Outdoors-Off-Season Ski Resorts
Like some other snow skiing resorts across the country, Cannonsburg Ski Area this summer plans to open a series of zip lines.
(AP file photo)
Cannon Township has approved 11 zip lines at Cannonsburg Ski Area.
CANNON TOWNSHIP, MI - Cannonsburg Ski Area by mid-June aims to open a series of zip lines and plans a future line more than 1,000 feet long.
People would zip between trees in the woods around the ski slopes at the recreation area, 6800 Cannonsburg Road, about 15 miles northeast of Grand Rapids. Cannon Township administrators this month approved the zip lines as an amendment to the ski area's special use permit.
"We're going to be using the trees as platforms, so you're zip lining from tree to tree to tree," said Alycia Choroszucha, a spokeswoman for Cannonsburg. "A lot of the planning has been finding the trees that are stable enough."
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Groups of people will be able to take a zip line tour of the woods at Cannonsburg Ski Area.
Cannonsburg, which for two decades has hosted the Grand Rapids Symphony's Picnic Pops, is exploring additional summer activities for its property. The township last year gave the ski area permission to host theatrical performances, festivals, flea markets, car shows, craft fairs, horse shows, livestock exhibitions and the like. A manmade lake for a wakeboard park is in the brainstorming stage.
The zip lines will include a 10-station canopy tour that will span over a mile, Choroszucha said. Lines will range in length from about 300 feet to about 750 feet.
Near its lodge, Cannonsburg also plans side-by-side zip lines measuring about 750 feet. The recreation area also plans to build a future zip line longer than 1,000 feet.
"We're hoping that it's going to be the longest zip line in the Midwest," Choroszucha said.
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The township is permitting groups of up to 10 people on the zip lines at a time, for tours that last 1.5 hours. The longest zip line would be available for single rides that are not part of a tour.
Cannonsburg also plans to open a high-ropes course, Choroszucha said. Construction on that could start after the zip lines open, she said.
The ski area has not sought township permission for a high-ropes course, zoning administrator Julie Lovelace said.
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Matt Vande Bunte covers government for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at mvandebu@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.