Zipline Canopy Tour
All ziplines are not the same; our course is a genuine canopy tour built directly in the trees and connected through platforms that sit high above the forest floor. It’s a guided experience with 2 guides for every 8 guests. You experience progressively faster zips and a variety of tree types as you traverse through the trees.
We were the first zipline canopy tour in southern New England when we opened in Charlemont, Massachusetts in 2009. Come experience our friendly professional guides and our emphasis on safety! Bring friends, family, or your school group or club and enjoy a day of zipping fun and teamwork on New Englands premier ziplining tour!
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Arrive at our Zip Base at the start time of your trip to register and get ready. Please be on time for your trip! We cannot guarantee that we can accommodate late guests as our trips must start on time.
When you enter our base, our guides and base staff will help you register. You will be asked to sign a waiver of liability (minors will need to sign their own and have a parent/guardian sign it as well) and we will check to ensure that you have proper footwear and clothing.
After you’ve registered, we will help you get into and properly fit your harness and helmet. Then it’s up to the practice zip!
A short hike from the base, our practice zip gives you a chance to get comfortable with zipping, braking and self-retrieving on a short, low zip line. Once everyone is checked out and able to safely zip, brake, & self-retrieve, our guides will take you up to the vehicles that will transport you to the top of the course.
A 5 minute 4×4 ride brings you a mile and 500 feet vertically uphill to the start of the course where a short walk leads to the first take-off platform. The first zip is slower and shorter to give you a chance to get acclimated to flying through the trees. The second zip leads to a spectacular view of the Deerfield River Valley and the northern Berkshires as you perch over the edge of the ridge on a 100+ year old pine tree.
Throughout the course, you’ll ride 11 different ziplines. The ziplines vary in length and height and our course is progressive, meaning the zips get longer and faster as you zip through the tour. You will also walk across two sky bridges, rappel from three platforms with the assistance of the trip guides.
A rappel at the end of the top section of the course leads to a water break and a short downhill hike to the start of the next section. The lower course consists of a sky bridge and longer zips that culminate your adventure in the trees. A downhill hike leads back to our base where you can share stories and memories of the trip and look at photos of yourself zipping just moments before.
Looking to do multiple activities during your visit? Try one of our single day Adventure Packages, or call the office to custom build your own multi-day experience.
What to Bring
Remember we’re ziplining in New England, where the weather changes often! Wear comfortable clothing appropriate for the season and avoid loose clothing that could tangle in ropes or other gear. Skirts should be avoided.
In late fall or winter months, it is better to come with too many articles of clothing than to come with not enough. We zipline in the rain, so come prepared with rain gear if needed.
Late Fall or Winter Wear
- Hat or balaclava that will fit under a climbing helmet
- Wool or Polypropylene long underwear top and bottom
- Insulated ski jacket or layers of fleece with a weatherproof shell
- Wool or Fleece socks
- Ski pants
- Boots(insulated)
- Ski goggles (for snowy days!)
- Thin liner gloves for cold fingers
- Zoar Outdoor will provide you with gloves to wear
Spring & Summer Wear
- Closed-toed shoes that fit securely to your feet (hiking boots or sturdy sneakers). For your safety, no sandals, crocs, or flip flops will be permitted.
- Light jacket, fleece top, or sweater
- Rain Jacket with hood
- Light pants
- Comfortable longer shorts (chaffing from the harness could occur with short shorts)
- Full coverage shirts are recommended for your comfort with the harness.
- Zoar Outdoor will provide you with gloves to wear
Other things to know:
- Remove any dangling jewelry and tie long hair back.
- Remove all items from your pockets before going on the tour, we will not go back to obtain any articles lost along the course.
- Leave valuables in the car while you’re on the tour. We have a key bag where we would be happy to keep your car keys until you are off the tour.
- If you need to bring any medications with you, please let your guides know and we’ll set you up
Pre-Trip Requirements
- Must be 10 years old to participate
- Minimum weight limit is 70 lbs & Maximum of 250 lbs.
- Ziplining is gravity driven, and we must adhere to these weight limits strictly for the safety of our guests. We weigh each guest prior to the trip to determine eligibility for the canopy tour.
- Participants should be able to hike a short distance downhill on uneven terrain and should be in reasonable physical shape.
- We cannot allow pregnant people to zip.
- All zipline participants take part in a ground school before getting onto the actual canopy tour. At ground school, participants must demonstrate the ability to hand brake, self-retrieve and follow directions from their guides before being allowed on the canopy tour itself. Guests who cannot reliably brake while on the ziplines will be asked off the course.
Canopy tours are great for families, groups of friends, office groups, scouts and others. Each trip time can accommodate groups of 8 or fewer guests. For groups of more than 8 guests, please call our reservations office at 413-339-4010 and a reservationist will be happy to help find some trip times that can accommodate your party.
Zoar Outdoor cannot be responsible for supervision of minors when they are not actively participating in our programs. At all times, supervision of minors is the responsibility of the group leaders, parents or guardians.
The use of recreational drugs or alcohol is prohibited on all trips. If you arrive at Zoar Outdoor under the influence, you will be prohibited from participating in the day’s activity and no refund will be given.