Fly over the Hill Country with Wimberley Zipline

There are all kinds of ways to enjoy the beauty of the Hill Country.

You can drive it, walk, it, pedal it, paddle it or fly over it.

Among the more unique ways is to dangle from a cable stretched across the tree tops and zip along at 25 miles an hour. Once you get over the jitters and settle down a bit, the view is spectacular.

For the past 11 years, Wimberley Zipline Adventures has been in the business of providing folks with a unique Hill Country thrill. Its cables criss-cross the hillsides starting just off County Road 1492, providing a view that sweeps for 15 miles.

On a good day, more than 100 adventure seekers show up to soar above the oaks and swoop down a creek.

Wimberley Zipline’s cables are strung over about 30 acres on the old Winn Ranch. Some of the lines are long and give the rider time to soak in the panorama. Other lines are short and fast and slice through the trees.

Over the years, Wimberley Zipline has evolved. When it first started there were five lines. In 2010, three more lines were added. Two more were built in 2013 and last year, the Biergarten (beer garden) was added for some after-flight refreshments.

Nervous at first

Many people are a little nervous about ziplining, but the folks at Wimberley Zipline ease you slowly into the experience. After getting your gear in place — a harness, pulley, a funky helmet and heavy leather gloves — they run you through “Flight School,” a short cable that’s only about 10 feet off the ground. You practice hand placement, braking and landing.

Then you’re off, up the hill in a vintage Pinzgauer, a boxy, all-terrain military vehicle made in Austria.

After a brief refresher on how to hold on and how to stop, the first “Bunny Line” is a short, but high cable designed to introduce you to the real thing. After that, the rides get higher and faster. Half the cables soar high over the trees and the other half cut lower through the trees. There are more than three-quarters of a mile of cable. Some of the runs only take seconds spanning 150 feet, while others stretch 900 feet. At the highest point, riders are about 100 feet above the ground.

People of all shapes and sizes zip. T.J. Nugent, who manages the business and helped design the course, recalls a 93-year-old woman who went for a ride. “She was an old rancher and she was still working hard at 93,” he says.

Riders have to be at least nine years old and weigh at least 65 pounds. The ziplines are popular among the younger set, judging from the number of church and school groups suiting up.

Very few people get hurt on the lines. There was one veteran zipliner who ended up with a nasty cable burn because she forgot the rules and flipped over. “When you get too relaxed you forget about safety and something will go wrong,” says T.J.

There’s about three-quarters of a mile of hiking involved, sometimes over loose, rocky trails. The few injuries that do occur are usually sprained ankles on the hikes between cables.

On the line, gravity kicks in — the heavier you are the faster you go.

The maximum weight to ride the lines is 250 pounds for men and 220 for women, although those limits can be stretched a little depending on the build of the person involved. “You need muscle to be able to stop yourself,” says T.J., “because it is self braking here.

Use elevator cable

The cables can actually handle much more weight the that. “We use the same cable you find in an elevator shaft. If you trust an elevator, you should trust zipline,” says T.J.

Even so, the first thing every morning the lines are inspected. The anchors are checked and dirt and debris is removed. The cables are spray painted where they attach to the anchors so any slippage is readily visible. Every three years or so the cables are replaced.

Despite the safety measures, once a month or so, a rider will take a look at the valley below and decide at the last minute that ziplining is not for them. “They give it their best and we encourage them, but we are not going to force people to do what they don’t want to do,” explains T.J.

Longest zipline?
Guinness World Records has named the Toro Verde Adventure Park in Puerto Rico as home to the world’s longest zipline. The ride measures 7,234 feet long and is 1,200 feet above the ground. Its name? “The Monster.” Source: Travel and Leisure

Wimberley Zipline Adventures is owned by the Robinson and Turner families who hold a 25-year lease on the property.

Along with T.J., the Robinsons and Turners designed and built the course. “We were looking for wind direction, looking for steepness of grade so you have enough momentum to get across the line,” says T.J. “We were trying to think of a good general area with height and a good view.”

When they first designed lines two and three, riders were zipping along at 40-45 miles an hour — far faster than the usual 18-25 miles an hour. The landing deck had to be lowered about 40 feet to slow things down.

While you are on the course, there are always three or four experienced “tour guides” looking out for you and adjusting your equipment. Most of the 15 or so guides are connected to Texas State University in one way or another.

They chat with the riders, offer encouragement and make sure everyone is relaxed and comfortable.

There are covered rest areas with chairs and ice water all along the route. Wimberley Zipline Adventures goes through almost 2,000 bottles of water a week during the summer months as well as 280 pounds of ice a day. Part of the regular gear is a water bottle and holder that’s clipped to the harness.

Most of the visitors come from the San Antonio and Houston areas, but the ziplines attract people from all over the country. Spring break is the busiest time and the slowest months are November through February. Wimberley Zipline is only closed five days a year around major holidays.

The cost of the hour and a half tour is $92 plus tax. Judging from online reviews at Trip Advisor and Yelp, visitors are thrilled with the experience. Almost all of the reviews are five stars and filled with praise for the course and the staff. The words “It’s a blast” appear often.