Find Your Next Adventure


DATE RANGE
Or leave the current defaults
 TYPE
 TRIP LEADER

 GROUP

 CLASSIFICATION
Quick Trip Search
Colorado Mountain Club
Welcome,   • Log OutMember Login •  Contact Us
Home » Youth » Adventure Camps » Summer Camps

 

Summer Courses

 

and Adventure Camps

 

Explore the mountains of Colorado this summer with the CMC Youth Education Program (YEP)! Specialized multi-day camps and courses offer outdoor skill-building and adventure, giving participants hands on experience rock climbing, hiking, paddling, and more! All programs are taught by experienced CMC instructors who are excited to share their knowledge of adventure activities all the while teaching the important safety skills necessary for exploring the outdoors. We offer programs for a wide range of ages and all abilities. Enjoy an educational and exciting summer camp in
Golden, Colorado through the CMC!
 
Registration for all courses and camps is now open! We look forward to seeing you this summer!

2022 Summer Courses

Grades 9-12

 
**Registration Is Now Open! Sign Up today**

Click the dates below each description to register.

 

Colorado Trail Challenge
***Deadline to Enroll: May 15, 2022
Type: Overnight
Activities: Backpacking
Ages: Going into grades 9-12.
Duration: 6 days, 5 nights
Cost: $1,050 members/$1,150 non-members
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For-Teeners
***Deadline to Enroll: May 15, 2022
Type: Overnight
Activities: Camping/Hiking
Ages: Going into grades 9-12.
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
Cost: $950 members/$1,050 non-members
 
 
 
 
 
Beginner Rock Climbing
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Rock Climbing (indoor and outdoor), Slacklining, Bouldering
Ages: Going into grades 9-12.
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $545 members/$595 non-members
 
 
 
 
 
Intermediate/Advanced Rock Climbing
***Deadline to Enroll: May 31, 2022
Type: Overnight
Activities: Outdoor Rock Climbing, Camping
Ages: Going into grades 9-12.
Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
 
Cost: $1,250 members/$1,350 non-members
 
                                   Cost: $1,150 members/$1,250 non-members
 
 

2022 Summer Camps

Grades 1-8

 

**Registration Is Now Open! Sign Up today**

Click the dates below each description to register.

 

Jr. Mountain Explorers
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Hiking, Rock Climbing (indoor and outdoor), 
Nature Exploration
Ages: Going into grades 1-3.
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $625 members/$675 non-members
 
 
 
 
 
Mountain Explorers
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Hiking, Rock Climbing (indoor and outdoor),
Nature Exploration, Wilderness Survival, Paddle Sports
Ages: Going into grades 3-5.
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $625 members/$675 non-members
 
 
 
Mountain Leaders
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Hiking, Rock Climbing (outdoor), Nature Exploration, Wilderness Survival, Wilderness First Aid, Paddle Sports,
Glacier/Snow Travel, Orienteering, Backcountry Cooking, Leadership 
Ages: Going into grades 6-8.
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $645 members/$695 non-members
 
 
 
Beginner Rock Climbing
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Rock Climbing (indoor and outdoor), Slacklining, Bouldering
Ages: Going into grades 5-8.
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $545 members/$595 non-members
 
 
 
 
 
Intermediate/Advanced Rock Climbing
Type: Day Camp
Activities: Rock Climbing (indoor and outdoor), Slacklining, Bouldering
Ages: Going into grades 5-8
Duration: 5 days, 9am-4pm
Cost: $545 members/$595 non-members
 
 
 
 

At CMC, we believe the outdoors are for all.

If you need financial assistance for our courses or camps, click here for more information!
If you would like to set up a payment plan to finance your next adventure,
email us at YEP@cmc.org.
 

Meet our Summer Team!!! 

Barbara Ramsdell, Youth Program Instructor

 

What is your name and where are you from?
 I'm Barbara! I use she/her pronouns, and I'm originally from the mountains of North Carolina!
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside.
As a kid, I loved to climb trees!
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado?
I love hanging out at Cheesman park! I'm also a big fan of Walker Ranch.
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
I love to hike, climb, garden, and look for cool plants and animals!
 
