

Logistics: Sleep among the boulders at Hidden Valley Campground, or book a hotel room in Palm Desert.īoulder Canyon and Clear Creek Canyon in Colorado When to Go: Late fall through early spring “There are 30 slackliners, max, during busy weekends.” The Scene: “Most highliners here are visitors,” says Seth Pettit, owner of Mojave Guides.

Notable Lines: The most popular highline route stretches from the Hemingway Boulders to the Freeway Wall, but the most famous traverses the gap between the Hall of Horrors’ south and north pinnacles.

“Development has been slow because permits are required bolt using a power drill.” “There are about 19 highlines, and several have natural anchors,” says Dan Krauss, an adventure sports photographer. The Area: Hall of Horrors, Echo Rock, Real Hidden Valley, and Lost Horse are the most popular sectors in this stretch of the Mojave Desert. Why You Should Go: Already an iconic wintertime highlining area, Joshua Tree’s massive boulder clusters are still largely undeveloped. Logistics: Snag a spot in Camp 4, or book a room at one of the hotels in the Valley. When to Go: Spring through fall some locations may close seasonally for raptor nesting. “Rangers are upping highlining restrictions, but the Valley will always have the largest slacklining community in the country.” "The slacklining community’s roots go deep in Yosemite,” says Earle. The Scene: Rock climbers began surfing Camp 4’s parking lot chains in the 1960s, and progressed to nylon a decade later. Across El Capitan Meadow, the 177-foot-line at the top of Taft Point is a modern classic. Notable Lines: The first successful slackline attempt took place in 1985, from the Yosemite massif to Lost Arrow Spire. The Area: “Most people have probably seen photos of highliners on El Capitan, but there are routes on Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Upper Cathedral Spire, and pretty much every other piece of rock in Yosemite Valley,” says Mason Earle, a Black Diamond climber. Why You Should Go: Some 40 years after rock climbers invented slacklining in Yosemite, the Valley is still the sport’s cultural hub. Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California Substyles include highlining (at least 50 feet above the ground) and waterlining (across bodies of water), but treading even a backyard line takes strength, endurance, and Zen-like concentration. Slacklining-the sport of walking across a length of nylon webbing strung between two anchor points-is growing in popularity.
