Death Valley Paintball

Of Death Valley Paintball's six outdoor fields, the largest is Area 51.50, named for the replica UFO javelined into the ground. The objective of the game: get a medical kit from a neutral part of the field, get it into an ambulance, then rescue the downed extraterrestrial and escort it back to the ambulance. The play of this field often looks like a shot out of The X-Files, with up to 50 players holding position behind overturned vehicles and stacks of tires.

This specificity of play characterizes each of Death Valley's fields, where the terrain design enhances the combat of the 15- to 30-minute games. For example, the Trench Warfare field's nearly 2,000 feet of dugout sunk 3 feet deep gives ideal concealment for snipers taking a break to plant next season's crop of paintball seeds. In addition to the playing fields, a fully automated target challenges marksmen with 15 pop-up targets that alternate between enemies and civilians. Between games, two on-site propane stations offer fuel for players who bring along their own grillable sustenance, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, or soup-can skewers.