Phillipsburg, NJ Outdoor Activities

The captains at Point Pleasant Parasail know the ins, outs, and ups of parasailing. As a team, they work from a base of more than 25 years of experience soaring above some of the world’s most beautiful locales including the Caribbean and Hawaii. Although the company specializes in parasailing adventures that propel riders 500 feet into the air, it also offers fireworks cruises, banana-boat rides, and dolphin speed-dating events.

The Great Divide Campground lures campers out of their tents and cabins with diversions such as fishing in an onsite private lake, swimming in a heated long-course pool, and dethawing marshmallows over crackling fires. Each of the 270 campsites adds to the natural greenery of its surroundings with a fire ring and picnic table. The campground staff peddles ice and firewood and delivers it for free, unlike pack mules that always demand tips. A private lake hosts boating and paddleboating. Other amenities include everything from a basketball court and horseshoe pits to a laundry facility, restrooms with flush toilets, and free showers.

The 50-mile-per-hour speeds of Zoom Ziplines’ four lines may feel dangerous, but that’s just an illusion. Daily inspections by staff members ensure safe, smooth trips for the customers aged 13 and older who cascade down the lines daily. During two-hour trips, customers cross a suspension bridge on foot and fly down four ziplines that stretch up to 1,400 feet, breathing in mountain air and taking in stunning vistas. The course’s tandem ziplines allow friends to race or merely enjoy side-by-side views of the lake, local wildlife, and clouds playfully contorting themselves into the shapes of former presidents.

Teams clad in protective goggles scatter into a mountain field thick with laurel, rhododendron, and brier as they seek cover, their markers locked and loaded. Hearing paintballs whiz through the brush, a player dives into prone position. Adjusting her goggles after colliding with the ground, the combatant freezes, notices the silhouette of a whitetail deer crouched in the brush just yards away, and lets down her guard long enough to appreciate the moment before taking new aim.

At Pocono Mountain Paintball, players step onto 12 fields—including three scenario fields—ranging from untouched natural terrain to 1,700 feet of trenches and sandbag bunkers. To maximize players' game time, Pocono's staff maintains a reservation system that limits the fields to 100 players per day. Further touches include camouflage overall rentals, an online FAQ with participant advice, and changing rooms with hot showers so players can spruce up before meeting Mom for a post-game debriefing. Pocono's crew also coordinates rafting, biking, and kayaking packages through partner company Whitewater Rafting Adventures.