Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, offering premier views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park since 1954, will host highline team Rucksack Circus as part of the SkyWalk event October 10-11. Performers will walk a line suspended 150 feet for multiple shows throughout the weekend.
For its first performance in Tennessee, the highline team will anchor its line on each side of the mountains, running alongside the SkyBridge, and will span approximately 75 yards on the bridge’s city side. During each performance, a member of the highline team will provide commentary and will be available for questions. Guests can also try line-walking themselves on a short line on the SkyDeck.
Highlining is the act of walking on webbing generally made of nylon or polyester, called a line, at great heights, but differs from traditional tightrope walking in several areas. Lines are rigged to a much lower tension, usually 1,000 pounds or less, which can cause the line to swing and bounce freely making for dynamic movements. Additionally, performers do not walk with a balance pole or any stabilizing lines attached to the line.
Gatlinburg SkyLift Park will also officially open the Gatlinburg SkyTrail, which offers a scenic walkway connecting both sides of the SkyBridge, as it follows the contours and slope of Crockett Mountain.
From the trail, visitors can enjoy scenic views of the world-famous SkyBridge with the length and height of the bridge on full display and the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance. The easy-to-walk, family-friendly trail can be walked in either direction, with the east side constructed of a wooden boardwalk and the west side a natural pathway. The trail will also include covered rest areas and elevated platforms with interpretive signage to learn more about the SkyBridge, SkyLift and history of the city, such as the wildfires that swept through the area in 2016. The opening of the trail will officially make the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park “dog-friendly.”
For more information, visit www.gatlinburgskylift.com.
About Gatlinburg SkyLift Park
Founded in 1954, Gatlinburg SkyLift Park offers stunning views and unforgettable experiences in East Tennessee. The Gatlinburg SkyLift carries guests from the heart of town up five hundred vertical feet to the top of Crockett Mountain. Renovated in 2019, Gatlinburg SkyLift Park now offers a SkyDeck observation area and SkyBridge—the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America—to the millions of people who visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year. For more information, visit www.gatlinburgskylift.com.
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