View From The Top

Columbus’ sprawling and action-packed ZipZone was recently tapped as the top aerial adventure park in Ohio and the second-best in the country, and it’s not hard to see why

By Laura Hennigan / Photos by Jen Brown / Story Design by Bryce Patterson

Securely strapped in, helmet on your head, stepping off the platform into the air and flying through the trees is a unique rush like nothing else. Ziplines are popular in exotic locales all over the globe, but we’re lucky enough to have one of the very best ones right here in Columbus.

ZipZone is a one of a kind outdoor experience located just north of Worthington off High St. Lori and Jerrod Pingle launched the adventure park in 2012, after years of working in the industry. “We spent time on Maui working for a company installing large ziplines on the island. Then we ended up traveling around the country, providing training and consulting for companies who were opening zipline tours,” shared Pingle. “While doing this, we saw how fun it looked and decided we’d like to bring one to Columbus. We thought it would make perfect sense for us to open and operate one, since we could hone all of our training skills to create a great experience.”

Tucked back from the busy road, you’ll follow a long, winding drive before arriving at a large parking lot. The adventure park operates on the expansive property owned by Camp Mary Orton, a local nonprofit run by the Godman Guild Association.

Once there, you’ll decide which of the three options you’d like to try. Ready to try ziplining? Choose the Canopy Tour, a guided zipline adventure spanning over 20 acres of forest. Small groups soar through the treetops from platform to platform, gliding across five ziplines and traversing four suspension-style sky bridges. If you’re looking for a little more excitement, try one of the Night Flight tours, which offer ziplining by the light of a full moon. The Adventure Park is a perfect choice for anyone looking for a literal elevated experience, offering a self-guided tour through five different courses built up in the trees. Similar to a ski mountain, each course is assigned a color, which indicates its difficulty level. Using a belay system for safety, climbers can choose what they would like to try, and every course is equipped with a variety of different elements and challenges. Adventure Park participants also get to zipline, with the beginner and expert level courses having one zipline and the intermediate level courses each having two ziplines.

There’s plenty of fun for the younger set too, with a Kids Park designed especially for ages 4 to 7. This course is just a few feet off the ground, and offers smaller-sized challenges like tightropes, moving platforms, rope climbs, and a mini zipline. Adults need to stick with their kiddos as they explore, but don’t need to purchase their own ticket.

Although it’s been popular with Columbus residents for years, ZipZone is now garnering national attention as well. It was recently named in the annual USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards as the second-best aerial adventure park in the country, and was given the top spot in Ohio. “The recognition was really incredible,” said Lori Pingle. “It’s a huge honor and it validated all of our hard work. Our staff are very dedicated, everyone here takes a lot of ownership and our guest experience is incredibly important to us, so it was amazing to be recognized.”

If you’re waffling between thrill and terror thinking about trying ZipZone, feel free to give them a call before booking. Their knowledgeable team is more than happy to walk you through the options and help guests figure out exactly what each adventure is like.

Everyone goes through a thorough orientation with full instructions before starting out, with plenty of time for questions and practice. “We make things very approachable,” said Pingle. “You don’t need to have any prior experience, you don’t have to be the most adventurous person out there, you can be hesitant or nervous, but if you want to try it, then we’re the place to go to. We love to see people who started out as nervous because it’s such a big reward when they do it and they didn’t think they could.”

To learn more visit zipzonetours.com