What was your first summer job?
My first summer job was working at a bakery and cafe in my hometown!
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
I would LOVE to be able to turn invisible. I think I could observe a lot more animals if they couldn't see me!
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Instructor? Why you do what you do?
I love my job as a youth program instructor because it gives me an opportunity to spend time outside at the same time as getting to know students and youth who are also excited about being outside! I learn something new on every program!
 
What is your favorite thing/activity to teach and why?
I love to lead nature walks. I find it so rewarding to really pay attention and ask questions about my surroundings when I'm outside, and I love watching kids do the same thing.
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to us..why is that animal cool?
Pocket gophers! Pocket gophers spend lots of time in tunnels under our feet, but rarely show themselves above ground! Sometimes, a pocket gopher will pull a grassy plant into its tunnel by the root, and we can watch as the plant disappears into the ground. So cool!
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I've held a tarantula!


Collin Yarborough, Youth Programs Instructor

 
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Collin! I am from a small town, Siler City in North Carolina. I left NC in 2019 to California for a bit and then ended up in Colorado!
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside.
When I was a kid my parents would take my brother and I to Great Smokey Mountains NP to camp! Running down trails and playing in the river when we would backpack and camp!
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado?
My favorite place in Colorado is the San Isabella National Forest. I love spending weekends backpacking and adventuring with my dog and family.
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities? I love backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and playing frisbee with my pup!
 
What was your first summer job? My first summer job was a camp counselor for children with disabilities. During the week we would help campers adapt outdoor activates to their needs.
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could have a superpower it would be to fly so I wouldn’t have to wait in Denver traffic to the mountains to snowboard!
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Instructor? Why you do what you do?
I love teaching the next generation about the amazing and wonderful experiences that our planet offers us. When I was younger, I was fascinated by the natural world and playing outside, however there were not a lot of people to teach me more about what I wanted to learn. Now I strive to pass on my knowledge to the next generation of amazing kids.
 
What is your favorite thing/activity to teach and why? I love to teach about leave no trace when playing outside, and understanding our impact on the natural world.
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to up. Why is that animal cool?
I love bumblebees, Its so amazing to watch bumblebees fly around and bump into their environment. How do those small wings support their huge body!
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I have seen 43 states in the US and I plan on reaching 45 by the end of the summer!

Matt Biscan, Youth Program Rock Climbing Specialist

 
What is your name and where are you from?
Matt Biscan.  Born in St. Louis, grew up in Illinois, in Colorado since 1985
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside.
Hiking in Grand Teton National Park when I was eight.  I remember very clearly thinking the cliffs and summits looked much more fun than the trails!
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado?
Lake City in Hinsdale County.  Fantastic ice climbing, 14ers, and the most remote county in the lower 48 states!
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
Ice climbing, rock climbing, alpine climbing, and hiking.
 
What was your first summer job?
Planting corn by hand in the experimental fields of Dekalb Agriculture, at age 13.
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
I would want to be The Reading Ranger, because I want to bring the joy of reading to everyone!
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Instructor? Why you do what you do?
Students and campers teach me new things with every class and camp.  I love the outdoors and climbing and I love helping students and campers come to love those things too!
 
What is your favorite thing/activity to teach and why?
How to climb safely and have fun doing so!
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to us..why is that animal cool?
Got to say, not a fan of much creepy crawly!  But I respect the Prairie Rattlesnake, for its resilience in the face of a harsh environment and the fear of humans.  They don’t attack us but warn us to stay away and only strike if we get too close.  They remind us to respect nature and to remember our need to live with all the creatures mother nature lets us share the world with!
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I have read the complete works of Shakespeare cover to cover three times.

Laura Keeney, Youth Program Instructor

 
What is your name and where are you from?
Laura Keeney, Lynchburg Virginia
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside.
Tubing down the Ichetucknee River in Florida!
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado?
I just moved here so I am still learning about all of the amazing places Colorado has to offer! 
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
Cycling, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running
 
What was your first summer job?
I worked at Fazoli's fast food restaurant.
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
The ability to be able to understand and communicate with anyone no matter what language or ability. Even animals too! 
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Instructor? Why you do what you do?
I love being outside and working with kids. Put those together and you have the perfect job! 
 
