DAY Camps
Adventure Day Camp (YMCA of Boulder Valley)
Boulder and Longmont
303-664-5455
www.ymcabv.org
Campers will unplug, enjoy hands-on learning, engage in multi-cultural experiences and build confidence. We accommodate the wide variety of interests our campers have and plan activities that support those varied interests. Activities include three on-site camp days and two field trips each week. The field trips include a day trip to our outdoor education center, Camp Ora Penn, a trip to a local swimming pool and other exciting options. Enthusiastic and well-trained staff ensure a safe and fun summer.
Adventure Montessori
Lafayette
303-665-6789
www.adventuremontessori.com
Our spacious camp features a farm area and plenty of room for outdoor splash days, gardening and learning about environmental education, caring for our gardens and our animals. A weekly trike-a-thon is also a favorite of our younger friends and prepares them for the longer elementary treks! Learning through experience is our year-round aim.
Adventure Quest with Renaissance Adventures
Boulder, Longmont and Lyons
303-786-9216
www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
Your child is the hero of a mythic quest in an incredibly fun, award-winning outdoor experience like none other! In small groups of similar ages, the heroes read maps, solve mysteries and riddles, overcome dynamic challenges, and battle using safe, foam swords. As with all Renaissance Adventures programs, Adventure Quest is designed to develop teamwork, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication and other 21st-century skills. With highly-trained staff, multiple awards and more than 20 years experience, it’s no wonder Renaissance Adventures is so popular. Get a $75 discount for joining a summer quest for the first time and a $75 credit for referring others. Weekly programs all summer long and whenever school is out. Ages 6-17.
AEI
Almont
970-641-4708
www.aeibasecamp.com
This camp is located 10,000-feet above sea level in the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The spectacular scenery of the backcountry base camp is the perfect site for your wilderness experience. Activities include backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, inflatable kayaking, fly fishing, climbing tower, orienteering, adventure racing, day hikes, peak ascents, leave-no-trace ethics and more. Christian-based adventure camp programs available.
Avid4 Adventure
Boulder, Superior, Lafayette, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Denver, Golden and Highlands Ranch
800-977-9873
www.Avid4.com
This summer, experience the power of authentic outdoor adventure. Avid4 Adventure camps teach pre-K through seventh graders of all levels to climb, paddle, bike, hike and thrive in the outdoors. With help from our time-tested curriculum and insanely experienced instructors, we give campers solid skills and character-shaping confidence, launching them into a lifetime of empowering adventure.
Climbing for Life
Englewood
303-359-4438
www.climbingforlife.com
Climbing For Life is a nonprofit organization devoted to healthy youth development in at-risk populations from the Denver metro area. Programs, including a long-term mentoring program, provide young people with challenging personal experiences through outdoor education.
H Cure Organic Farm Kids’ Farm Camp
Boulder
www.cureorganicfarm.com
Kids’ Farm Camp allows children to experience all the workings of a small, organic, diversified farm. From collecting eggs and feeding pigs to gathering flowers and planting and harvesting vegetables, campers will enjoy the full farm experience. Cooking and arts and crafts are a part of each week as well. Camps run weekly from June 4-Aug. 2. Ages 6-9.
H Growing Gardens — Children’s Peace Garden
Boulder
303-443-9952
www.growinggardens.org
Spend an active week on our urban farm in the blooming Peace Garden. Experience the wonders of the garden, learn to care for plants from seed to plate and make new friends along the way! Instructors are experienced educators trained in CPR and first aid. Multi-camp discounts available. Please call or go online to enroll in any of our four camps for different ages ranging from ages 3-11. Monday-Friday. Full and half-day options.
Knighthood CIT with Renaissance Adventures
Boulder, Longmont and Lyons
303-786-9216
www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
For teenagers, the skills of leadership, self-accountability and integrity are learned and developed. The Knight CIT offering at Renaissance Adventures is a unique leadership program where teens become mentors to a group of younger kids and assist our adult counselors. Knights join an Adventure Quest group, who are playing the heroes of a mythic quest. Adventure Quest is experiential education through live-action role-playing, and the participants solve mysteries and riddles, overcome dynamic challenges, and battle foes using safe, foam swords. Knight CITs assist the Quest Leader to help with activities, challenges, storytelling, plot dynamics, characters, safety and leadership. Join the quest! We also run exciting Heroes’ Alliance programs, Quest Leading Workshops and other programs for teens. Weekly programs all summer long and whenever school is out. Ages 14+.
