Mountain Stewards Summer Camp

At Experience Learning we believe in the power of wild places to inspire, engage, and empower us all. At our summer camps kids completely disconnect from technology and focus on building connections with the people and world around them. Then we step back and give campers the luxury of space and time to truly explore, adventure in, and enjoy the wild and wonderful forests, caves, and streams of West Virginia.

Our Mountain Stewards summer camps are expedition-style programs with a stewardship focus. We offer different camps for ages 6-adult and all experience levels. As we explore, each group will take part in age-appropriate service projects. These projects add to the sense of empowerment and satisfaction that our campers experience. Browse our options and please contact us if you have questions about the best fit for your family.

My kids love the sense of true adventure and freedom to explore that they have found at every Experience Learning camp they have attended. This is the camp that they ask to return to year after year. I love how their confidence visibly grows after each program. I love that they have wilderness experiences with someone other than family, that they get the chance to both learn from and share their knowledge with the other kids in their program, and that they gain a wild perspective to apply to the rest of their home/school life. The skills, the patience, and the excitement for wild places that they developed at Experience Learning camps makes all of our family adventures more fun. A week in the woods? Yes please, and I hope every child gets the chance to experience that at least once in their life. – 2021 Camper Parent

Why Our Camps Are Special:

No Counselors

We hire instructors. Our instructors are college graduates who run our educational programming during the school year. They are highly trained experts in outdoor education, adventure, wilderness first aid, and beyond-the-classroom learning.

The Real Thing

We eschew contrived experiences in favor of authentic adventures and kid-guided, instructor-enriched explorations.

Small Groups

No camp program has more than 14 participants, with a maximum child:instructor ratio of 1:7. We only run three programs each week so your child is one of 42 rather than one of hundreds of campers.

Service Learning

After we learn how to take care of ourselves in the wild, we look a little further and spend time thinking about and working on taking care of the world around us.

Bring a Coat

Located at 4000’ elevation, Spruce Knob enjoys some of the coolest weather in the region. Our programs offer a respite from the summer heat and humidity.

Key Values:

Adventure

We support our campers in doing things that are hard, we provide a safe space for taking on a challenge that might feel scary. No child is forced to take part in the adventure component but we work all week to prepare participants to be able to take on the challenge. This is often where a child truly feels personal growth and a deeper connection to their peers.

Environment

We investigate the ecosystems around us and how we fit into those systems, working towards a true understanding of how, “It’s all connected!”

Community

By bringing campers beyond their comfort zones we allow new skills, leaders, and roles to emerge. We take the time to reflect, to talk, and to listen to each other. We’re breaking down barriers, reducing the gap and chasm between people in a world that is increasingly divided.

Stewardship

We take the time to do a significant community service project because we know that our young people can, and will, be a positive force of change in the world. This results in a week that is balanced between inward struggle and growth and outward looking and thinking about others that many campers find deeply satisfying. And when a group of kids accomplishes something significant on their own, it is thrilling, empowering and, yes, FUN!

Small Fries Adventure

Small Fries Adventure (entering grades 1 - 2)

July 2 – July 4, 2023 — Register HERE

Our youngest offering for newly hatched campers ready to test the waters of an overnight experience. We will spend our time getting comfortable outdoors on a bite-sized adventure. Based at the heart of the Spruce Knob Mountain Center, we will set up tents near the yurts, explore the local watershed, get cozy around the campfire, and make new friends as we develop the building blocks for future camp experiences. More info >>

Forest Explorers

Forest Explorers (entering grades 3 - 5)

July 9 – July 14, 2023 — Register HERE
July 16 – July 19, 2023 (short program) — Register HERE

These 4 – 6 day programs will introduce participants to Mountain Stewards summer camps without overloading them with huge packs and outsized expectations. We will explore the local area, catch stream critters, visit beaver ponds, the Spruce Knob summit, and practice navigation and map-reading skills. Together we will learn what it takes to set up camp and care for ourselves and each other, while overcoming the challenge of being away from home and making new friends. More info >>

Mountain Trekkers

Mountain Trekkers (entering grades 6 - 8)

June 11 – June 16, 2023 (coed) — Camp Full! Join Waitlist HERE
June 18 – June 23, 2023 (girls session 1) — Camp Full! Join Waitlist HERE
June 18 – June 23, 2023 (girls session 2) — Register HERE
July 9 – July 14, 2023 (boys) — Camp Full! Join Waitlist HERE

On these 4-6-day programs we will hike and camp our way to the best swimming holes, caves, and wilderness experiences that the Seneca Creek Backcountry has to offer. Start and finish at the dorms at Spruce Knob Mountain Center, but you will spend most of your time on a multi-night expedition where you will learn camp craft and practice survival skills while exploring the natural beauty of the ecosystems around us. More info >>

Rivers and Rocks

Rivers and Rocks (entering grades 9 - 12)

