Highliners to Cross Crockett Mountain Gap in Celebration of Gatlinburg SkyTrail Grand Opening

An unforgettable highline performance you can't miss!

 

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, offering premier views of the Great Smoky

Mountains National Park since 1954, will host highline team Rucksack Circus where performers will

walk a line suspended 150 feet, on Oct. 17 and 18 for multiple shows throughout the weekend for

its SkyWalk event.

 

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 guest 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 1000 pounds or less, which can cause the line to swing and bounce

freely making for very dynamic movements. Additionally, performers do not walk with a balance

pole or any stabilizing lines attached to the line.

 

“Walking on a highline is much more of a moving meditation than about adrenaline chasing,” says

Thomas Rogers of Rucksack Circus. “You really enter into a flow state when on the line.“

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park will also be officially opening 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," with dogs allowed to walk the

trail.

 

For detailed hours and more information regarding the park’s health and safety measures, visit

gatlinburgskylift.com or the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park Facebook and Instagram pages.

 

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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.