The 7 Best Ziplines in Illinois
For being quite chilly 7 months out of the year, Illinois has several ziplining courses to satisfy your needs. Just because Illinois is flatter than your average state doesn’t mean it’s short on exciting ziplines. Illinois offers several zipline courses that are high in the air, fast, and zip through the trees. Of the 7 Zipline courses that we found in Illinois, 6 of them are located far outside of the Chicagoland area. Ziplining in Illinois is seasonal, meaning the the peak times to Zipline are in the summer. Some of the courses will shut down during the winter. Read on for our top picks for IL Ziplining.
Go Ape Zip Line & Treetop Adventure
Located in Western Springs, IL, this is the only zipline course that is in the Greater Chicago Area. This course is the only course we found in Illinois that offers a separate tour just for children.
- Price: $28 – $58
- Duration: 3 Hours
- Opening Date: March 24th
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Long Hollow Canopy Tours
Located in Galena, IL, Long Hollow Canopy Tours offers zipline courses starting with shorter ziplines and ending with 3 ziplines over 700 feet.
- Price: $89
- Duration: 2.5 Hours
- Opening Date: April 14th
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Zip Chicago
Zip Chicago is not technically located in the Chicagoland area. Zip Chicago is located in Marseilles, IL, which is about 80 miles outside of the city of Chicago. Zip Chicago offers a tour with 8 different cables ranging in length from 150 feet to 1,000 feet.
- Price: $45-$89
- Duration: varies
- Opening Date: Spring
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Zip Rockford
Zip Rockford provides some really cool and unique Zipline experiences that we rarely have seen at other courses. They have night zip tours as well as a haunted zombie zip tour. Definitely check them out.
- Price: $29-$55
- Duration: varies
- Opening Date: May 28th
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Grafton Zipline at Aerie’s Resort
Graton Zipline has the longest single zipline cable of any tour in Illinois at 2000 feet. It’s also the tallest off the ground in Illinois at 200 feet. For a great zipline experience, check out Grafton as it’s located on a resort and winery as well!
- Price: $69-$79
- Duration: varies
- Opening Date: March
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour
Shawnee Bluffs is an entirely tree-based tour, which means its eco friendly. Their canopy tour consists of 8 ziplines and they also offer a night tour.
- Price: $85
- Duration: 3 hours
- Opening Date: March 3
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
American Obstacle
American Obstacle has the most affordable zipling experience of any course in Illinois at $40 per person. They have other experiences you can combine with ziplining as well, like kayaking and hiking.
- Price: $40-$73
- Duration: varies
- Opening Date: April 7th
- Link to Website: CLICK HERE
Common FAQs about Ziplining in Illinois
There technically aren’t any Zipline courses located in the city of Chicago. There is only 1 Zipline course located in the greater Chicago area, Go Ape Zipline & Treetop adventure. It’s about a 30 minute drive from the city of Chicago and is located in Western Springs, IL.
All of the zipline courses in Illinois are open throughout the summer. They typically open in early Spring (March and April) when the weather starts to warm up a bit. Some courses will stay open during the winter but many will not. If you are interested in ziplining over the winter, we recommend contacting the courses that we have listed to see if they are open during the winter.
Yes, there are 3 zipline courses in Southern Illinois. We have listed them above: Grafton Zipline at Aerie’s Resort, American Obstacle and Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour. Our recommended Zipline tour in Southern Illinois is Grafton Zipline.
No, all of the courses listed above are outdoor zipline courses. There are not any indoor zipline courses in Illinois currently.
The average price for an adult to Zipline at a course in Illinois is $74. The cheapest option is $40 for a basic tour and can get as expensive as $89 for a tour that lasts as long as 3 hours. Go Ape Zip Line & Treetop Adventure offers a course specifically for children priced at $28.
Most zipline courses in Illinois will require an advanced reservation. You can visit each course website and see if they have the ability to book a tour through their website. If you visit the website from our links above, you’ll be able to check whether there is any availability to book a tour online. Otherwise, we recommend calling each course to confirm availability.
Most zipline courses in Illinois will require an advanced reservation, so visit the links above to contact each course to make a reservation. Depending on when you’re planning on going, be sure to dress appropriately. Summers in Illinois can be hot, and with the extra equipment it will be even hotter. Be sure to layer up or wear a warm coat if you’re planning to zipline outside of the summer months.