Clatsop County Summer Camps

Canoeing, crafts, campfires, learning something new, and finding a home away from home. These are some of iconic summer camp experiences. Summer camp is a great place for kids to meet new friends, try and learn new things, and add some spice to summer break. It also offers parents their own summer break while the kids are gone. Summer camp can help kids connect with the environment, expose them to new STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) subjects that they didn’t know about before, and it can be a place where they learn and connect more with their community. There are several day and overnight camps in Clatsop County.

Camp Kiwanilong

If you are looking for the iconic summer camp for your kid, look no further than Camp Kiwanilong. The camp offers a variety of activities including canoeing, swimming, archery, day hikes, art and crafts, nature study, fishing, and campfires. The camp is settled in 270 acres in the Warrenton forest. They offer youth resident programs where kids of all ages are invited to spend a week at the camp, and they also offer a Counselor-in-Training program for high school students. Look here for their 2018 schedule. Sessions begin in late June and end in August.

Clatsop Community College

Summer is a great time for kids to get excited to learn about technology and art outside of the classroom. Clatsop Community College offers two-week technology camps and one-week art camps for youth ages 12 to 18. Kids will come away with new skills and new friends. Classes include 3D Video Game Design, Drawing and Painting, Calligraphy, Robotics, Electrical Engineering. Their full schedule can be found here. Registration is now open.

Fort Clatsop

For kids who are eager to get outside and learn about and connect with nature, look no further than Lewis and Clark National Park. In partnership with the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, the Park hosts two week-long camps in July. Nature Adventure Camp is for youth entering fourth through sixth grades and has one overnight stay in Fort Clatsop on the last night. Nature Survival Camp is for youth entering seventh through ninth grades and includes two nights of camping on the beach. Participants will learn about local history and the natural world. Enrollment is now open.

Girls Build

Hampton Lumber and Girls Build are bringing a week-long summer camp for girls August 20-24 from 8:00 AM- 4:00 PM. The camp will be at the Warrenton Grade School. Girls ages 8 to 14 will have the opportunity to learn about the basics of building by learning about carpentry, plumbing, electricity, concrete, and sheet metal from female instructors. “In the lumber business, we experience the gender gap in the skilled trades first-hand,” said Hampton CEO, Steve Zika. “There are great career opportunities in the manufacturing sector for people with building, electrical, and mechanical skills. Camps like these expose girls to these and other possibilities and help build their confidence,” said Zika. “It’s good for the kids, good for the community, and good for local businesses like ours.” Registration is now open.

Haystack Rock Awareness Program

Haystack Rock Awareness Program offers summer camps and programs for all ages. Three-day camps will be offered during the summer for youth ages 3 to 12. Other tours and events will also be available for people of other ages. Events include citizen science, puffin polaroids, nudibranch safari, food web mobiles, mycology spore printing, and many more. Free tours are available most Saturdays. There are a variety of special events throughout the summer.  Check their website for a complete listing.