Page 13 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS AUGUST 13, 2014 | 13
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Construction of a zipline near Columbia Falls on July 23. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Opening of Bad Rock Canyon Ziplines Postponed Until Spring
Construction underway at Glacier Zipline Adventures, but unexpected delays have prevented 2014 opening
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
An unfinished zipline attraction towering over U.S. Highway 2 near Columbia Heights will not open this summer as planned, according to own- er and developer Reno Baldwin, who said he is hopeful visitors will be zip- ping through Bad Rock Canyon by next spring.
Motorists along the narrow corridor of U.S. 2 near Hungry Horse may have noticed the 70-foot structure just north of the House of Mystery and Montana Vortex – both popular visitor attractions – and wondered about its provenance.
Baldwin, the former owner of Great Northern Raft Co., said he has been designing the blueprint for Glacier Zipline Adventures for five years and recently entered into a five-year lease with the Montana Department of Transportation, which owns the land’s right of way, for approximately 40 acres of land.
The zipline tour will begin atop a
platform on the 70-foot tower visible from the highway, and ferry harnessed visitors to other platforms affixed to trees along the course. In order to gain enough elevation to complete the tour, Baldwin’s contractors built spiral stair- cases on old-growth larch trees, which visitors must climb up to access the fi- nal platforms.
Baldwin said the ziplines and plat- forms are not bolted to the trees, but use aweight-sensitivewinchingsystemthat fastens to the trees and increases ten- sion as weight is applied.
But the logistics of constructing multi-tiered zipline attraction were more complex than Baldwin envisioned, and a projected July 2014 opening was not practical, he said; rather than rush the project he opted to delay the open- ing until next April.
“It took a lot more time than we an- ticipated,” he said. “When you’re build- ing at those heights, you don’t real- ize how much more time it is going to require.”
Baldwin will pay $20,000 per year to the Department of Transportation, a fee that will increase by 15 percent after ev- ery fifth year the lease is renewed. He is also required to keep the grounds clean.
In addition to the 70-foot tower, the lease allows for a well, a septic drain field and signage. It also allows brush clearing and minor site leveling under
the ziplines.
Still, some residents and business
owners have raised concerns about traf- fic hazards and distracted motorists along the constricted stretch of high- way, which has seen half a dozen fatali- ties through the years.
House of Mystery owner Joe Hauser complained in an email that the zipline attraction, which sits about 10 feet from one corner of his property, compromis- es wildlife habitat, Native American cultural sites and a well-established business. Hauser also raised safety con- cerns, and wondered why the project required no public review process, but was told that leasing a parcel of “surplus land” does not require public review.
Ed Toavs, the Montana Department of Transportation’s administrator for Missoula, said Baldwin must build and maintain a 24-foot approach to the highway that complies with MDT stan- dards. Access to the leased property is currently shared with a state fishing ac- cess site.
Baldwin said he intends to hire a dozen seasonal employees to help guide the interpretive zipline tours above the treetops, who will offer visitors a thrill- ing ride and an opportunity to learn about the scenic corridor.
“It really is quite a thrill to look down off of that tower,” he said.
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