Johnson City, TN Outdoor Activities

Deep within the Appalachian Mountains, the forest's leaves flutter as a blurry figure speeds by. But the creature high above the treetops isn't a bird, a plane, or a sports mascot recently released back into the wild. It's a person strapped into one of Black Mountain Thunder Zipline’s 11 ziplines, which take customers some 400 feet above the ground and at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Spread over 1.5 miles, the ziplines wind through canopies and down mountain slopes on trips that last roughly two hours. Expert guides tag along on every tour to ensure safety and instruct adventurers on equipment.

Adventure Ziplines of Pigeon Forge offers thrill seekers the unique opportunity to take in breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains, all while flying over 400 acres of forested canopies at 50 miles per hour. Zipliners cascade down six lines, each stretching up to 3,400 feet in length, while secured in a double-line system that ensures their safe arrival at ground level after two hours and 4.5 miles of fast-paced fun. Certified by the Association for Challenge Course Technology, staff members guide groups along every limb of the scenic course, which affords zippers views of Mount LeConte and 1,600 species of flowering plants from a vantage point normally reserved for birds or hang-gliding cows. Zipines can be traversed under the early-morning sun or the glow of moonlight seven days a week.

Wahoo Ziplines Adrenaline Park centers on the country’s longest over-water zipline, a four-line stretch that runs for more than half a mile above the French Broad River. Visitors can find more pulse-racing entertainment aboard the park’s fleet of New Zealand-style jet boats or by walking across the Mountain Dew SkyBridge’s glass floor, which recreates the feeling of walking in midair or stepping on a million invisibility cloaks. Patrons should call ahead to reserve seats on the park’s double-decker bus, which can chauffeur them to and from the site.

Two miles might seem like a negligible distance when you’re driving a car. But when you’re skydiving from two miles above the earth, you relish every foot that separates you from the ground. As the only safety net for their patrons, Skydive East Tennessee’s licensed instructors escort divers up to 11,000 feet into the sky, where they enjoy aerial views of the Smoky Mountains, make white beards out of fluffy clouds, and embark on 45-second freefalls. Before ever stepping foot into the company’s aircraft, the seasoned staff goes over all the details of the trip, ensuring jumpers know exactly what to expect as they leap from the plane and finish their fall with a scenic 5-minute parachute ride. A camera crew can document the whole experience, from the instruction period to the landing, and assembles the footage into a keepsake DVD set to music.

By engineering an indoor, upwards-facing wind tunnel, the brilliant minds behind Flyaway Indoor Skydiving have managed to recreate the adrenalized thrill of freefalling sans the previously required airplane. In the studio’s unique flight room, ersatz divers hover several feet above ground as wind-powered force neutralizes the effects of gravity around them. While a typical outdoor skydive lasts only about a minute, Flyaway delivers a minimum of three straight minutes of simulated freefall, ensuring massive endorphin rushes and flashbacks to past lives spent as a Canadian goose. Before liftoff, the facility’s experienced trainers fill visitors in on everything they need to know about body control, safety procedures, and effective screaming techniques. Classes begin every 30 minutes and operate on a first come, first serve basis. Height and weight restrictions apply.

As a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee's School of Architecture, Jon Felderman savored free time away from his office job in downtown Knoxville. Ditching his button-down shirt and tie, Jon headed to the Pigeon River on the weekends during the spring of 1996 to begin his training as a river-rafting guide. In just a year, Felderman's skill and enthusiasm had earned him promotions from river guide to trip leader and then to river manager—all while he maintained his full-time architecture job. Finally, in 2004, the inexorable draw of nature inspired a massive change: Jon abandoned the rigors of city life for good, founding his own rafting company, Big Creek Expeditions. Staffed by experienced guides who share Jon's love of the great outdoors, today the company leads trips down both the upper and lower Pigeon River and orchestrates rafting and camping packages for overnight expeditioners.