Summer Camps and Kids Classes in the San Lorenzo Valley: The 2026 Guide

The short version

• Register in the off-season. Many camps open sign-ups between December and spring, and popular sessions are often full or waitlisted by mid-July. If a specific camp matters, get on its page over the winter.
• Free options exist. The Boulder Creek library's summer reading program and Henry Cowell's drop-in Junior and Little Rangers cost nothing (Henry Cowell has a $10 parking fee).
• Cheapest paid camps this summer: Community Mountain Gym's Friday drop-in at $50 a day, and Santa Cruz Learning Center's full week on a $200 to $300 sliding scale.
• Ask about scholarships. Camp Harmon, Farm Discovery, Tails of Redwood Trails, the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, the YMCA, and Santa Cruz Learning Center all offer some form of financial help.
• Treat the links as your source of truth. Camps change dates and prices year to year, so confirm on each program's page before you plan around it.

If a camp matters to your family, the thing that decides it usually isn't price or age range. It's timing. By the middle of the summer the rafting trip had a waitlist and half the overnight weeks in the county were gone, which is how camp season tends to go up here.

Between Boulder Creek and the towns down the hill, families had more than thirty summer camp and class options in 2026: recreation-district day camps in town, gymnastics and horse camps in Felton, art and nature programs, and a handful of overnight camps within a short drive. Below is that full list, grouped by type, with one-line facts and a link to each program's page. Most open registration between December and April and fill through the spring, so bookmark the ones that interest you over the winter.

In town: BCRPD, the pool, and the library

The Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District is the closest thing the valley has to a home-base camp program, at 13333 Middleton Avenue (831-338-4144). This summer's BCRPD flyers listed four camps.

• Adventure Camps served ages 2 to 5 in half-day themed weeks (Kids in the Kitchen, Ocean Explorers, Mini Makers), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at $240 a week.
• Bear Creek Camp ran seven themed weeks for ages 6 to 11, full days 9 to 4 with daily pool time and snacks, at $310 a week.
• Gymnastics and Dance Camp covered ages 3 to 6 over one late-June week, 10 to 2, at $250.
• Whitewater Rafting Campout took older kids (the flyer listed ages 11 to 15) down the South Fork of the American River on a three-day, two-night trip in mid-July for $650.

Registration runs through Wufoo forms linked from the district site, and by mid-summer the rafting trip was already waitlisted.

The Bear Creek pool at 15685 Forest Hill Drive runs its own season, June 6 through September 27 in 2026, with recreational swim most afternoons and the pool closed Mondays. Current hours and season passes are posted here. One expectation to set: BCRPD doesn't publish swim lessons or a junior-lifeguard program anywhere on its site, so don't count on those.

The library is the free option worth building around. The Boulder Creek branch of Santa Cruz Public Libraries runs a summer reading program every year (2026's was "Plant a Seed, Read"), where kids log reading from June 1 through July 31 and earn prizes, with magicians, puppeteers, and craft events through the summer. Sign up at the branch or through Beanstack.

The branch also holds a Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday mornings. Check the branch calendar for the current week before you go.

Gymnastics and active camps

Community Mountain Gym runs day camps out of Felton (6171 Highway 9) and Scotts Valley. This summer's flyer listed an Active Kids Gymnastics Summer Camp across eight weeks, June 8 through July 31, at $325 a week, blending gymnastics with science, library trips, and games, plus a drop-in Kids Summer Camp on Fridays, 9 to 3 at the Felton Community Hall, for $50 a day. The gym's site confirms the format but doesn't publish dates or prices, so treat the flyer numbers as this-year figures and confirm on the weekly registration form.

La Madrona Athletic Club in the Scotts Valley area (1897 La Madrona Drive) ran three camps over ten weeks, June 1 through August 7, open to members and non-members. Sports Camp covered ages 6 to 10, 8:45 to 3, at $389 member and $466 non-member per week; a Summer Pool Guards Camp for roughly ages 6 to 12 ran mornings at $230 and $276; and a Tennis and Pickleball Camp for ages 6 to 12 ran 10 to 1 at $270 and $324. Registration packets are on the club's site.

