About this program?
The Adventure Program (which includes Adventure Camp & Junior Adventure Camp) exists to welcome your child into a community of those who love the outdoors. Adventure programs strive to teach youth how to explore the natural world safely, challenge themselves, gain new skills, and make new friends. The Adventure Program at YMCA Camp at Horsethief Reservoir is designed to be a sample platter of wilderness exploration, outdoor-based activities, as well as some traditional camp activities like swimming, zip line, and climbing. Campers will learn skills and strategies while developing lifelong friendships and a deeper connection to the world around them.
About this camp?
Adventure Camp is for campers entering Grades 7-9. Adventure Camp takes the elements of Junior Adventure Camp and Youth Camp and adds extra independence. Adventurers sleep in large group tents with 5 campers and 1 adult staff per tent. Campers utilize modern bathrooms and showers in the main camp area, and have portable toilets at their site. Adventure campers participate in classic Youth camp activities like waterfront activities, archery, zip line, canoeing, and mountain biking, high ropes activities; all of this on top of the unique fire-building, shelter-building, knot-tying and lashings, and top-rope climbing that Junior Adventure gets to do.
Your camper does not need to have participated in Junior Adventure camp in order to participate in our Adventure Camp.
What does my child need for camp?
Please refer to the Parent Camper Guide (2025 version coming soon) on our website for the Packing List (2025 version coming soon) , but know that we provide the essentials to ensure that your camper can join in the fun without needing to buy expensive outdoor gear. Campers will do more outdoor activities than Youth campers, so be sure that they bring clothing for both chilly mornings and hot afternoons, as well as footwear made for walking. Please note that temperature variance at Y Camp can be wide. Sometimes our nights can be chilly. You know your camper better than anyone else; please be sure to check the weather before you check in to camp and add additional clothing/footwear as you see fit (search Cascade, ID for best weather results).
We highly recommend sending campers with a warm-rated sleeping bag.
Campers store their personal items and luggage separately from their tent campsites so that their luggage does not clutter up sleeping space in tents. They will have regular daily access to their belongings whenever needed.
What do campers do differently for meals?
All campers at Y Camp participate in a cookout over a fire at some point during their week, but all meals except for that one are prepared for them in our commercial kitchen. For Adventure campers, everything is the same with the exception of 3 dinners during the week that we cook out over a fire. All adventure campers will participate in the meal planning, preparation, and cooking. After all, when one is out exploring the woods a well-cooked meal over the fire is the finest of luxuries! Campers are welcome to bring a simple/basic mess kit of their own, but is not required.
What safety measures are taken for campers?
Because Adventure campers do special things, staff that work with these campers get additional training and maintain a high supervision ratio, 1:5. While the woods are lovely, dark, and deep, we uphold our promise to you that we will approach every situation with your camper through the calculated lens of risk management. At times, this means we will scoot inside to avoid an electrical storm, and other times it might mean we spend more time reinforcing tick checks.
All activities taking place on our real-rock climbing routes are under the supervision and tutelage of a certified Idaho Mountain Guide staff member, in addition to YMCA staff.
All this is to say that our campers’ safety is our top priority. Campers are always supervised and never left alone. Staff members go through an intensive week-long training before campers arrive on site to ensure all staff are trained in safety and effective facilitation.