June 25 – June 30, 2023 — Register HERE
July 23 – July 28, 2023 — Register HERE

Dig deep into everything the iconic local wilderness areas have to offer on multi-night expeditions. The terrain will be rugged, the adventure will be real, and yeah, it’ll probably be a little wet. We’ll end the week at another one of West Virginia’s most beloved areas, Seneca Rocks, to partner with the USFS on a stewardship project and sneak in some rock climbing too. More info >>

Leadership Adventure Camp

Leadership Adventure (entering grades 11 - 12)

June 29 – July 19, 2023 — Register HERE

Our Leadership Adventure Program will be driven by you, the participants. Your team will start with backpacking, caving, climbing, canoeing, and more. Once we experience many of the greatest hits the local area has to offer, it will be your turn to work together to plan the final expedition. We’ll provide everything you need – but you have to show up for the challenge. Be ready to learn new skills, understand risk, and see firsthand what it takes to plan an expedition. You will also partner with other conservation agencies on meaningful stewardship projects. More info >>

Beginner Mountain Biking

June 21 – June 23, 2023 (entering grades 5 – 7) — Register HERE
July 12 – July 14, 2023 (entering grades 2 – 5) — Register HERE

Based at our Sweetwater Farm Trail Center, gain the experience needed to start riding confidently. Practice bike and camp skills, learn how to manage risk and ride on entry level mountain bike trails. More info >>

NICA Adventure Mountain Biking

NICA Adventure Mountain Biking (entering grades 8 - 12)

June 11 – June 16, 2023 (Intermediate) — Register HERE
July 16 – July 21, 2023 (Advanced) — Camp Full! Join the Waitlist HERE

In partnership with the WV Interscholastic Cycling League, our camps use bikes as a tool for adventure. As we make our way into backcountry settings, we will sleep under the stars and build community within our group. Daily group rides will be an integral part of the experience, but riding will not be the only highlight of the program. Bike maintenance and camp crafts, group awareness and personal development, map reading, fire building, and self-awareness activities all help develop a basic set of skills that participants can call from in their fall races, schoolwork, and adventures for the rest of their lives. More info >>

All Things Rock

All Things Rock (entering grades 7 - 9)

June 25 – June 30, 2023 — Register HERE

Dig deep as we ascend the via ferrata at NROCKS, go into two distinct caves, and climb at several local crags. Must be 13 by start of camp to participate. More info >>

Hike, Climb, Paddle

Hike, Climb, Paddle (entering grades 8 - 11)

July 24 – July 28, 2023 — Register HERE

The ultimate multi-sport. Backpack on the Appalachian Trail, rock-climb, and boat on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. This camp will take place in Annapolis Rocks, MD. More info >>

Mountain Stewards at Experience Learning is a fantastic week-long summer camp for kids who like the outdoors (or who WILL like the outdoors after this wonderful experience!) Stewardship of our natural resources, self-reliance, leadership, and fellowship, are all integral to this program. My daughter LOVES this camp, and that makes me a happy dad. Experience Learning also has great programs for learners of all ages. I recently completed an excellent Wilderness First Aid course at their wonderful Spruce Knob Mountain Center. Check it out! – Mark Wenzler
Through living and working alongside all the different people that come to this camp I was able to experience many different and new ideas, perspectives, and skills that shaped me as a person. – 2019 Summer Camper
In this program I was able to be my own leader, which has allowed me to see the ways in which I can improve myself and the ways in which I am strong. – Summer Camper, Leadership Camp
I learned about who I am as a person and that if I look within myself I can find some of the strength and courage that I’ve felt was missing from me. – Summer Camper, Leadership Camp
The staff were terrific helping us coordinate what camp would fit us best. So patient and understanding. My daughter had a wonderful week and learned so much and made memories and friends. Great experience! – Kristin Potts
That was the best experience of high school and allowed me to flourish in my further experiences in high school. Absolutely transformed my idea of my own physical, social, and mental capabilities and made me feel much more confident!!!! I couldn’t recommend it more. ~Former Summer Camper
I love the freedom at this camp. It doesn’t feel like a structured camp with strict rules. We are free to have fun and learn in our own ways while still effectively accomplishing the goals of the program. – camper
That was the best experience of high school and allowed me to flourish in my further experiences in high school. Absolutely transformed my idea of my own physical, social, and mental capabilities and made me feel much more confident!!!! I couldn’t recommend it more. ~Former Summer Camper

Mountain Stewards Summer Camp

Why Our Camps Are Special:

Key Values:

Small Fries Adventure (entering grades 1 - 2)

Forest Explorers (entering grades 3 - 5)

Mountain Trekkers (entering grades 6 - 8)

Rivers and Rocks

Rivers and Rocks (entering grades 9 - 12)

Leadership Adventure Camp

Leadership Adventure (entering grades 11 - 12)

Beginner Mountain Biking

Beginner Mountain Biking

NICA Adventure Mountain Biking (entering grades 8 - 12)

All Things Rock (entering grades 7 - 9)

Hike, Climb, Paddle (entering grades 8 - 11)

What Folks are Saying: