Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour

This is something on our list that we wanted to check off…now we want to do it again! From the moment we walked in the door Mark was extremely gracious and welcoming. Our guides, Brock and Garret were amazing. We never once felt unsafe. The instruction in “flight school” got us off and zipping! It was more than we could have dreamed. The hikes, bridges and the zips culminated into to a most wonderful experience. Highly recommended for any age or ability. Thank you!

Such a fantastic experience. Not only for the zip lining but because of the owner, Mark and the instructors we had (we just called them Tarzan and Jane!) were cheerful, helpful and fun!

We loved it! Front desk guy & our guides were super friendly and informative. A bit nervous at first but they put you right at ease and tell you what to expect on every line which really helped me overcome the nerves! Highly recommend. 👍

So. Much. Fun! We went on the 3 hour zip lining tour for our son’s birthday. It was amazing. The guides (Will and Garrett) were excellent- well informed on the area, very safety aware but kept things moving and were fun. We loved every minute and if we make it back to the Shawnee area we’ll make this our first stop!

This place is simply amazing, 8 zip lines teaching as far as 1000 ft and going 40 mph. Our whole family had the best time and this was one of the highlights of our trip. Will, Cole and Kendall were great hosts that tought how to zip, a history of the park and found wild plants to eat. Must do if you are in the area!!

Great tour. We ended up being the only two on our Sunday afternoon tour. Grant and Kendall did an awesome job with safely getting us through the tour and also made it entertaining. I'd recommend this tour for anyone wanting to try ziplining. They provide water bottles throughout the tour and also take photos for you so no need to bring your phone/camera along.

We had never been zip lining. We had Brock and Kendall as our tour guides. Their humor and personalities made the whole experience! I would recommend anyone who is a first timer and a little scared to try this! Super safe, they double check everything. You dont have to do anything but follow the rules and enjoy the ride. The owner is extremely knowledgeable and we will be repeat offenders soon enough! Loved this experience!

Absolutely the coolest thing to do in Southern Illinois a must try. Staff very friendly can't wait to go back

Incredible staff great equipment beautiful scenery. No towers to zip off just trees and everything they do is for the environment.

Every single employee we interacted with was awesome. Marc has a great Zipline course set up and our tour guides Alec and Austin made our experience so fun. They even took pictures for us on the tour so we could just enjoy our experience. We will definitely be back with more friends!

From the booking through the very end of the tour our group had a great time. The customer service was superb, our guides were funny, fun, and supportive (especially when I had a few fear of heights moments). The owner is very involved and a really neat person. Our group would go back in a heart beat.

What a great way to enjoy the outdoors! Ziplining through the trees right in the middle of Shawnee National Forest. It's a new exerience every time, each season is so different. I recommend going in the late fall/ early winter after all of the leaves have fallen. The views are incredible. Don't get me wrong Spring and Summer are lush and beautiful And who doesn't enjoy the incredible colors of Fall? But the winter months are where its at in my book! It's breathtaking when you see what the leaves are hiding! (Sidenote: No sweating, another plus) The facility is very well taken care of. The staff are friendly priding themselves on safety.

Excellent zip lining. Everything is very professional and Marc the owner is very detail-oriented. Our guides Kyle and David were top notch. Very friendly and patient and a lot of fun. The views are great and you can get pretty fast on a couple of the lines. Really fun experience.

Fantastic zip-lining experience with friends! It's one of the best ways to enjoy fall season hiking in Shawnee National Forest. The place is clean and well organized. They charge your credit card the minute you book your day, probably helps with no-shows and people backing out. You get there and sign a few wavers. Meet your zip lining guides and get geared up. Then the fun starts. You get a bit of an intro class on the mechanics of how it all works and you get a trial run before you hit the big trees. The whole thing takes about 2-3 hours with some hiking, suspension bridge walking, and of course zipping through the trees. Water is provided and you cannot bring your camera or phone. They sell video and a photo disc for $40. The video is a go-pro you wear on your wrist. Our guides Kyle and Curtis were awesome. Thanks guys! Cool way to spend our morning among the trees.

Recently I went on my second zip-lining experience at Shawnee Trails. Both times I had fantastic tours and felt safe the entire time. First you go through 'zip school' where you have a mini zip just to practice the basics on. Expect a nice hike in-between some of the last few zips. Make sure to bring closed-toe shoes and extra cash-they have cold candy (Reese's) and sodas, which were perfect after a long afternoon of zip-lining. We bought t-shirts ($15 each) as souvenirs and a CD of photos that had been taken of our group throughout the experience. Our guides took extra time to take photos of each person individually against a great valley backdrop. Forget about being thirsty or bringing water bottles-you'll be provided a water bottle that clips onto you, with another cooler of water bottles on a zip-lining platform. While I've only gone in the middle of the summer, I image the fall or spring would also be great times to have this experience.

