Camp Schedule & Descriptions

Discovery Camps - Ages 4-5

9:00 - 1:00pm

Cost: $148 Members, $165 Non-members 

DESCRIPTIONS

Beaver Blast

This introductory camp will encourage your child’s natural curiosity for living things, giving special attention to beavers! Why is their tail so big and flat? How do they stay warm in the water? Do they really chew through trees? Whether it’s touching a beaver pelt, smelling the earthy scent of the forest, listening to water flowing in the creek or looking for signs of beavers along the trails, campers will use their senses while exploring the forest in small groups that foster one-on-one attention and flexibility.  Activities include hiking, stories, sensory explorations, songs, games and crafts.

Green Leaves and Tall Trees

When you look out at Tryon Creek State Natural Area, there’s green everywhere! This introductory camp will encourage your child’s natural curiosity for living things, giving special attention to the plants all around us! Does all tree bark feel the same? How many shapes do leaves come in? What animals live high up in the trees? Why do little seeds stick to our clothes? By feeling soft cedar bark, smelling the earthy scent of the forest, listening to squirrels chattering high above us and looking the many shades of green in the park, campers will use their senses while exploring the forest in small groups that foster one-on-one attention and flexibility.  Activities include hiking, stories, sensory explorations, songs, games and crafts.

Explorer Camps - Grades K-1

9:00 - 1:00pm

Cost: $148 Members, $165 Non-members

DESCRIPTIONS

Furry Fun

Young explorers will delve into the world of furry forest animals! In small groups that foster flexibility and on-on-one attention, campers will discover the rich diversity of species in Tryon Creek State Park, with special attention given to our furry friends. Why are moles so soft? Can flying squirrels really fly? How do beavers stay warm in the water?  Campers will get to explore along the trails, the creek, and the meadow, as they search for scampering chipmunks, mole hills, deer tracks or other signs of animals. Activities include hiking, stories, songs, games, handling animal pelts and bones, science explorations and crafts.

Owl Adventure

In small groups that foster flexibility and on-on-one attention, explorer campers enter the world of our feathered friends - the owls! How do they hunt in the dark? Can they really turn their heads almost all the way around? What makes them able to fly so quietly Campers will get to explore along the trails, the creek, and the meadow, as they discover the diversity of life that share the forest with our awesome owls. Activities include hiking, stories, songs, games, handling animal pelts and bones, science explorations and crafts.

Forest Secrets - Grades 1-3

9:00 - 3:00pm

Cost: $198 Members, $220 Non-members

DESCRIPTIONS

Creek Critters

Each day campers will spend the morning exploring the park with their small group and discovering its many secrets. Campers will explore all areas of the park but will give special attention to Tryon Creek itself, discovering its importance and learning about the plants and animals that make their lives in or near the water. Each afternoon campers will choose from a variety of activities, including science experiments, forest games, sensory explorations, nature-based arts and crafts activities and more.

In the Trees with Feathers and Leaves

Campers will spend the morning exploring the park with their small group and discovering its many secrets. Campers will explore all areas of the park but will give special attention the tallest inhabitants of the park – the trees! – and their feathered friends. Each afternoon campers choose from a variety of activities, including science experiments, forest games, sensory explorations, nature-based arts and crafts activities and more.

Our Wild Wood (Grades 2-4)
and Ecology Sleuths (Grades 3-5)

9:00 - 3:00pm

Cost: $198 Members, $220 Non-members

DESCRIPTIONS

Ecology Sleuths (Grades 3-5)

In small groups, campers work together to answer some of the many questions that nature poses.  How are owls able to fly silently?  How fast does the water in Tryon Creek flow?  Why are the plants in the meadow so different than those in the forest?  Small groups choose questions that interest them and develop fun ways to discover the answers during their week in the forest.  Plenty of morning time is spent on Tryon Creek’s many trails and in the afternoons campers can choose from a variety of activities such as forest games, microscopes, team building games, orienteering activities and arts and crafts to complete their day.

