Dalton, GA Outdoor Activities

Visitors to Colorado Adventure Center explore much of its terrain suspended above the pine trees—specifically, hanging from five ziplines that span more than half a mile and reach heights of up to 65 feet. Harnessed into a secure single-pulley system, riders glide over Clear Creek as it glimmers in the sunlight or, at nighttime, in the bright beams of their headlamps—which can also be used to spot teenage woodpeckers vandalizing trees with lovers' initials.

Colorado's waters are also the setting for rafting and kayaking expeditions, during which guides lead paddlers down the rapids of the Arkansas and Colorado Rivers during outings and spring break trips. On solid ground, adventurers hit the trails of the Vail Pass and Glenwood Canyon on scenic biking trips, pedaling along paths lined with trees and rivers with options for bipeds of all skill levels. During spring months, zipliners can soar through newly blooming trees and flowers for a scenic treetop adventure.

Wild Blue Yonder's founders Johannes Zwart and Gina Goldie have been populating Alberta's picturesque, serene landscapes with myriad adventures, including rafting trips and paintball battles, since 1998. The pioneering pair combine Zwart's 20 years of experience as a guide for canoeing, dogsledding, and rafting with Goldie's entrepreneurial spark to lead a team of friendly, insured, and safety-minded staff members that spearhead adventures. Licensed guides who are certified in Swiftwater Rescue and first aid lead rafting adventures that take leisurely, pirate-themed jaunts or trips over moderate rapids that ignite the body’s production of adrenalin and Mountain Dew. Guests can also don camouflage coveralls and facemasks to reenact the War of 1812 with paintball guns in the facility's woodland fields. Zwart and Gina can plan adventurous outings for both small and large groups, and can coordinate accommodations, meals, and transportation.

After paddling his way into the U.S. Olympic Team–trial finals twice, Jeff West, founder of Ace Kayaking School, began sharing his love of the sport with readers of popular publications and more than 5,000 eager students. Striving for a maximum 3:1 instructor to student ratio in all of his courses, Jeff and his team teach key skills to beginners and experienced rollers alike while gliding down the Ocoee River's famous Table Saw rapids. In addition to whitewater kayaking, Ace teaches stand-up paddleboarding and the advanced waterfall navigating techniques of creek boating and freefalling in a barrel.

Ocoee Zipz lifts its riders off the ground and transports them to new lands along seven lines named after beloved Wizard of Oz characters and featuring varying grades, distances, and terrain. Staff members, aptly nicknamed The Flying Monkeys of Oz, help adventure seekers soar above Ocoee's 40 acres of rustic scenery during two-hour zipline tours. Tours begin at the 30-foot-high Cowardly Lion launch tower, where fraidy cats find the courage they need to skim the tops of trees. The Dorothy line zooms along the Ocoee River to meet up with the Toto tower across a swinging bridge, where cushy crash pads wait with loving arms to catch especially enthusiastic zippers. Guests may try an upside-down dive off the Scarecrow tower, then test their speed on the Wicked Witch of the West line, which features a steep enough grade to get patrons up to 45 mph. Like Shakespearian arguments or family reunions, Ocoee Zipz's tours end with a duel on The Wizard's parallel lines, as participants race their way to the finish.

Launching into the Ocoee River, Sunburst Adventures' rafts of whitewater adventurers bump and glide over currents with gradients up to 50 feet per mile. An experienced guide mans the helm, offering instruction and zany anecdotes, as rafters navigate past bushes and trees and around three risky undercuts for a challenging, yet safe, excursion. Sunburst's carefully selected team of enthusiastic rafters has been taming the rapids of the Ocoee and sharing their love for the sport and the great outdoors since 1976. Groups of experienced and novice boaters quickly become familiar with a good soaking as they tackle roaring rapids such as Hell's Hole and Godzilla attempting to bend their boats in two as they jostle their way down the river's 10-mile stretch. For a more leisurely way to enjoy the natural splendor and warm waters of the river, aquatic types can tube the Lower Ocoee, which is known for expressing much calmer waters ever since it kicked its pot-of-coffee-a-day habit.