Perfect Grand Junction Locations Where Zip Lines Should Be Added

Grand Junction is home to Bonsai Design, one of America's leading designers of zip lines, canopy tours, and adventure parks. Given that Western Colorado has this company right in its own backyard, perhaps it's time we start installing some zip lines right here in Grand Junction. Here are a few ideas which could really improve our quality of life in the valley.

Chances are you've probably seen some of Bonsai's handy work. According to denverpost.com, Bonsai is the company behind Broadmoor Resort's Seven Falls, the African Safari exhibit and the Cincinnati Zoo, and Vail's Game Creek basin.

Think how handy a zip line would be if it could be stretched from the Colorado Mesa University main campus to Stocker Stadium? No more congested crosswalks at 12th and North. Jaywalking could become a thing of the past.

How about a zip line running from the top of the Colorado National Monument all the way to the Mesa Mall parking lot? You can drop the kids off at the Monument, then head down to the mall to enjoy an afternoon of shopping in air-conditioned comfort. Eventually, the kids will show up, and POOF! - the family is back together again, with the car conveniently located in the mall parking lot.

What about Powderhorn? A high-speed ride down the side of the Grand Mesa is the perfect conclusion to a day of skiing. Instead of the usual 45+ minute drive up down the Mesa, you could be back in the valley in a matter of seconds.

I hate to be a jerk, but it seems as if Grand Junction sees a tremendous amount of transient activity at the local bus station. What if we were to install a zip line at Whitman Park, located just across the street from the bus station. We can run a direct zip line from Whitman park all the way to Yuma, Arizona, where I suspect most of the traffic is heading anyway.

Is this unrealistic? According to Zip Rider, the longest zip line in the world can be found in Copper Canyon, Mexico, coming in at 8,350 feet. Okay, so there's a big difference between 8,350 feet and 753 miles. Records were made to be broken.

In this case, the flight time from Grand Junction to Yuma comes in at 3 hours and 30 minutes. How long would it take on a zip line? According to Wonderopolis.org, some zip lines reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Grand Junction to Yuma, Arizona, on a zip line equals the better part of seven hours in the air.

Grand Junction is the perfect location for zip lines. We have mountains, a handful of tall buildings, and a major manufacturer of zip lines, all right here in the valley. Let's get to work.