Our Wild Woods (Grades 2-4)

Campers spend the morning in small groups, exploring all of the wild and magical corners of the park. From fairy and gnome homes to life-sized structures, campers will spend plenty of time building shelters. Mornings also bring hikes along the park’s winding trails, learning about the plants and animals and discovering signs that tell us about the history of this wild place. Afternoon activity sessions offer a variety of activities to choose from including exploring animal pelts, science experiments, games and arts and crafts projects.

Adventure Camps (Grades 5-7)

9:00 - 4:00pm plus thursday overnight camping trip

Cost: $292 Members, $325 Non-members

Note: Going Wild in the Gorge which includes a 2 night camping trip and a whitewater rafting trip costs $319 Members, $355 Non-members

SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTIONS

DESCRIPTIONS

Nature in Every Direction: Exploring Portland's Wildside

Portland has a wealth of wild places just waiting to be explored.  Travel in every direction to Portland’s natural spaces and discover an amazing variety of habitats.  Water will be our main theme this year as we canoe the slough in the North, explore wetlands and reservoirs in the East, and of course, spend time exploring Tryon Creek in the West.  This camp is the perfect way to learn how humans and animals can share the city.  It’s also a great introduction to learning about different types of Northwest habitats and the animals that call them home.  Thursday night will be spent camping at SilverFalls State Park as we head South for an amazing conclusion to our water based excursions.

Highlights: Canoeing the Slough, Mt.Tabor, Oaks Bottom, & Thursday Overnight at Silver Falls

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Tools, Tracks, and Trails

Making fires from the pitch of Douglas Fir trees and shaping arrows from Oceanspray branches are just a few of the skills we’ll learn in this camp.  We’ll also learn how to identify forest edibles, make shelters, and weave cordage from nettles.  At Oxbow Park we’ll learn the fundamentals of tracking from an expert.  We’ll also learn to appreciate all that forests provide for us as we discover ways to keep our forests healthy and strong.  Each camper will have the opportunity to develop a forest craft project during the course of the week that they will be able to take home and share with friends and family.  Thursday night will be spent at Milo McIver State Park sharing completed craft projects around the campfire.

Highlights: Shelter Construction at Tryon, Animal Tracking at Oxbow Park & Thursday Overnight at Milo McIver State Park

Hood to Coast and Everything in Between

Tryon Creek is neatly nestled between the mountains and the coast, but what does this mean for our creek or the plants and animals that call Tryon home?  In order to see how Tryon fits into the bigger picture, we’ll travel to the Mount HoodNational Forest and explore an Old Growth Forest as we learn about the wild and scenic Salmon River and mountain stream ecosystems. We’ll then come back to Tryon Creek for an exploration of the creek’s journey and an understanding of how the park fits into fish migrations and the Willamette Valley region.  On Thursday we’ll head off again for an overnight camping excursion at the coast.  We’ll explore estuary ecosystems at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and spend the night at South Beach State Park.

Highlights:Old Growth Forest, Wild and Scenic Salmon River, Hatfield Marine Science Center, & Thursday Overnight at South Beach State Park.

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Going Wild in the Gorge

The gorge is an amazing place to explore geology, history, and conservation.  We’ll embrace these topics in the most fun way possible as we go whitewater rafting.  We’ll also experience the wonders of geology as we discover many of the Gorge’s waterfalls.  There will be plenty of hiking in this camp as we climb to a summit that was once used for vision quests and we explore a high desert plateau that will give us breathtaking views of the Columbia River, Mt Hood, and Mt.Adams.  This camp will be an amazing adventure that will include a two night overnight at either Eagle Creek or Beacon Rock.

Highlights: Whitewater Rafting, Exploring Waterfalls, Mountain Hikes, Explorations in the High Desert , and a two night overnight at Beacon Rock or Eagle Creek