An elaborate zip-line attraction is taking shape off U.S. 2 near Columbia Heights and should be open by July.

Reno Baldwin, the former owner of Great Northern Raft Co., is at the helm of Glacier Zip Line Adventures. The attraction will be located just north of the House of Mystery and Montana Vortex, another popular visitor attraction.

Zip lines, which consist of pulleys suspended on cables and stretched between points at various elevations, have become popular outdoor adventures for thrill-seekers in recent years.

Baldwin initially hoped to build the zip lines and an accompanying educational center in an old growth forest area within Glacier National Park. He made a formal presentation to park officials, and when they declined to grant permission, he went to Plan B.

“I persistently kept looking,” he said.

What he found was a 29.5-acre tract of state land near a fishing access on the Flathead River. The property drops off about 30 feet from highway level, and then slopes another 30 farther to the north, making it an ideal spot for a zip-line network, he said.

Baldwin has been working with the state Department of Transportation on a lease for a couple of years, and when the agreement was finalized last month he quickly started construction on a 70-foot high replica of a fire tower that will have a platform where the zip line begins. He hopes to have the facility open by mid-July at the latest.

The lease allows Baldwin to clear brush and remove some trees. He can’t sell the timber for profit, but can use it in the tower construction.

Baldwin said he has done his homework on zip lines and intends to make the attraction a one-of-a-kind facility.

“If anyone knows me, this will be equal to what Great Northern Raft was,” he said. “Give me six months and this will be beautiful.”

Baldwin built his rafting company into a premier attraction near Glacier Park and spent 38 years in the business before selling it in 2005.

Baldwin and his son traveled throughout the West, visiting zip-line attractions and trying them out.

“I took the very best of what we found,” he said.

By building spiral staircases around pivotal trees, participants can climb up and keep going.

“What’s different about ours is that once you’re in the trees you’ll never come down” until guests are ready to disembark at the end of the ride.

There will be eight zip lines, with a short stretch for those who want to try it without doing the entire route.

Selecting the trees around which platforms can be built was tricky and involved bringing in an arborist, Baldwin said. He will use a cable compression clamp system aimed at preserving the trees.

“Every fall we’ll back everything off,” he said.

Joe Hauser, a co-owner of the Montana Vortex, said he’s not happy the zip line is coming within five to six feet of his property. He said there should have been more community involvement before the state approved Baldwin’s lease agreement.

“I’ve had concerns about the project all along,” Hauser said. “I don’t think it should be exempted from public hearing.”

Hauser has filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation.

Carla Haas, who handles state land leases, said she worked with Baldwin on the lease agreement for a couple of years, bringing in District Administrator Ed Toavs and Maintenance Chief Gary Engman to study the proposal. The highway department’s environmental staff also reviewed the proposal and saw no problems with it, Haas said.

Baldwin said he didn’t intend to run one of the zip lines so close to the House of Mystery, but didn’t have an option once the course was outlined and specific trees were identified for the platforms.

Haas said the state is reviewing one of Hauser’s allegations, that the zip line run through an area that was sacred to American Indians and historically was used for ceremonies.

“We agreed to look into the question of a cultural site,” Haas said. “To our knowledge there’s nothing there but we’re looking into it.”

The lease requires Baldwin to build and maintain a 24-foot approach to the highway that meets state highway standards. Baldwin’s will pay to build an approach on the property line between the House of Mystery and the state land.

“This will actually improve the safety out there because we will be eliminating one approach and spacing them farther apart,” Haas said.

Baldwin will pay the state $20,000 annually to lease the property, to be increased by 15 percent after every fifth year if the lease is renewed. He’s responsible for maintaining the acreage and keeping the grounds clean.

Hauser said he will have to change the way he conducts tours of the vortex area because of the zip-line intrusion. He acknowledged the zip-line attraction likely will create more visibility and traffic for his own business. Still, he said, “there should be some more accounting on projects like this.

“I’m not opposed to Reno doing this, but there should be public input,” Hauser said.

Baldwin said he knows the visitor industry inside and out from his experience in the rafting business and intends to make his attraction a class act.

“I know the industry and I’m very familiar with risk management,” he said.

Yet to come at the site is an educational center Baldwin has planned.

“I’ve got some great ideas to inspire people,” he said.

Baldwin, 62, said he wasn’t ready to retire. He spent the past few years doing home and yard projects but wanted one more big project to tackle.

“I told my kids, ‘I can leave you a nice inheritance or build something,’” Baldwin said. “They said ‘Dad, you like to build things. Go do it.’”

Both his son, Brooks, and daughter, Hailey, are involved with the new business that will employ 15 people. Baldwin’s wife, Fran, will watch from the sidelines, he said.

“It’s invigorated me,” Baldwin said. “I’ve got to do something to keep me going.”

A website and more information about Glacier Zip Line Adventures will be forthcoming.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.