Family's 100-Foot Bluff Becomes Zip Line Adventure

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There's a part of Jordan, in Scott County, that's both scenic and maybe a little scary. Imagine spending your summer days on top of a 100-foot cliff. It's a reality for the good folks at Sand Creek Adventures.

They run a zip line course that encourages team building as you soar above the tree tops, where taking that first step goes a long way to overcoming your fears.

"The first step is a doozy. We are 100 feet off the actual creek bed right now," Duane Larson said. "Once they take off, we take care of the rest."

Seven years ago, he had a dilemma on his hands. What do you do when your family's property is on a bluff? The answer: you turn it into a zip line.

"Really, the first step you hop off and it's unbelievable. The feeling that goes down your spine," visitor Jake Marciniak said.

Safety comes first. The rest is all fun and adrenaline. Sand Creek Adventures has three zig-zagging zip lines. The first line is the highest, the second takes you over the creek, and the third includes a slide so you get that "free fall" effect.

And if you're still up for it, there's a high ropes course 40 feet off the ground that encourages team work among the tree tops.

"Just the challenge of being up there and figuring out what you are going to do and the problem-solving is just really cool. I like it," visitor Laura Larson said.

Sand Creek Adventures has become a great place to hang out -- pun intended -- but it didn't happen overnight. Larson said it actually took nine months. That's because there's a lot more here than meets the eye. When you are creating something this far above ground, you can't be afraid of heights.

"(It took) a lot of tractors, loaders, that you can grab onto, and then literally boats that you can move down the creek, throwing down ropes and bringing it up," Larson said.

Today, it's used by businesses, church groups and even sports teams. Guests have come from around the world, even places as far-flung as Antarctica and Siberia. The motto here seems to be "Come for the view. Stay for the zip."

"It's an amazing spot. People drive up and they are like, whoa, you have a 100-foot bluff. It's a very unique piece of property," Larson said.

Sand Creek is looking to add more zip lines and they hope to expand their high ropes course by the end of the year.