Add Extra Zip To Your Next Family Vacation in California. Place your cell phone in airplane mode and proceed to enjoy freedom of a zipline experience. Zip, soar or glide, with your kids creating your very own family adventure with plenty of bragging rights for all age. 

Sharing a zipline adventure with your kids is not only fun but also rewarding on so many levels (pun intended). Being thrilled by the glide or slightly anxious about a plunge is part of the benefit. Having “Whoa!” moments yield bragging rights and results in memories. Even though half of our family fears heights, we have been able to share ziplining and laugh about our white-knuckle adventures. Actually, I think it is a healthy thing for kids to learn that one or both of their parents have their own fears. But it is a little bit annoying to hear your child say, “Just get a grip, mom.” 

Here’s the scoop. California has a variety of family-friendly places to zipline. I have included some of the best for your review. While each location offers different challenges all offer guided aerial adventures well suited for a unique family adventure with bragging rights guaranteed. 

San Diego Zoo Flightline Safari near Escondido. This is the place to almost 130 feet above the earth with zoo residents including rhinos, impalas, and deer roaming below.  The Flightline experience has two parts, a "fledgling" 470 foot long zipline for practice before the safari truck transfer to the main Flightline experience the zip to Kilima Point. Extra zip: It is possible to record your flight with the Flightline Helmet Cam and have high resolution proof for nonbelievers Bonus Points: It is easy to combine a zipline adventure with Safari Park’s Jungle Ropes Safari and climb, balance, swing, and zip through the trees at more than 35 feet off the ground. (San Diego Zoo Flightline Safari 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027. (619) 718-3000 or www.sdzsafaripark.org)

Yosemite Ziplines and Adventure Ranch. Located California’s Gold Country about an hour south of Yosemite Valley, the Adventure Ranch features seven ziplines, open top Polaris Ranger rides, and aerial adventure course experience. The course works well for curious kids because it begins with an easy zip and adds interactive components with the progression of lines. Extra zip: Ask about ziplining at night. Bonus points: They also offer gold panning and gem and mineral sluicing. (Yosemite Ziplines and Adventure Ranch 4808 Highway 140 Mariposa, California 95338. (209) 742-4844 or www.yosemiteziptours.com)

Moaning Cavern Adventure Park near Vallecito. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in an area known as the Gold Country, Moaning Cavern Adventure Park zipline adventure is an option for family fun any day of the year. Walk along a 60-foot sky bridge to the launch tower and select your adventure style - riding in a regular, upright position; in tandem with another person, or face-forward launch and super-hero-style flight. Extra zip: Using the twin 1500-foot ziplines it is possible to race a family member at speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour. Yikes! Bonus Points: Also on site cave tours, suitable for all ages, a 165-foot rope to rappel into the main chamber of the cave, and a climbing wall. (Moaning Cavern Adventure Park 5350 Moaning Cave Road Vallecito, CA 95251. Toll-free 1-866-762-2837 or www.caverntours.com) 

Mount Hermon Redwoods Canopy Zip Line Tour. Zip through the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains on a two-hour eco-adventure which includes six, speed-adjustable, ziplines and two sky bridges almost 150 feet above the earth. Certified canopy guides lead the adventure, share knowledge and answer questions along the way.   Bonus Points: The Discovery Grove also park of the complex offers families a scaled down challenge course for younger adventurers. The challenge course includes seven activities, at heights of 25 feet above the forest floor, and concludes with an easy zipline return to the ground. (Mount Hermon Adventures 17 Conference Drive, Mount Hermon, CA 95018. (831) 430-4357 or www.mounthermon.org)

Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park. This aerial adventure park is comprised of a series of courses linking treetop platforms several bridges leading to and ziplines. The complex includes several adventure courses each with its own level of difficulty levels but for those who choose to navigate all courses the zip route will total almost half a mile spanning 16 ziplines. Bonus points: Adventure Park offers family-friendly interactive courses for all ages (five or older), each with unique components and fitness challenges. (Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park 725 Granlibakken Rd. Tahoe City, California 96145. (530) 386-1375 or www.northtahoeadventures.com)

Add more zip to you family vacation. Checkout more family-friendly zipline adventure locations accross the US.