thrills to the Ozark Mountains in the form of a ropes course, zipline canopy tour or the Vigilante Extreme ZipRider, Missouri’s highest zip line where riders reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour after a launch from 140 feet above ground.
Photo courtesy of Hocking Hills Canopy Tours
No. 3:
Hocking Hills Canopy Tours provides adventurers with a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the natural features of Hocking Hills. Visitors have a choice of aerial adventures, including The Original Canopy Tour, The X Tour with 11 zip lines, The SuperZip reaching speeds up to 50 miles per hour and The DragonFly for kids.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Taylor
No. 2:
In need of a little fresh air during your next trip to Columbus? Look no further than ZipZone Outdoor Adventures, a sprawling adventure park that’s home to zip line tracks, a canopy-level obstacle course and a special kids’ zone.
Photo courtesy of Visit Eureka
No. 1:
For anyone wishing to bask in the beauty of Northern California’s most marvelous trees, the Redwood Sky Walk is a top-tier destination. Perched 100 feet above the ground, this elevated promenade measures in at a quarter-mile, making it the longest skywalk on the West Coast.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Chez Chesak
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor... Read More
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, an adventure travel writer, board member of the Society of American Travel Writers and 22-year veteran of the outdoor and travel industries. While he’s lived all over the U.S. and traveled to more than 30 countries, he has the most fun when he’s exploring with his wife Sally and two daughters. An avid outdoors person, he’s happiest on a trail, on skis, or nestled into a sleeping bag. Learn more about him and his work at www.chezconnects.com.
Chez Chesak
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, an adventure travel writer, board member of the Society of American Travel Writers and 22-year veteran of the outdoor and travel industries. While he’s lived all over the U.S. and traveled to more than 30 countries, he has the most fun when he’s exploring with his wife Sally and two daughters. An avid outdoors person, he’s happiest on a trail, on skis, or nestled into a sleeping bag. Learn more about him and his work at www.chezconnects.com.
Dave Stamboulis
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer... Read More
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer based in Bangkok. Born in Athens, Greece and growing up in the U.S., Dave first discovered Bangkok while on a 45,000-kilometer bicycle trip and moved there for good in 2005. Dave's photos appear in publications around the world. He's the author of Odysseus' Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal for Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers. In addition to updating the Fodor's Guidebook to Thailand, he is the author of 500 Hidden Secrets to Bangkok, and his travel stories and photography appear in publications around the globe.
Dave Stamboulis
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer based in Bangkok. Born in Athens, Greece and growing up in the U.S., Dave first discovered Bangkok while on a 45,000-kilometer bicycle trip and moved there for good in 2005. Dave's photos appear in publications around the world. He's the author of Odysseus' Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal for Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers. In addition to updating the Fodor's Guidebook to Thailand, he is the author of 500 Hidden Secrets to Bangkok, and his travel stories and photography appear in publications around the globe.
Molly O'Brien
Molly O'Brien is a Los Angeles-based freelance... Read More
Molly O'Brien is a Los Angeles-based freelance travel journalist, who writes and edits for a variety of international travel and lifestyle outlets including Fodor’s Travel, Travel + Leisure, and Business Insider among others. She's lived on both coasts from Massachusetts to California and has so far made Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Luis Obispo, Barcelona, and Los Angeles her home. Molly earned her journalism degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California and since then has worked professionally in the fields of hospitality and travel PR and most recently, as a freelance travel writer and editor. Molly especially enjoys covering feature profiles about interesting people doing interesting things such as chocolate making, beekeeping, wing-walking, and interesting destinations like under-the-radar wine spots, the best brewery towns, and lesser-known ski destinations. She also loves to write about a boutique hotel with a good story. When she's not writing, Molly enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring new coffee shops and breweries, and of course, traveling. Her favorite city in the world (so far) is Barcelona, Spain, but she loves traveling anywhere that offers sunny weather and ample hiking opportunities. She loves spending time in the mountains, enjoys connecting with nature through camping and glamping adventures, and is always up for learning about the world through fun, immersive experiences (and then sharing those stories!). You can connect with Molly here: Instagram: @metropolitanmolly Twitter: @Molly_A_OBrien Facebook: @MetropolitanMolly LinkedIn: @mollyannobrien www.metropolitanmolly.com
Molly O'Brien
Molly O'Brien is a Los Angeles-based freelance travel journalist, who writes and edits for a variety of international travel and lifestyle outlets including Fodor’s Travel, Travel + Leisure, and Business Insider among others. She's lived on both coasts from Massachusetts to California and has so far made Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Luis Obispo, Barcelona, and Los Angeles her home. Molly earned her journalism degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California and since then has worked professionally in the fields of hospitality and travel PR and most recently, as a freelance travel writer and editor. Molly especially enjoys covering feature profiles about interesting people doing interesting things such as chocolate making, beekeeping, wing-walking, and interesting destinations like under-the-radar wine spots, the best brewery towns, and lesser-known ski destinations. She also loves to write about a boutique hotel with a good story. When she's not writing, Molly enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring new coffee shops and breweries, and of course, traveling. Her favorite city in the world (so far) is Barcelona, Spain, but she loves traveling anywhere that offers sunny weather and ample hiking opportunities. She loves spending time in the mountains, enjoys connecting with nature through camping and glamping adventures, and is always up for learning about the world through fun, immersive experiences (and then sharing those stories!). You can connect with Molly here: Instagram: @metropolitanmolly Twitter: @Molly_A_OBrien Facebook: @MetropolitanMolly LinkedIn: @mollyannobrien www.metropolitanmolly.com
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