Laughing Coyote Project
Longmont
303-659-4079
www.laughingcoyoteproject.org
Laughing Coyote Project offers a variety of day camps with themes reflecting the practice of primitive skills and traditional knowledge, including: firemaking, archery, basketry, plant foraging, wildlife tracking, games, natural movement and camouflage. Day camps cost $300 and are co-ed. Ages 8-18, depending on the camp.
Learn to Sail — With Community Sailing of Colorado and boulder parks and recreation
Boulder
303-757-7718
www.communitysailing.org
These camps are for beginning, intermediate and advanced sailors. Emphasis is on feeling comfortable on the water. Be ready to learn rigging, basic boat handling, terminology, docking, capsize recovery, knot tying and marine safety. Ages 8-17.
Little Puffs Camps — With Community Sailing of Colorado and boulder parks and recreation
Boulder
303-757-7718
www.communitysailing.org
These camps introduce students to water safety, sailing and boating while instilling new levels of confidence in a boat and on the water. The lake will become your child’s favorite new playground, as Little Puffs learn through games and activities led by qualified instructors and close supervision. Ages 5-7.
Stand Up Paddleboard, Windsurfing and Sailing Camp — With Community Sailing of Colorado and Boulder Parks and Recreation
Boulder
303-757-7718
www.communitysailing.org
Learn how to harness the winds at the Boulder Reservoir in more ways than one. This combo camp is great for an intro to multiple water sports. Campers test their balance on a board with a paddle and under sail. This three-day camp is perfect for a young adventurer looking to expand his or her water skills through adventure, games and challenges. Ages 8-17.
Star Quest with Renaissance Adventures
Boulder
303-786-9216
www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
Intrepid adventures in space! Star Quest is a science fiction live-action roleplaying game that is designed to develop the 21st-century skills of teamwork, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication and a love for learning. In this unique experience, the Questers band together in small groups of like age to discover strange new worlds, overcome dynamic challenges, negotiate intergalactic treaties, and battle using blasters (beanbags) and fusion blades (foam swords). The themes and settings explore futuristic mainstays like warp speed, mech suits, tapping into the “Meta” for telepathic powers, time travel, cyberpunk netrunning, alien “hive mind” sentience and more. Join us for exciting, active and mind-bending programs that are a short ways off, in a galaxy really, really close. See website for dates. Ages 10-17.
H Thorne Nature Experience Summer Camp
Boulder and Littleton
303-499-3647
www.thornenature.org
Spend the summer catching frogs, getting muddy, biking down mountain trails and exploring Colorado’s wild places with the Thorne Nature Experience Summer Camp! Thorne offers fun, hands-on nature “Camp Experiences” for children ages 3-15 in Boulder, Louisville and Littleton. Kids will have a blast practicing important survival skills, exploring forests and streams, learning about local plants and animals, and finding tadpoles, crawfish, grasshoppers and more. Our experienced, CPR- and first-aid-trained instructors help facilitate student learning and appreciation for the outdoors while keeping them safe. Students complete the program with a newfound respect for and awe of nature, increased understanding of the environment, and a desire to get back outside.
Tomahawk Ranch
Near Bailey
1-877-404-5708
www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org
Girl Scout camp is the leader in summer fun and adventure for girls at an affordable cost. You don’t have to already be a Girl Scout — new campers get a discount! Registration is open for day and overnight camps statewide.
Water Sports Camp — With Boulder Parks and Recreation
Boulder
303-413-7441
www.BPRcamps.org
Come join us for Water Sports Camp at the Boulder Reservoir! From stand-up paddleboarding to sailing, multi-craft water sports safety to swimming, your child will spend the week learning the basics, being safe and having fun. Campers will also enjoy playing group games, snacking and creating craft projects. New this year: extended hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) and three weeks of five-day-a-week camp! Choose your weeks and sign up today. Ages 7-14.
