While hiking and biking are two ways to see an attraction, sometimes there is a third, unexpected option: from above. I recently had the chance to take a zip line tour of the Hocking Hills of Ohio.

Professional guides Dan Eckel and Chris Schrader of Hocking Hills Canopy Tours led us through the tour, which included 10 zip lines and three rope bridges that offer an amazing treetops perspective of the beautiful Hocking Hills, including waterfalls, natural cave formations and the Hocking River. We even saw (and heard) a tree fall across the river from the platform on which we were standing.

Tours last about two hours, depending on the number of people on the tour. For smaller groups, the tour might not take as long. It's a great way to spend some time with the kids as well – we saw several groups with children and it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the adults or the kids. The tour company requires that children be at least 10 years old and weigh a minimum of 70 lbs. in order to be physically able to control how fast they travel on the zip lines by grasping the cable with their leather-gloved hands. In addition, zippers also need to be able to pull themselves a few feet along the cable in case they undershoot the landing platform.

The canopy tour was a great way to see some of the natural wonders of the Hocking Hills, and our guides were extremely knowledgeable about not only the zip line tours but of the local area and its ecology.

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