Summer 2025
Peak Experiences
Summer Camping Programs for Wilderness Kids Students
Summer gives us extra time
to really immerse ourselves in the natural world.
Let's do this!
In 2025, Wilderness Kids is excited to offer the following four types of program:
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1-Day Outings: Similar to our Weekend Outings, in and around natural areas very close to home. Open to all registered students.
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Week-long Day Camp: A series of five 1-Day outings for students looking for a different nearby adventure for every day of the week!
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2-3 Day Adventures: For students interested in spending the night away from home and under the stars, we offer these short camping experiences.
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5- Day Experiences: A mid-level experience for students looking for adventure a bit further afield.
Click on any of the links above to go straight to that topic, or just scroll down to see them all.
We are delighted to offer a variety of accessible adventures from 2 to 3 days in length in Summer 2025. Each adventure has a particular focus, such as rock-climbing, paddling, surfing, or swimming. Students are given a chance to try many new things. On all trips, students sleep in tents in modern campgrounds. These trips are open to all registered students who have participated in a Weekend Outing or Summer One-Day Outing before.
2-3 Day Adventures
June 26 to 28
Camping and Cliffs:
Middle School Climbing Trip
Wilderness Kids is headed to beautiful Greenbrier Lake in Maryland's section of the Appalachian Mountains! Students will enjoy professionally-guided rock climbing, swimming, and more. We will devote a big chunk of day two to rock-climbing, and enjoy the fun waters of beautiful Greenbrier Lake in our campground. This trip is a beginner level trip focused on rising 7th-8th graders who may or may not have camped before. We will sleep in tents in a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
August 8 to 9
Beginner Camping Fun:
Cunningham Falls Trip
Our shortest overnight trip of the summer will see us explore nearby Cunningham Falls State Park, where we will enjoy swimming, games, and hiking to the picturesque waterfalls near camp! This trip is for rising 6th-8th grade students, and a great opportunity for students who have never gone camping before. We will sleep in tents in a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
August 12 to 14
Beaches, surfing, and horses:
Coastal Adventure
Wilderness Kids will head to the ocean for all sorts of coastal fun! We will go surfing in Ocean City, see the wild horses on Assateague Island, kayak on calm, quiet rivers, and have fun in the sun at the beach! This is a trip for rising 9th-12th grade students. We will sleep in tents near the Pocomoke River in a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
July 8 to 10
The Best of Shenandoah:
Boys Trip
Wilderness Kids' annual Boys Trip will go to Shenandoah National Park, where we will hike to the famous panoramic views atop Old Rag Mountain, explore waterfalls and natural swimming pools, and have lots of fun hanging out at camp! This trip is geared towards rising 8th-12th grade boys. We will sleep in tents in a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
July 22 to 24
Camping, swimming, and paddling:
Girls Trip
For our yearly all-girls trip, Wilderness Kids will set off to explore the natural beauty of Maryland's Rocky Gap State Park. Students will get to paddle and swim at the lake, hike from their campsite to scenic views, and spend quality time together. this trip is for rising 8th-12th grade girls. We will sleep in tents in a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
5-Day Experiences
We are delighted to offer one 5-day experience in Summer 2025; our West Virginia Adventure. This trip will engage high school students in a variety of activities, and the five days will allow for community building among students, as well as opportunities for individual reflection, leadership, and independence for students. On all trips, students sleep in tents in modern campgrounds. This trip is open to all registered students who have completed at least one camping trip with Wilderness Kids before, or who have prior approval from Wilderness Kids Staff.
July 31 To August 4
Climbing, caving, swimming and more:
West Virginia Adventure
For our highest thrill trip, Wilderness Kids will venture to West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains! Students will climb at the breathtaking Seneca Rocks, stand atop the highest point in West Virginia, make natural clay sculptures while exploring wild caves, swim in refreshing mountain water, and hike through the stunning Dolly Sods Wilderness. This is a trip for rising 9th-12th grade students. We will sleep in tents at a “front-country” campsite (with bathroom facilities and near other campers).
Week-long day camp
New to Wilderness Kids programming this summer, we are excited to offer five straight days of one-day outings, Monday through Friday. These trips will serve as a great way for young students to explore all the natural beauty in and around Alexandria, while returning home for dinner each day. Students will sign up for the entire week, and will be picked up and dropped off at the same location each day. Activities may include swimming, biking, climbing, and hiking, al fueled by an abundance of delicious and nutritious snacks and lunches provided by Wilderness Kids. This trip is open to all registered students entering grades 7th-10th.
July 14 to 18
Discovering Nature Nearby:
One-Week Day Camp
FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What is the cost to attend?
A: All Wilderness Kids programs are completely free of charge. We provide all transportation, food and drink, and camping gear. Students bring appropriate clothes for the trip and a positive attitude, ready to try new things and contribute to a team.
Q: Where will students sleep on the program?
A: Students will sleep in single-gender tents. Adult Trip Leaders will sleep in tents separate from but nearby the students. Wilderness Kids provides tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads to go under each sleeping bag.
Q: What do students do during the trips?
A: Every trip includes camping. Beyond that, each trip has particular activities that it emphasizes, such as rock-climbing, river paddling, backpacking, rafting, or lake-exploring. Our longer trips may incorporate more than one of these focused activities. When not doing these activities, Trip Leaders may guide students through other games and activities. Students also help to prepare each meal and help with clean up. Students set up and break down camp. Students also enjoy supervised downtime each day.
Q: What is the Student:Adult ratio?
A: Overnight trips will have not more than a 4:1 student:adult ratio. For example, 12 students and 3 adults. Most trips will have no more than 12 students and may have as few as 6 to 8.
Q: What does my student need to bring with them?
A: We will provide a packing list to each student. The most important items on the list are a good pair of walking shoes (not just Crocs) and layers of clothing so that the student can adjust easily to changing temperatures. All clothes that come on the trip should be clothes that can get dirty - please do not bring your best clothing.
Q: What about cell phones?
A: We view our time on these adventures as a time to get away from screens and get into nature. Therefore, we require students to leave their phones at home. We have found that, while students are initially upset by this, they adjust quite quickly and become more engaged in the experience at hand. Trip Leaders do have cell phones that they use to take photos, to coordinate activities with partner organizations, or to use in the event of emergency circumstances.
Q: Can I contact my student?
A: These adventures and excursions offer an opportunity for your child to have some experience of independence, so we ask that you do not contact your child other than in the event of emergency. Very often, a camper can be doing just fine on a trip and a call from home can suddenly cause home-sickness that was not there before. Thank you for understanding.
Q: Where do students go to the bathroom?
A: When we are in front-country campgrounds (most of the time), students will have access to modern toilet facilities. When we are backpacking or hiking, we will be in "primitive" sites and students will find an appropriate place in the woods, out of site of others, to go to the bathroom. Trip Leaders will provide guidance about how to do this.
Q: I have more questions. What can I do?
A: Please don't hesitate to text us at 571-629-1182 to ask questions or set up a phone call. (Para español, por favor mande un email a Jerry@WildernessKidsAlexandria.org para preguntar sobre cualquiera cosa or para arreglar una llamada.)