H Wee Folk Forest Summer Camp
Niwot
720-383-4406
www.livingartsschool.com
At Wee Folk Forest Camps, we’ll be spending our mornings exploring under the trees of the cottonwood grove, and our afternoons relaxing inside the classroom and outside in the inviting play yard. All weeks of camp include a fun and balanced approach to the day; blending activities with outdoor free play, collaborative group play, music and storytelling. Ages 3-6. Day camp is Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Option of aftercare from 3-5 p.m.)
Wild Bear Summer Camps
Nederland and Boulder
303-258-0495
www.wildbear.org
Fun, hands-on, arts-integrated nature camps for ages 3-15. NederRangers, ages 5-6; Mountain Rangers, ages 6-7; Wild Naturalists, ages 8-10; and Wild Workshops for ages 10 and older. Choose your own schedule. Camps in the mountains (shuttle provided) and on Fridays at NCAR in Boulder.
YMCA Camp Elks (YMCA of Boulder Valley)
Boulder
303-664-5455
www.ymcabv.org
Camp Elks is an outdoor, nature-based program where campers make new friends through adventure, challenge and exploration. Campers will enjoy day trips to some of Colorado’s most beautiful hiking destinations. They will also spend their days shooting archery, cooling off at our on-site pool and expressing their creative side through arts and crafts, drama, sports and fun games. Part-time and full-time camps available.
OVERNIGHT Camps
Adventure Quest Overnight with Renaissance Adventures
Jamestown
303-786-9216
www.RenaissanceAdventures.com
Your child is the hero of a mythic quest in an incredibly fun overnight experience like none other! In cabins of like ages, the heroes journey forth into the beautiful forests of Cal-wood, Jamestown to discover treasures, overcome traps and dynamic challenges, and battle foes using safe, foam swords. As with all Renaissance Adventures programs, Adventure Quest is designed to develop teamwork, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication and other 21st-century skills. With highly trained staff, multiple awards and more than 20 years experience, it’s no wonder Renaissance Adventures is so popular. July 31-Aug. 3. Ages 9-17.
Avid4 Adventure — Colorado Mountain Camp
Mt. Evans & Windy Peak
800-977-9873
www.Avid4.com
Colorado Mountain Camp teaches kids of all levels in first through 12th grade to climb, paddle, bike, hike and thrive in the outdoors With help from our time-tested curriculum and experienced instructors (all 21-plus and certified in wilderness first aid and CPR). We give campers solid outdoors skills and character-shaping confidence they can use at camp and beyond, launching them into a lifetime of empowering adventure. One- and two-week sessions available June-August.
Blue Mountain Ranch
Florrisant
719-748-3279
www.bluemountainranch.com
Ride a horse through Pike National Forest on the way to our own outpost, The Meadow! Fish for trout or canoe in our lake, zip through the forest on our newly redone ropes course, or meet kids from all over the U.S. and many foreign countries. Our many returning staff members and campers ensure our spirit and family atmosphere. Coach Bill and Dorothy Allen created a children’s world where kids can grow in all ways in the great outdoors with the help of excellent counselors.
H Bold Earth Adventures
303-526-0806
www.boldearth.com
Bold Earth has organized adventure camps for teenagers since 1976, with over 17,000 participants having joined from all 50 states and over 55 different countries. The Bold Earth Team seeks to empower our teenage participants and celebrate the bold in everyone. Our summer programs have been developed for students ages 12-18. Offering both domestic and international experiences, Bold Earth teams will surf on the Kona Coast, backpack the Alaskan wilderness, ride camels while exploring the Sahara Desert in Morocco, hang with giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands, rock climb in the Rocky Mountains, scuba dive in colorful coral reefs in Fiji, and so much more! If you are interested in adventure travel, community service opportunities, cultural and language immersion experience, and tons of fun, Bold Earth is the camp for you. Check us out on our website and schedule a call with an Adventure Advisor today.
Cal-Wood Education Center
Overnight Camp
Jamestown
303.449.0603, ext. 5
www.calwood.org/camps
Cal-Wood is a place for adventure — only 20 miles west of Boulder in Jamestown. Campers ages 5-17 will learn to embrace the mountains whether they are spending their nights in a quaint log cabin by the main lodge, sleeping under the stars in a tent on a beautiful remote piece of Cal-Wood’s land, or venturing out into local Colorado wilderness on a multi-day backpacking trip. This summer, we are focused on what Cal-Wood does best — that magical combination of original experiential education and true, authentic, Colorado mountain adventure including hiking, fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, rope course fun and much more!
