Camano Island family turns tree farm into zip line course

As you wander around the old Kristoferson Farm on Camano
Island, you’re struck by the beauty of the towering trees
and the tranquility of the rolling hills. But if it’s
peace
and quiet you’re looking for, you’ve come to the wrong
place as loud screams of joy echo from the within the
dense forest.

“We love it. It’s so amazing to be sitting here in the
office checking people in and hear a ‘woohoo.’ It’s
awesome,” says Mona Campbell, one of five siblings who’ve
turned their old family farm into a zip line course to
rival the increasingly popular adventures that have sprung
up at tourist destinations worldwide.

Canopy Tours Northwest features six different
segments
strung between the towering Douglas firs, the longest
nearly 650-feet.

It’s the culmination of a dream of sorts for Campbell and
her family, who considered a variety of options to
preserve the historic homestead.

“Our great grandfather bought it in 1912, and it was a bit
bigger. But it’s still pretty big, about 231 acres,”
Campbell says.

“We were like ‘Now what’s the future hold for this place
and how can we keep it in tact for the family and the
local community?’ So we entertained a bunch of business
ideas.”

After getting her first taste on a zip line in Whistler
and a subsequent vacation in Hawaii, the light bulb came
on and the idea of creating their own course was born.

But it wouldn’t be easy. Campbell says the challenges
included everything from design to permitting and took
several years to make it a reality.

“We had a few iterations of the actual layout because we
didn’t want to remove trees. The county was great and
they were excited about the business, but it was really so
new that it was a challenge just to understand how to go
through this process.”

It was worth the wait. Canopy Tours Northwest opened for
business last August, and there’ve been plenty of hoots,
hollers, and smiling faces coming from the forest ever
since.

On a recent day, my wife, 11-year-old daughter, and I gave
the tour a try. Our expert, certified guides got us all
geared up with state of the art harnesses, helmets, and
other equipment and then shuttled us of the start of the
course. After a thorough briefing, our guides took us to
a treetop platform and clipped us into the line (they
actually use a special double cabling system for
additional safety). Then, we each simply stepped off the
platform and zipped along the line to the next platform,
seemingly flying through the forest.

It’s exhilarating as you buzz along the line, a unique
experience that gives you just enough of a rush without
scaring you silly.

One of the most appealing parts of the tour is that it can
accommodate people of all ages and abilities from 8 to 80.
We were joined by several families, a few thrill seekers
and some tentative tourists. But any trepidation seemed
to melt away by the time we got to the highlight of the
course, the 650-foot line our guide pointed out is longer
than the Space Needle is tall.

The tour is capped by a 47-foot rappel to the ground below
on a special device that seemingly floats you to the
forest floor.

Zip lines have grown increasingly popular as eco-friendly
activities. Along with Canopy Tours Northwest, several
others have been opened in Western Washington including
Zip
San Juan on San Juan Island outside Friday Harbor and
Northwest Trek in Eatonville, Pierce County.

“No matter where you go, if you go on one, because the
places are unique, that’s what makes it a different
experience. The zip lining is really fun wherever you do
it, but it really exposes you to these different
environments,” Campbell says.