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Click on the name of a state or location to see camps available in the area:

Colorado	Georgia	Hawaii	Kentucky
Maine	Montana	New Hampshire	Ohio
Vermont	South Carolina

Colorado

Rocky Mountain Adventure Camp

The camp will take place at Colorado State University Pingree Park campus located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This wilderness campus is nestled in a beautiful, secluded mountain valley at an elevation of 9,000 feet, 50 miles outside of Fort Collins, Colorado. Pingree Park offers a unique opportunity to step back in time, allowing individuals to leave the hectic pace of urban life behind. Campers will be immersed in the natural world of the Rocky Mountains including abundant flora and fauna, worldclass hiking to surrounding peaks including a 1946 B-17 U.S. Air Force crash site and white-water rafting.

Georgia

Joint Reserve Component Teen Leadership Summit

This 6-day, 5-night experience offers teens an opportunity to grow and develop not only in their own leadership abilities, but also as reserve component military youth. Reserve component teens will experience high adventure elements including a climbing wall, rappelling down a rock-face, whitewater rafting, and other high rope elements. Teens will have opportunities to meet other military youth from around the globe and share experiences while making new friends. The objective of this summit is to introduce military teens to not only their parent’s military service branch, but also to the growing joint nature of their work.

Southeastern Water Adventure Camp

Follow a drop of water through the water cycle as it hits the ground to filtering through limestone in caverns to exploring underground rivers to exploring the mangrove forest. This camp adventure combines water, problem solving and fifty military teens who will build skills in kayaking, hiking, primitive survival, and snorkeling among some of the United States’ greatest assets. The objective of this camp is to enhance and mentor life skills through problem solving physical exercises, correlating them to personal challenges as military youth.

Hawaii

For military youth already in Pacific Rim, only!

Hawaii Adventure Camp

This camp will take place at YMCA Camp Erdman on the north shore of Oahu. Camp Erdman is situated on 20 acres of pristine land surrounded by the beautiful Pacific Ocean on one side, and mountains on the other. Activities will include challenge low and high (Alpine Tower, Odyssey II) ropes course, surfing, stand up paddle boarding, snorkeling, and horseback riding. This camp will also provide an opportunity to learn about Hawaii’s plant species and Hawaiian culture. The camp project coordinator will assist the families in making the necessary travel arrangements to have a bus/van pick up the campers and bring them to Camp Erdman.

Kentucky

Big South Fork Whitewater Canoeing and Backpacking Expedition

Join us for a FREE, action-packed whitewater canoeing and camping expedition on the Big South Fork River! Learn to safely scout and navigate your way through whitewater rapids, while paddling one of the most scenic rivers in Kentucky. Explore the sandstone bluffs and historic features that surround the river and acquire skills in gourmet backcountry cooking. Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a oncein- a-lifetime adventure!

Whitewater Rafting and Outdoor Extravaganza

Ready for the experience of a LIFETI ME? This FREE, 6-day highadventure experience will provide a variety of exciting challenges in the great outdoors of West Virginia! Work as a team and with other military parents and teens as you experience whitewater rafting, zip lining, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, rappelling and more! Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Red River Gorge Extreme Climbing, Rappelling and Canopy Excursion

What is the BEST way to spend a summer weekend in Kentucky? On a FREE wilderness adventure in the WORLD FAMOUS Red River Gorge! Join us for an action-packed rock climbing and rappelling experience. Race at speeds up to 55 MPH soaring 300 feet over the Gorge on the canopy tour. No experience or equipment is needed! Our guides provide everything you need. Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

The Amazing Life Adventure Center Endurance Challenge

Does your team have what it takes to win the Life Adventure Center Endurance Challenge? Join us for a FREE action-packed weekend to compete with other teams as you navigate your way through various mental and physical challenges. Participate in adrenaline-pumped activities such as high and low ropes courses, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, canoeing, wilderness living and camping, equine, navigating and environmental education! Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Extreme Wilderness Survival

Does your team have what it takes to survive in the wilderness? Join us for a FREE extreme camping adventure, where you will learn survival skills including trapping, foraging, fishing, shelter building, fire starting, water purification, and navigational skills to find your way out of the wilderness. Work as a team to accomplish challenging tasks with confidence. Bear Grylls will have NOTHING on YOU! Gather with good food, parents and peers for nightly campfire programs. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Ultimate Green River Paddling and Caving Adventure

What is the best way to spend a beautiful fall weekend in Kentucky? On a FREE wilderness adventure in the WORLD FAMOUS Mammoth Cave National Park! Join us for a high-octane journey as we go flat-water canoeing, caving through the largest cave system in the world, experience a zipline and sky bridge adventure, and learns coastal camping and backcountry cooking skills. Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Snowshoe Mountain Ski and Snow Adventure