H Camp Chief Ouray (YMCA of the Rockies)
Granby
970-887-2648
www.campchiefouray.org
For more than a century, Camp Chief Ouray has been the adventure playground for boys and girls from around the world. Located on 5,100 acres of mountains, valleys, streams and meadows, boredom is simply not an option. Traditional Camp for kids ages 7-14 is designed to provide fun and growth through a series of exciting experiences in a beautiful mountain setting. Special attention is given to the development of positive human relations, leadership and character development. The week at camp is a mix of cabin activities, activities with kids of similar interests, camping out, hiking, camp-wide games, and a chance for campers to choose their favorite activities. Adventure Trips for teenagers ages 14-15 have a dynamic array of wilderness programs for campers looking for an added adventure. These exciting backcountry programs offer campers the chance to participate in rafting, mountain biking, backpacking, horse packing and kayaking adventures! Leadership Training Programs for teenagers ages 15-18 build community leaders. Camp Chief Ouray has many opportunities for teens to gain valuable leadership skills while participating in activities at camp and in the wilderness.
H Camp Granite Lake
Golden
720-249-2997
www.campgranitelake.com
Connect with friends, counselors and nature in a supportive, unplugged community! Campers choose from activities including: sailing, rock climbing, woodworking, canoeing, ceramics, stand-up paddleboarding, backpacking, archery, culinary arts, etc., throughout the beautiful 135-acre property with a private 8-acre lake located in Coal Creek Canyon. Two-week sessions are available for campers who have finished second through ninth grade. We are ACA-accredited and CDHS-licensed, and offer discounts and payment plans. Visit our website or call to schedule a personal on-site tour or slideshow.
Cheley Colorado Camps
Estes Park
(winter) 303-732-6082
(summer) 970-586-4244
www.cheley.com
Since 1921, Cheley has provided an awesome 27-day overnight summer experience for girls and boys ages 9-17. Located in Estes Park, the camp attracts children from all over the world. Activities include backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, technical climbing, stand-up paddleboarding, crafts and more. There is also a Mini-Camp for ages 7-8, Aug. 6-11.
Deer Hill Expeditions Inc.
Mancos
970-533-7492
www.deerhillexpeditions.com
Deer Hill leads inspiring journeys in the Southwest and Costa Rica that combine wilderness adventure and service projects that benefit Native American families. No previous experience required.
Sanborn Western Camps
Florissant
719-748-3341
www.sanbornwesterncamps.com
Since 1948, Sanborn Western Camps have been creating outdoor experiences of exceptional quality and depth. Sanborn’s fun, relaxed atmosphere and caring staff provide a supportive environment for individual growth in self-confidence, independence and awareness of others. Each child’s contributions are valued in a community based on mutual respect and shared adventures. Big Spring Ranch for Boys and High Trails Ranch for Girls lie at an elevation of 8,700 feet in the center of Colorado. The camps own more than 6,000 acres of open pine forest, wildflower meadows and rocky bluffs, an unparalleled setting for outdoor adventures.
Women’s Wilderness Institute
Boulder
303-938-9191
www.womenswilderness.org
The Front Range wilderness program specializes in real adventure for girls ages 8-18. Attendees enjoy hiking, rock climbing, backpacking and canoeing. Our courses are taught by the best all-female instructor teams around — specializing in confidence, leadership and fun! Four- to eight-day courses, day camps and overnight camps are available. Courses start in Boulder and take place in the Boulder Open Space, Jefferson County Open Space, the St. Vrain river area, Vedauwoo and the Snowy Range of southern Wyoming. Full and partial need-based scholarships available.
YMCA Camp Santa Maria
Bailey
303-443-4474
www.ymcabv.org
Set in the heart of the Rockies, YMCA Camp Santa Maria offers a classic resident camp experience. S’mores included! Campers kayak, paddle board, swim, enjoy crafts, learn archery, hike and explore, build gnome homes and learn outdoor skills. But the fun doesn’t end when the sun goes down. Evenings at camp are spent playing games, performing skits, singing songs or sitting by the campfire. Kids learn independence, challenge their own limitations and connect with the natural world.