I was convinced by my friends to overcome my fear of heights and do this. The instructors explained the safety gear and made sure I understood it all. The first few zips were slow and short to build up my confidence with the final one being over 1000 feet long and I hit about 40 mph. The final zip you go over a ravine and end up going over the tops of the trees. So exhilarating. This was one of the most scary (for me) and fun things I have ever done. Had a couple of older people (in their 70s) who had zip lined in many places in the world (including Costa Rica and Hawaii) and they said this was the best. What a great way to view and experience nature. You will be doing some hiking so bring sturdy shoes. They provide water and pictures.

I came here with an IDNR Women's Outdoor Workshop. It was very well organized. The tour guides were very enthusiastic and didn't let us get away without hearing our share of "dad" jokes. They have "flight school" at the beginning . . . a small zip line to teach you how to zipline and all the safety features. Plus, the Southern Illinois natural features can't be beat!

Pretty nice Zip Line Adventure! I was hosting some clients down in Carbondale, IL and we wanted to do something that would help with team building. We heard of Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour and thought it was a great idea. The staff was excellent and was able to handle our (rather large) group beautifully! The staff were not just our guides but kept us all entertained the entire time we were on the line. The facility is a bit out in the middle of no where and the roads are not well maintained out there but if you can make it, you will not be disappointed!

My wife and I had a blast at Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour. The scenery among the trees was awesome with views of some bluffs, creeks, and rolling hills. Our guides, Jessica and Andrew made the tour even better with their great knowledge of the course, helpfulness, and sharing conversations and jokes with our group. They make everything very easy and enjoyable for those who visit whether you've zipped before or not. This was our our favorite part of our trip and we'd highly recommend!

If you're fond of heights, trees, and speed, this is for you. The instruction was complete and encouraging, and appropriate measures were taken to ensure our safety while keeping things fun. They start out with some shorter ziplines, then build up to some longer ones later in the tour.

I've done this tour twice, each time with about 8 family members, ranging in age from 12 - 72, and everyone loved it. The guides are professional and friendly, so you're having a good time but you always feel safe. And "Shawnee Bluffs Canopy" is as gorgeous as it sounds. Yes, it's remote, and some of the reviewers make that sound like a bad thing; for me, that's the charm. It's easy to find if you're looking for it but not something random tourists will find by accident. You'll get a frequent zipper card, w/ a free zip after only three paid zips; I was there five years ago, and of course had not kept track of my card, but they had a record of me and gave me a new card w/ credit for the 5-yrs-ago zip. That's classy. They offer the four seasons and a night zip.

My kids (aged 11 and 17) and I have done 3 of these sorts of adventures. We did Go Ape in Indianapolis and Urban Jungle in Sydney, Australia. What was different about this? 8 big ziplines and very little climbing or other adventuring. The course is built over a deep ravine in a rural (hard to find) area of southern Illinois. There is an extreme emphasis on safety. In fact, unlike the other 2 adventures we went to, here you can't do much by yourself. The well-trained guides hook you, unhook you, make sure you stay in the group and between them. You have one guide in front and one in back. After the first "training" school, you have a couple of easy zip lines - then they tend to get longer and faster. The last one sent me at about 50 MPH at the fastest. We ended up meeting 4 other people; and by the end - we all got to be friends. You nearly have to. You don't have to be in good shape to do this. The equipment does it all for you. I wasn't out of my comfort zone at all - and had a great time. The cost is quite reasonable. It is quite a feat of engineering to build 9 platforms; put in the zip lines; put in the wires to help hold things up; cut back the trees for the clearings; keep the trees trimmed; make the trails where needed; etc... I think it has only been open a few months; improvements continue. Allow at least 3 hours. We took about 3:15.

What a blast. We were on an adult "high adventure" weekend with friends, and saw this as an activity in the area here in Southern Il. While not crazy about heights, this was something we all decided needed to be experienced. And so glad we went. 8 zip lines thorough the forest and 3 rope bridges - exhilarating, yet completely safe. The owner was fantastic at giving the low-down on what to expect. The guides were awesome guys who really knew their stuff. We zipped up to 50 mph, saw some beautiful area from "high up", and had the thrill of our vacation on the zip line. Definately something we'd do again.

I've done other zip lines in jungles and destination resorts around the world. This outfit out did them all. Safety was clearly job 1. The layout was well thought out. The staff were organized, outgoing, professional and eager to make sure everyone we having a great experience. Highly recommend this if you're anywhere near Southern Illinois and looking for a fun way to kill a few hours in a beautiful old forest. A little hard to find but well worth it. I will be back to experience other seasons.

AMAZING! FUN! PROFESSIONAL! My husband and I went to do the zip lining this weekend and it was a great time. Candy was great giving us instructions and Will and Hogan were fun but professional at the same time. They kept all the safety processes and were very patient with the whole group. My husband who is afraid of heights said that was not an issue since you feel so safe. I am recommending to all my family, friends and co-workers. This place is a gem and I hope they continue to grow in success since they all work hard and deserve it!