Camp Programs
Day Camps
Yampatika has been around for 30 years with the purpose of sharing the amazing natural world of Northwest Colorado with the people who live in and visit the Yampa Valley. A huge part of that are the camp programs that we offer to help get kids outside and exploring nature. We offer a unique nature and place-based experience where campers get to explore all over Steamboat and the Yampa Valley and learn about it’s exciting animals, plants, ecosystems, history, and more!
Summer Camp Registration will open on March 1st at 6 a.m.
Summer Camp Scholarship Applications are now closed for the first round of reviews.
- The initial application process for our scholarships will begin in February before we open Camp Registration to the public.
- We offer need-based scholarships for participants to ensure that kids who would otherwise be unable have the opportunity to experience our camp programs.
- We will have an online application through Google Forms.
- DO NOT register your child for any other Yampatika camps if you are applying for a scholarship.
- Scholarships are limited and based on need. We do our best to make sure that we can make our programs available to anyone who would like to attend.
One of our biggest goals is to give kids positive experiences outside!
We are getting ready for another amazing Summer for our day camps! Just as always, each group will have a weekly theme to guide their exploration and get to experience a field trip each day to locations all around Steamboat and the Yampa Valley. Campers get to go on hikes, play fun games, conduct experiments, create art projects, and so much more!
We send our campers to explore on exciting field trips all over the Yampa Valley!
Each child who visits Yampatika gets to go on a field trip each day they come to camp. We go all over from places like local parks and trails, museums, ranches, gardens, and State Parks. We also partner with lots of awesome organizations to help expand the experiences we are able to offer. We always have so much to explore!
Summer Camp 2023 Sessions
Week – Date | Theme (applies to all ages) |
Week 1 – June 12th-16th | Wonderful Water Uses |
Week 2 – June 19th-23rd | Ground Up Ecosystems |
Week 3 – June 26th-30th | Eco Warriors |
| Week 4 – July 5th-7th | Prehistoric Party |
Week 5 – July 10th-14th | Forests to Faucets |
Week 6 – July 17th-21st | Our Land Before Time |
Week 7 – July 24th-28th | Kid vs. Wild |
Week 8 – July 31st-Aug 4th | Research Blitz |
Week 9 – August 7th-11th | Whacky Weather |
Week 10 – August 14th-18th | Ecological Entanglements |
View a detailed description of our weekly themes here.
At this time, due to an expected lack of staffing, we will not be hosting a Routt Finders (9-11-year-olds) group the week of August 14th.
Rafting with CMC and
Friends of the Yampa!
We have partnered with Colorado Mountain College and Friends of the Yampa to provide Rafting on the Yampa River on Mondays in June for our 9-11-year-olds. We are excited to be working with both of these awesome organizations to expand our programming!
Blues Break Camp 2023 Details
- Camp runs from February 20th-24th
- Ages 5-9 years-old
- Daily Registration available for $85/day or $375 for the whole week.
- Maximum Camp Size is 12 paired with 2 staff
- Camp runs from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
- Drop Off: 8:30 am – 9:00 am
- Pick-up: 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Summer Camp 2023 Details
- Camp runs from June 12- August 18
- Camp Age Groups
- 5 – 6 years-old (at the time of camp) – Yampatykes
- 7 – 8 years-old (at the time of camp) – Nature Explorer
- 9-11 years-old (at the time of camp) – Routt Finders
- Maximum Camp Size is 12 paired with 2 staff
- Camp runs from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
- Drop Off: 8:30 am – 9:00 am
- Pick-up: 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Summer Camp 2023 Registrations
- Summer camp registration will open March 1st at 6 a.m. Scholarships will open a few weeks before that in February. Join our email list to be sure that you are the first to know about these important dates!
- We know that camps fill up fast and that registration can be a frustrating process. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests for help.
Camp Costs
- Summer Camp Registration costs are as follows:
- Yampatykes and Nature Explorers are $400 per week
- Routt Finders is $425 per week
- We are working with CMC and Friends of the Yampa to provide rafting for the Routt Finders on Mondays in June. To provide rafting, we have increased the cost of those camps to $450 per week.
- We are offering payment. If you register in March, you have the option to put down an initial deposit and then spread the remaining cost to two additional payments in April and May. All registrants must be paid in full by June 1st.
COVID-19 and Camp
We want to assure you that your child’s safety is of utmost importance to us. At a minimum, we will be following local, state, and national guides regarding COVID-19 protocols. We may also have our own protocols in place to help ensure the safety of our staff and other participants. These additional protocols may include daily temperature checks, mask-wearing, vaccination requirements, and students who show symptoms of COVID will be sent home and must be picked up by a parent/guardian at camp immediately. If a student is sent home with COVID symptoms they cannot return to camp for 24 hours and only if symptoms have been cleared for 24 hours. All siblings must also go home with campers who are showing any COVID symptoms. Any positive case of COVID will result in the cancelation of camps and notification of camp families.