Want to tell your friends that you went on a high- adrenaline snow adventure during the holidays? Join us for this FREE, high-adventure experience that will include skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and snowmobiling down the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia! We will provide everything you need, including equipment, lift tickets, meals, lodging, transportation and instruction. Gather with good food, parents and peers for campfire programs at night. Cozy lodges will await you for overnight accommodations. This camp is for military parents (service member or spouse) and their teen children ages 14-18. Families are welcome from any state and branch of the military. Meet other military teens, reconnect and build teamwork skills with your parent, and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Maine

Ocean Adventure

Step back in history and connect with coastal Maine and master the art of ocean canoeing and kayaking while completing team challenges in a race against the tide. Build confidence and friendships to ensure group survival as you construct shelters and fires that can withstand changing weather, collect food and prepare meals, and perform physical group-building exercises. The final challenge will be traveling up the Ducktrap River in canoes via tide, rope and pole. The ultimate challenge for those looking for a new ocean adventure!

Maine Mountain Adventure

During this one-week program campers will hike, climb and paddle in Maine’s beautiful, rugged Mahoosuc Mountains. Teens will learn basic rock climbing skills, such as rappelling, and belaying at a local ledge. Following the climb, the group will complete the day with a ten-mile swift water paddle on a remote section of the Androscoggin River. The next day will be spent hiking in Grafton Notch on the Appalachian Trail to the summit of Old Speck, the 3rd highest mountain in Maine, and will conclude with an exhilarating cliff jump into a remote mountain pool. The next adventure will be a whitewater paddling clinic where they will learn basic strokes and safe paddling techniques, then it’s time to put those skills to the test on a local stretch of class II and III whitewater. After running the rapids, we’ll return to Bryant Pond, where the teens will have the chance to experience our 400’ water zip-line, followed by a cookout and camp-wide campfire to celebrate the week.

Montana

Archery and Bow Making

Come and learn how to make a perfectly tillered long bow and cordage. During this camp you will build your own primitive bow to keep. Then you will learn the art of primitive instinctual archery—with 3D targets! You will be camping out in the back country and learning the archer’s way of the land. Through adventures with camouflage, wildlife identification and stealthy movement, you will begin to enter the world of the scout. Participants in this camp will likely never see nature the same way again!

Native Tipi and Tracking

Sleep under the night sky in authentic Tipis, practice storytelling through pictographs, work on tanning hides and learn to track. You will learn to track animals including bear, wolves, elk, deer, cats etc. The Students will learn about the animals of the area as well as local history and skills used long ago. This camp provides the incredible opportunity of living in Tipis, off the land, and incorporating the art and science of wildlife tracking. Visiting a diversity of habitats participants will have the opportunity to learn indigenous skills such as trapping, scouting, movement, primitive hunting techniques and more!

Backcountry on Horses

Travel 40 miles of mountain backcountry a day on horses, staying in and setting up in new locations along the way. You will learn horsemanship, western riding, horse communication, and survival with horses. We will use our own legs as much as we ride our horses. Some days include a short nature hike during which we learn about trees and flowers, while others involve a longer trek. Learn what clothing to wear and what survival objects and clothing to pack in a day pack. Orienteering and map reading are learned skills essential for each member of the group to help navigate the way to our destination. We also have lots of opportunity for mountain fishing. Campers receive instruction in fly fishing and/or spin fishing. Campers will learn the basic skills and safety involved in axemanship, a fundamental skill for backwoods travel. Campers of all horsemanship levels are welcome.

Horses and More

Love horses? It’s not just about riding horses, it is also about the horses themselves– each one is as unique and different as each of the youth in camp. Having a horse is more than just saddling up and riding. Come and bond with a horse while you learn with hands-on experience how to ride, groom, feed, and saddle horses. Learn the importance of keeping a horse healthy. Professionals will teach the history and main events of rodeo and the importance of proper treatment and care of rodeo animals. Observe over 150 horses growing up and interacting on the ranch. Enjoy fishing and hiking in the afternoons. Enjoy hands-on experience in preparing healthy camp meals and camping out on the ranch.

Floating and Fly Fishing

Camp along the river nightly as you travel daily along the Madison River in rafts learning to read water, identify fish species, and learn the appropriate flies to use while fishing. Spend mornings wading or fishing out of a boat with seasoned professional fishing guides learning and practicing the latest fishing techniques. In the afternoons, enjoy lessons focusing on casting, knot tying, fly tying, entomology, and the all-important concept of habitat conservation through the study of local water restorations. Learn how best to set up camp, and enjoy outdoor camp cooking.

