Phillipsburg, NJ Outdoor Activities

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.

Whitewater Challengers' certified guides steer paddlers as young as 5 across the skipping surf of the Poconos’ Lehigh River Gorge, the Black River Canyon, and the Adirondacks’ Hudson, Moose, and Salmon rivers. In the rafting industry since 1975, the guides have collectively traveled more than 16 million miles of rapids. They chart courses that satisfy a range of experience levels, from beginning jaunts down gentle rapids to advanced battles through coursing foam and wicked currents.

The crew’s ultimate goal is to make rafting a fun adventure, which means that they take care of the business end, providing all safety equipment, transportation to launch points, and lessons for novices. When not on the water, the outdoors-loving crew also organizes mountain-biking and camping trips in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.