The Best Adventure Obstacle Courses and Zip Lines Around NJ – NJ Family
Zip lines and obstacle courses are a great way to have your kids expend that pent-up summer energy. Many offer beautiful views of scenic New Jersey, while others are for the true adventure-seekers in your troop. Find the course that’s the right fit for you kids and venture out for a family day filled with fun.
Camelback Mountain Adventures
243 Resort Dr., Tannersville, PA
570-629-1663
Race a friend down Camelback Mountain on the 1000-foot Double Barrel Zipline. These ziplines are a heart-pounding experience where you will zip through the trees up to 8 stories above the ground. Must be 6 years old and weigh at least 60 but not more than 250 pounds. Or, set your sights on the Sky Rider – zip down 4,000 feet of zipline with your feet dangling over 180 feet in the air. Sky Rider is the longest zipline in PA. Must be 8 years old and weight at least 75 but not more than 275 pounds, and must be 4-foot 4-inches to 6-foot 8-inches in height. The Sky Flyer is coming soon.
Diggerland
100 Pinedge Dr., West Berlin
856-768-1110
The four-story Ropes Course is one of the first things you’ll see when you pull into the parking lot. It’s really high! Kids work their way through criss-crossing balance beams and bouncing bridges to see if they can make it to the top, where they’ll find the most precarious obstacles. It’s also totally cool to hang on the lower levels and take different pathways. Kids must be at least 48 inches to climb solo, or 42 inches to venture out with a parent. Don’t skip the recently added Soaring Eagle Zipline (additional coast), which offers a stunning view of the park from 130 feet up before a 700-foot ride along the line.
Essex County Treetop Adventure
560 Northfield Ave., West Orange
973-731-5800
If you’re spending a day at the ever-expanding Turtle Back Zoo, take a cue from the monkeys and spend an hour or two climbing in the trees. The aerial obstacle course is massive. Start with the junior course (age 6 and up), which is still a challenge at 10 feet off the ground. Kids will make their way through 15 obstacles, like tricky rope cargo nets and wobbly balance boards. The adult course (open to anyone over 54 inches tall) is double the size with 30 elements and three times as high at 35 feet. Kids will also love the zipline (minimum age 6), which lets them soar at 40 feet high over the length of a football field. They need to be over age 6 and weigh at least 80 pounds to give it a try.
iPlay America
110 Schanck Rd., Freehold
732-577-8200
If your kids need a break from the summer heat, head indoors to iPlay America. The Sky Trail High Ropes Course has been upgraded to Ballocity, a four-level structure of play that has more than 30 interactive features. Kids are sure to spend much of their time on the Helix, TURBO and Loop slides; Dodge n’ Duck Maze; Twist n’ Tangle Rope; suspension bridge; 18 ball cannons; and multiple moonwalk climbs.
Liberty Science Center
222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City
201-200-1000
Not quite ready to tackle an entire obstacle course? Kids can make their way through the Infinity Climber, a one-of-a-kind netted jungle gym 35 feet high, where children move from platform to platform surrounded by 19 miles of hand-threaded wire protective mesh.
Pocono TreeVentures
1575 Fairway Blvd., East Stroudsburg, PA
800-446-0231
This course is perfect for beginners and pros alike since you can choose your own adventure based on experience. Kids over seven can tackle most courses, but children under 12 are kept off the more difficult levels. Pocono KidVentures offers two courses for thrill-seekers ages 4-7 featuring tightropes, rope climbs and wiggly platforms. Pocono Zip Quest makes you feel like you’re flying; nine lines are offered and connected by a ladders and bridges. Don’t miss the climbing “walls” at TruClimb, where you get to shimmy up a tree like a lumberjack by belaying in a harness (24- and 40-foot climbs available).
TreEscape Aerial Adventure Park
414 Route 517, Vernon Twp.
862-801-7028
TreEscape Adventure Ropes Course is your excuse to climb, zip, soar and have fun in the trees. Choose between maneuvering through one of 10 aerial obstacle courses or zipping through the forest canopy of TreEscape on The Black Creek Flyer. The park is an outdoor experience for adventures of all ages and levels.
Zip Tours at Mountain Creek
200 McAfee Vernon Rd., Vernon
973-864-8880
Looking to experience the mountain in a new way? Hidden away on top of Mountain Creek, gain a new perspective of the area as you trek and ride around our course area on this guided tour. Take the Cabriolet to the mountaintop where you will be greeted with panoramic views of the tri-state area. Then experience smile-inducing speeds as you travel along a series of ziplines ranging from 200 feet to 1,500 feet in length suspended high above the mountaintop lake.