Zipping through the Laurel Highlands
Those wanting a birds-eye view of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands can now do so by making a short trip to Seven Springs to try out the resort’s Canopy Experience & Zipline Tour, which offers two courses – the Screaming Hawk and the Laurel Ridgeline Canopy Tour.
The Screaming Hawk has four zips covering 2,000 feet and one bridge, with the longest zip being 40 feet long and 60 feet high and crossing over the summer tubing park.
I was only able to try out the Laurel Ridgeline Canopy Experience. Endorsed by the Western PA Conservancy, this full-length tour of the mountain is only accessible by chairlift or a short hike. During the one mile, three-hour tour, I traversed 10 zips, two rope bridges and one rappel section. The zips, high above the ski slopes, are great. They are arranged in order from shortest and closest to the ground to longest and highest. This method provides a great sense of progression as your zips get more and more exciting each time. The final zip is 1,500 feet long and 150 feet above the ground. The two wooden rope bridges interspersed throughout the tour are a nice change of pace from the zips, if nothing too spectacular. Be warned, though – instead of having planks as one would expect, the first bridge is constructed of many logs. If you go slowly, you won’t have any trouble. Each platform has signs with interesting facts about the plants and animals that call the Laurel Highlands home. So, you can read if you don’t feel like conversing with your guides, or if you want to just keep yourself occupied while waiting for other members of your party to arrive.
For those worried about safety, rest easy knowing you are always hooked to something by the waist. The cables on the zips are able to support literally thousands of pounds, so I doubt you’ll need to worry about the line breaking. Just listen to what the guides tell you, and focus on the smooth, fast and exhilarating ride that the zips at Seven Springs offer.
For more information and reservation options, call 1-800-452-2223 or visit 7springs.com.
Jeremy Farbman is a sophomore at Mt. Lebanon High School.