New Hampshire

White Mountain Winter Adventure Camps for Military Teens

Enjoy alpine skiing on Bretton Woods, one of the best mountains NH has to offer. We take our skiing seriously, so that’s saying a lot (ski lessons for all levels included). Have a meet ‘n greet with the sled dogs, then help harness up the team to head out on a dogsled adventure! Teens will have an opportunity to ice skate before riding through a 65 acre Victorian estate on board an Austrian Sleigh, heated and pulled by a magnificent team of 2,000 pound horses. Then, warm up by a roaring winter campfire with a cup of hot coco and s’mores … all under a blanket of stars. Mountain snow tubing, snowshoeing and a winter hike round out this exciting NH adventure!

Ohio

Nautical Adventures Camp

Come to the shores of Lake Erie and set sail as you learn to navigate a 34-ft. Catalina (or comparable) sailing boat. You’ll learn hands–on from an expert captain essential sailing skills, like rigging a sail, anchoring, and boat handling. As you learn and master these skills, you’ll have the opportunity at the end of the week to earn the ‘Day Cruising’ certification offered by the International Charter Sailing Organization (ICSO). Successfully earning the ‘Day Cruising’ certification allows you to charter sailboats under 35-ft. in length.

Adventure Excursion Camp

Looking for the thrills and excitement of multiple adventure experiences in one camp? Then AEC is for you … expand your horizons as you paddle, climb, bike, and hike in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. ‘New River’ has some of the best whitewater rafting in the country, and is the perfect place to learn and challenge your rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, basic wilderness navigation and sea kayaking skills. You’ll take to the trees and challenge your resolve as you navigate through a modified high ropes obstacle course. Along the way, you and your crewmembers will need to make group decisions about pace, route, and when to break. You’ll bunk in rustic cabins (bathroom/shower facilities close by), and work with your fellow campers to cook your meals.

Ohio Military Teen Adventure Camp

Come to the shores of Lake Erie and camp at the beautiful Beulah Beach Camp and Retreat Center for a week of activities and adventure sessions in a residential camp setting. Rotate through many options, like high ropes, sea kayaking, wilderness survival skills training, geocaching/wilderness navigation, zip lining, jet skis (with an adult), hiking, swimming, tubing, paintball, basketball, rock wall, giant swing, archery, line dancing, hay ride, arts and crafts and much more. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn the basics of sailing using Club Flyer Junior Sailboats. Accommodations will be dormitory style, and meals will be served in a cafeteria.

Whitewater Adventure Camp

A comprehensive whitewater experience! Over the course of 6 days and 5 nights you’ll experience thrills and excitement by paddling some of the best whitewater in the eastern United States. The Ohiopyle State Park area is nestled in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania. You’ll go whitewater rafting on the mighty Youghiogheny River. Build whitewater kayaking and SUP’ing (stand-up paddleboarding) fundamentals on a calm lake, and then move on to put your skills to the test on novice whitewater. You’ll slide down the Meadow Run Waterslides, where many ripples and potholes carved into the stone will give you a whole new kind of whitewater fun. For a change of pace and break from the water, you’ll mountain bike some of the great single-track bike trails in the area. You’ll camp-out and learn to cook your meals over a camp stove.

South Carolina

Military Adventure Expeditions Camp

Military Adventure Expeditions Camp begins at Base Camp at Clemson University’s Youth Learning Institute in Pickens, SC; this site is located in the foothills of Appalachian Mountains and provides access to beautiful protected forests, wilderness areas, lakes, rivers, streams and waterfalls. This camp is designed to give participants new and exciting adventure experiences each day. Campers will go on expeditions that include hiking and bicycling in the Jocassee Gorges wilderness, the unique challenge of a 65 foot waterfall rappel down Pinnacle Falls, canoe the head waters of the French Broad, rock climbing on Looking Glass, primitive camping, and white water raft the Nantahala.

Vermont

Green Mountain Adaptive Adventure Family Camp

Come to the Green Mountains and Stowe, Vermont – the Ski Capital of the East – for an adaptive alpine and Nordic skiing adventure! While you are here you will also enjoy snowshoeing, ice skating, a winter campfire and s ’mores! Campers and their parents will learn together how to bring adventure into their lives and incorporate recreation into their family winter activities!

Funding for Military Teen Adventure Camps has been made available through a partnership between the Department of Defense, Office of Military Community & Family Policy and the United States Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food & Agriculture.

This material is based on work supported by USDA and the United States Department of Defense under Award No. 2009-48667-05833. Brochure produced by Washington State University Extension.