Animals, Nature & Outdoor Camps are a great way to combine learning, fun and fresh air! Your child can spend time in the woods or on the water learning about the plants and animals of the Bay Area or developing their horsemanship skills.
Featured Nature & Outdoors Camps
Coastal Camp at NatureBridge ~ Sausalito
Everyday at Coastal Camp is an opportunity for adventure and discovery in the outdoors. Participate in games, beach time, hikes, arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, and more in the Marin Headlands! Grades K-9. Daily Shuttles from SF, Mill Valley, and Sausalito.
Camp Woolman ~ Nevada City (transportation available from Berkeley) For ages 9-14. An affordable nonprofit camp that offers rich outdoor experience! Enjoy swimming, hiking, games, music, campfires, and lasting friendships! Our work is grounded in an empathy-based approach to growing emotional intelligence and building self-confidence. 1 & 2-week sessions! NEW in 2013!! – Mini Camp for ages 6–9. A piece of the magic sized for our youngest campers. 2-day session in June.
Camp Woolman Teen Leadership ~ Nevada City (transportation available from Berkeley) An affordable nonprofit camp that offers rich outdoor experience in the Sierra Nevadas, next to the beautiful Yuba River! Experience outdoor adventure, service work, farms, mountains and rivers. Gain leadership skills and confidence, learn about the natural world, and make incredible and lasting connections. For ages 15-16; 2-week sessions all summer!
Roughing It Outdoor Explorers ~ Lafayette (transportation provided from San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Contra Costa County)
1-week outdoor adventures for 1st-6th graders. Campers spend all week at the Lafayette Reservoir learning outdoor skills and exploring the natural world. Activities include fishing, boating, hiking, wilderness living skills, outdoor cooking, crafts, and sports. Group activities daily and 13 choice periods each week! Transportation provided and free extended care available.
Urban Adventure Camps ~ Oakland
Urban Adventure Camps is unique week-long day camp for children ages 8-15. Camp begins each morning at Rockridge Bart in Oakland where campers meet their group and begin their day’s adventure. Groups visit museums, parks, galleries, and various other urban attractions and citycenters. Public transportation is used to travel between locations, thereby developing the campers’ knowledge and confidence when travelling within a city. Each session focuses on one of the following subject areas: physical science, natural science, history and art.
Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation ~ Walnut Creek
offers children's camps for young animal lovers who will enjoy a fun-filled time learning about and interacting with their furry four-legged friends. Camps at ARF feature valuable interactive humane education for any school-aged child. This year's specialty camps include Feline Friends, Pooch Pals and Vet Camp. With multiple different camps to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect fit for your child!
Environmental Volunteers Summer Programs ~ Palo Alto
SNAKE Camp for kids entering 1st-5th grade and Explore! Eco-Adventures for youth entering 6th-8th grade. SNAKE Campers have fun learning about the natural world! Fun field trips, engaging activities, colorful crafts, amazing experiences, and lots of time for making friends, exploring, climbing trees, and being a kid! Explore! participants embark daily on exciting eco-adventures, including rock climbing, ziplines, whale watching, river rafting, and lots more.
Outback Adventures ~ Larkspur, Cupertino
An Outback Adventures kids camp is uniquely different than traditional summer camps. Our camps focus on outdoor adventure and fitness through exploration, cooperation, problem solving, and outdoor leadership. Professional guides provide a safe and fun environment for experiencing kayaking, paddleboarding, and rock climbing. The programs feature fun and interactive instruction insuring your child comes home knowing the fundamentals of these adventure activities. Outback Adventures has been introducing kids to the outdoors since 1999.
Outside Adventure Kids Day Camp ~ Corte Madera
New from Outside Magazine and Avid4 Adventure! Outside Adventure Kids offers multi-sport, outdoor adventure day camps in Marin County. Each day kids participate in a different outdoor adventure sport, with the emphasis all week on developing friendships, understanding risks, learning, and having fun in the outdoors. Activities include: Kayaking, Hiking, Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, and Stand Up Paddleboarding. Ages: 7-12 More Information: OutsideAdventureKids.com
Treks and Tracks Rock Climbing Camp ~ Los Gatos
Join us at Castle Rock State Park for one-day or three-day Rock Climbing Camps. Accompanied by our certified guides our students have fun and build confidence while learning to climb on real rock. Kids ages 8-14 meet at Castle Rock at 9:00 a.m. and are picked up at 3:00 p.m. For more information visit www.treksandtracks.com or call (650) 557-4893.
Featured Horse Camps
Roughing It Horse Camp ~ Moraga (transportation provided from San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and Contra Costa County)
Specialty English horseback riding day camp for riders of all levels, 3rd-10th grades. Comprehensive Certified Horsemanship Association lesson program with 3 riding lessons daily; English equitation, cross country jumping, dressage, pasture rides, gymkhana events, horsemanship, horse crafts, and vet care activities. Horse Show each session. Transportation provided and free extended care available.
Folger Stable Spring and Summer Horse Camps ~ Woodside
Bay Area Equestrian Connection (BAEC) holds week long Western Horse Camps for children ages 7-16. Located at the Historic Folger Stable in Wunderlich County Park in Woodside, BAEC's professional staff and well trained horses ensure that your child learns to ride in a safe, educational and fun environment! The program includes, hands on horse care fundamentals, riding fundamentals, fun arts and crafts, and horse riding every day either in the arena or on the beautiful park trails! Call 650-529-1028 for more details.
Sugarloaf Farm Horsemanship Summer Camps ~ Gilroy
Sugarloaf Farm offers a week long camp, 9am - 4pm, that allows the young horse lover to spend time riding horses and learning how to take care of them. Each camper receives a daily private riding lesson from a qualified British Horse Society instructor. Every afternoon is filled with fun activities including carriage rides, pony club games, arts and crafts and of course on the final day a show! Visit http://www.sugarloaffarm.com for more information.
The Western Horse Experience ~ Half Moon Bay
At The Western Horse Experience, in the peaceful Kastl Rock Ranch, everyone has fun, learns, makes friends (both human and equine) and creates lasting memories. Each child will be assigned their own horse for the camp and learn basic horsemanship and western riding skills. Also included are fun horseback games, crafts, and educational lessons. Lunch, workbook and T-shirt provided. Kids can start with the camp as an introduction to riding and can further their skills with riding lessons.
Heather Hill Riding Center Youth Horse Riding Camps ~ Pacifica
Located at Park Pacifica Stables just 15 minutes south of San Francisco, camps are a fun-filled day or week spent with the Heather Hill Welsh Cobs and Ponies! Join us for horsemanship education, riding, and fun with friends! Limited to only 5 campers per day! This allows each child to ride the same horse every day. Half or Full Day sessions. Full Day campers can also have art lessons and/or film making lessons from a seasoned professional. Star in your own Western! Call Laura for more information: 650-465-4083.
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