California’s fastest zip line will absolutely terrify you in the best way possible

Highline Adventures offers three insane zip lines, a ropes course, and a place to drive off-road vehicles near some surprisingly good Danish pastries

I flew 400 feet above oak woodlands at 55 miles per hour and felt like a hawk catching wind. Highline Adventures near Buellton, California opened in 2023 and operates California’s longest publicly accessible zip line and the state’s fastest zip-lining experience. The adventure park sits right behind OstrichLand USA, meaning you can spend your morning eating danishes in charming Solvang, feed dinosaur-like birds, and then spend your afternoon screaming while harnessed to a cable traveling downhill at speeds that require you to trust engineering and physics simultaneously. It’s a genuinely wild combination of activities, and owner Jeff Hartman has created something that works for essentially everyone from toddlers to adrenaline junkies to people who just want to learn off-road driving.

The park operates across 200 acres of the family’s 1,200-acre ranch, making this a destination worth planning an actual trip around rather than just a random afternoon activity.

The zip lines are actually extreme

Three zip lines make up the core experience. The first is a 3,360-foot journey about 7.5 times the length of the Hollywood Sign where you zip 400 feet above lush oak woodlands at gentle speeds. Hartman describes it as “the longest single span that I know of in California,” though he admits there’s a longer private zip line on the Central Coast that isn’t open to the public. The second line spans 1,600 feet and ramps up the speed. The third is where things get genuinely extreme: a 2,650-foot descent built at a 26-degree angle “the steepest engineers can build with current technology,” according to Hartman. That one gets you traveling 55-60 miles per hour. Or faster, depending on your weight and weather conditions. Riders must weigh between 75 and 275 pounds. Heavier guests go faster. It’s physics working in your favor if you’re not a lightweight person.

The adventure starts before you even zip

Getting to the first zip line is its own adventure. Highline staff drive you up a steep mountain path in open-air Humvees, gaining 1,000 feet of elevation. You’ll likely spot wildlife bobcats, deer, owls, foxes, and if you’re lucky, mountain lions. Alternatively, you can choose the “hike and fly” option: either a 2-mile fire road or a 2.25-mile trail through the hillside. Either way, you end up at a lookout spot where you can see the ocean on clear days. That’s the perspective before you attach yourself to a cable and plummet earthward.

There are alternatives if zip-lining sounds terrifying

Not everyone wants to scream their way down a mountain. Highline’s ropes course features 80 elements across two levels with four routes ranging from easy to “very hard.” Minimum height requirement is 4 feet, with a maximum weight of 275 pounds. For younger kids, Highline built Skynet Playground last spring an aerial adventure park with 10 netted zones using the same sturdy, bouncy netting found in commercial fishing. Kids as young as 2 can participate with parent supervision. No harnesses required, which saves time and energy. Hartman built Skynet specifically so his own three children could enjoy the park alongside older thrill-seekers.

Night zip-lining is genuinely its own experience

Highline offers monthly full-moon zip-line tours (except January and February when it’s too cold) where you zip by moonlight wearing a headlamp and carrying glow sticks. October brings “fright flights” nighttime zip-lining with spooky atmosphere. Safety inspections happen daily, weekly, and monthly, with third-party manufacturer inspections annually.

The ranch grows some of the oldest flowers on Earth

Hartman transitioned from growing cannabis when the market became oversaturated. His mother suggested protea ancient flowering plants found in South Africa and Australia that thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate. He planted 16 cultivars in 2020, discovering South African varieties like Safari Sunset and Goldstrike perform best. “These protea plants go back in the fossil record 300 million years,” Hartman said. “They’re some of the oldest flowers on the planet.” A nursery opening later this year will let visitors buy potted protea. Tours include eight acres of protea with a u-pick option for cut flowers.

You can also learn to drive a Bronco off-road

Highline offers 2.5-hour Bronco tours across the 1,200-acre ranch. You can drive yourself or ride along with a guide through diverse terrain on two 12-mile routes. Hartman expected off-roading enthusiasts but instead gets first-timers seeking safe, guided introductions to off-road driving without buying expensive vehicles.