The Arizona Zipline Adventures of an exciting activity and spectacular views of the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains.
It’s going to be easier to get to Arizona Zipline Adventures near Oracle thanks to a soon- to-be-completed $245,000 Pinal County road project.
The final phase of the improvements to a gravel stretch of the South Mt. Lemmon Highway are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 8. Completion is expected about two weeks later depending on the weather, according to Gina Salinas, Public Information Officer for Pinal County. She says heavy rain or extreme heat would affect the timeline.
Salinas says the roadwork will greatly reduce the dust associated with the current stretch of gravel road. The work on the roadway will not require lane closures, she notes, but there will be traffic control throughout the two-week period when county employees will be operating heavy equipment.
Brandon Luthy, co-owner of Arizona Zipline Adventures along with Emily Goff, advises people coming to the their business to allow for some extra time to get through the construction area.
Arizona Zipline Adventures
Arizona Zipline Adventures features five ziplines ranging in length from 400 feet to 1500 feet and riders attain speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The business also offers a year- around schedule of special events, hosts team-building activities, and is known for its dining venue, Peppersauce Kitchen, which overlooks the scenic San Pedro River Valley.
Since the attraction opened, those seeking a day of fast-moving fun on the ziplines have had to navigate a curvy, sometimes dusty, 6.7-mile stretch of the South Mount Lemmon Highway to reach their destination.
The road project was begun two years ago with the purchase of new rights-of-way. The road was realigned to eliminate many of the curves, new guardrails were installed, and drainage improved.
The final phase of the project improves a mile-and-a-half dusty gravel portion of the road from where the asphalt pavement ends about five miles south of Oracle to just beyond the entrance to Arizona Zipline Adventures.
Salinas says the roadwork will be done in two identical steps. First the gravel will be graded, and then a thin layer of liquid asphalt will be sprayed on the road, followed by layer of rock chips, which will be rolled flat. After a few days to “cure,” any loose chips will be swept from the road and process repeated. After the second layer of chips is spread, rolled, allowed to cure and swept, the project will be complete.
Riding the zipline