Teen Summer Camps in the Pacific Northwest

If you are considering a summer camp for your teen in the Pacific Northwest area, then there are a variety of options from which to choose. Some camps offer character development for teenagers through adventure experiences, while other camps offer more of a traditional approach of just hanging out with peers and having lots of fun.

  1. Adventure-Based Camps

    • Some camps may offer special sessions that emphasize specific adventure experiences and skills that are unique to the region, including mountaineering, ice climbing, rafting, sailing or sea kayaking. One of the unique features of the Pacific Northwest region is the higher elevation mountains such as Mount Saint Helens, Shasta, Shuksan or Hood. Another summer adventure option might include a trip with one of several organizations, such as Summit Adventure, that utilize National Park lands in Yosemite for adventure-based trips. Outward Bound is another well-known organization that runs courses in the Pacific Northwest region.

    Theme-Based Camps

    • Some traditional summer camps offer specialized topics or theme weeks that may be more appropriate for your teenager than adventure-based camps. There are a variety of camps that specialize in arts and crafts. Some colleges, such as the Pacific Northwest College of Art, also offer summer camps where students are allowed to stay in dorms and experience college-preparatory courses. Other camps offer special weeks for LGBTQA (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allies) teenagers. There are also a variety of religious-based and single-gender camps in the Pacific Northwest.

    Camp and Course Locations

    • The Pacific Northwest offers a variety of camp and adventure course locations in each of the area's sub-regions. The Olympic Coast and San Juan Islands in the northwest peninsular of Washington offers a variety of water-based and beach activities. The Northern Cascades offer a range of backpacking, rock climbing and mountaineering activities. There are also multiple rivers, including the Skykomish, Methow, Skagit and White Salmon, which dot the landscape of the entire region.

    Benefits of Summer Camps

    • Summer camps offer teens the ability to have something to look forward to during the summer and can lead to a job returning as a counselor. Another benefit of summer camp is the building of potential life-long friendships with a peer group that returns every summer to the same camp. The Pacific Northwest region also offers a unique eco-system that encompasses coastline, whitewater and mountains reaching over 10,000 feet high.