What is your favorite thing/activity to teach and why?
I love teaching kids to be confident in their abilities because I think that showing kids everything they CAN do on their own gives them what they need to push themselves even further to keep trying and working towards other goals. 
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to us..why is that animal cool?
(not sure if this is a creepy crawly but...) Octopuses are SO cool because they can camouflage to match anything and each of their 8 legs has its own independent nerve network acting as its own brain. It's as if an octopus has 9 brains! 
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I love completing 1000 piece puzzles. The fastest I have ever done one start to finish was just under 6 hours. 

Alec Backhus, Youth Program Instructor

 

What is your name and where are you from?  
My name is Alec, I'm from Southern California.
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside. 
I lived above a creek in  Portland Oregon for a few years, everyday after school I'd trek down the ravine and make trials and build log huts along the creek.
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado?
My favorite place in Colorado is being a few pitches off the ground on just about any route in Eldorado canyon. 
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
Anyone who has spoken to me for more than a few minutes will tell you I LOVE  getting outside for some rock climbing. 
 
What was your first summer job?
My first summer job was as an instructor at boy scout day camp, but one of my favorite past summer jobs was as a skateboard instructor at Camp Woodward Action Sports Camp. 
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
The power to make any food I want appear at any time, or super strength exclusively in my fingers. 
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Instructor? Why you do what you do?
I have a passion for teaching, encouraging participants to think critically and be inquisitive while helping them develop new skills is a gift. I find teaching to be incredibly fun and fulfilling.
 
What is your favorite thing activity to teach and why?
I love teaching climbing, I would talk about climbing all day for free to anyone willing to listen. Being able to share my stoke with participants eager to learn about climbing is a real treat!
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to us... why is that animal cool?
Blue belly lizards, they are incredibly good climbers! Plus, they have a sweet looking blue belly!
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I took unicycle lessons every morning before school in first grade and mastered the 7ft tall unicycle. ​

 

Hana Hamilton, Youth Program Coordinator

 
What is your name and where are you from?  
Hana Hamilton – Originally from Maui, Hawaii then Florida!
 
Share a childhood memory of doing something outside. 
Being lucky enough to hike through bamboo forest in the Maui rainforest.
 
What is your favorite place in Colorado
Since I haven’t had too much time to explore I would have to say clear creek!
 
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
Climbing, hiking, backpacking, camping, and taking dips in cold fresh lakes!
 
What was your first summer job?
Working in a bakery making mini cupcakes.
 
If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
If I had a superpower I would like to be able to talk with animals! I sometimes know what my dog is thinking but it would be great to be able to read her mind.
 
What do you enjoy about your job as a Youth Program Coordinator? Why you do what you do?
So far, I love that each day has been different and rewarding in multiple different ways! It is great to share my own passions while getting to see youth experience new things. When ever we are exposed to new tasks/adventures we grow a little and it is great to see this first hand in the youth coming through this program!
 
What is your favorite thing activity to teach and why?
I really enjoyed watching stream ecology be taught. The kids were so excited that they got to be hands on and playing outside in the water is always fun! Slack lining is a close second. I personally enjoy playing on the slack line so it is great to share this past time with others.
 
What is your favorite creepy crawly animal? Sell it to us... why is that animal cool?
It may not be crawly or creepy but I love the Opossum! The obsession started in middle school and they seem to get a bad rep a lot of the time so I like to stand up for them when I can! They aren’t aggressive, they kill ticks by the thousands, are surprisingly agile, and their babies are adorable!
 
Share a fun fact about yourself.
I use to be a flying trapeze performer!

Other Fabulous Team Members

Elaine Matucan, Youth Program Instructor (sub)
Mike Spade, Youth Program Instructor (sub)
Preston Hopkins, Youth Program Instructor (sub)
 
 

YEP relies on contributions from generous donors to provide Adventure Camp scholarships to youth who would otherwise be unable participate, due to economic hardship. You can connect a child from a low-income family in our community to nature and our mountains with a tax-deductible gift to YEP today.

 

  Support YEP