Valley Sports Camp is a private operator running a multi-sports camp out of local school facilities. In 2026 it held three June weeks in Ben Lomond (June 8-12, 15-19, and 22-26) and three July weeks in Scotts Valley. It serves ages 4 through 13, with full days 9 to 3 at $390 a week and half days at $320, plus early-bird pricing for those who signed up by mid-March.

Horse camps

Tails of Redwood Trails runs horse programs out of the Covered Bridge Equestrian Center at 220 Covered Bridge Road in Felton. Its site lists school-break day programs, Pioneer Ponies for ages 5 to 7 and Horse Hollow for ages 8 to 13, covering riding, grooming, farm chores, and creek play. This summer's flyer described a fuller June-through-August horse camp with certified lifeguards, crafts, and Felton library visits, and noted full and partial scholarships. There's no online registration. Text Kristina Nielsen at 831-706-7482 about the current season.

Trinity Rivers Equestrian at White Rock Ranch ran horsemanship camps on a published 2026 schedule of six weeks between June 8 and July 24 (no camp the week of June 29). Days run 9 to 3:30, with extended care to 5 for an extra $100 a week, at $650 a week including instruction, lunch, pool time, and a Friday show. Register through the RegFox link on the ranch's page.

Art and making

The Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond (9341 Mill Street) ran youth art classes over two weeks in June 2026, for ages 7 to 14, with some specialized classes for ages 9 and up. The format is a-la-carte: kids stack individual classes (painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, jewelry, tie-dye, and more) back to back, with a supervised lunch option to make a full day. The center doesn't publish a price online and offers sliding-scale help through the Gloria Seneres Memorial Fund, so email info@mountainartcenter.org or call 831-336-3513 for pricing and scholarships.

Nature and farm camps

WOLF School runs a Summer Nature Day Camp for kindergarten through sixth grade, split into ages 5 to 7 and 8 to 11. It's a drop-off day camp, 8:30 to 3:30, across eight weekly sessions from June 8 through July 31, at $525 a week early-bird (through the end of April) or $575 after. One thing to know before you plan around it: the camp is held at Camp Monte Toyon in Aptos, not in the valley, so figure on a 20-to-30-minute drive from Ben Lomond.

Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm runs a Farm Camp for ages 5 to 13 across ten weeks, June 1 through August 7, at $425 a week, with early- and late-care add-ons at $100 each and a Leaders-in-Training track for ages 13 and up. Scholarships are available. It's a day camp in Watsonville.

Quail Hollow Ranch County Park in Ben Lomond runs Santa Cruz County youth day camps for first through sixth graders, with hikes, science, games, and crafts. The county registers these through its ActiveNet portal rather than a static page, so the summer dates and prices live there. Check the county page or call 831-454-7941 for the session list.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton isn't a camp, but it's a free option worth knowing. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, interpreters lead drop-in programs in the campground, including Junior Rangers for ages 7 to 12 and Little Rangers for younger kids, where they explore and earn prizes. There's no pre-registration, only the $10 day-use parking fee. Times vary, so check the park's calendar or the visitor center (831-335-7077).

Water and ocean

Wave Warrior Camp, now run by OXA Training near Santa Cruz and Capitola, teaches ocean skills to kids ages 7 and up: surfing, bodysurfing, ocean safety, and basic first aid, 10 to 3 Monday through Friday, at $750 a week. There's also a lower-cost Wave Warrior Little's class at $165. The camp page can lag behind, so confirm the current summer's dates before you plan (831-291-0968). For an option closer to home, see the BCRPD rafting campout above.

Overnight and traditional camps

YMCA Camp Campbell on Highway 9 north of Boulder Creek runs both a day camp (8 to 5, campers grouped by age and folded into overnight-camp activities) and overnight camps in traditional, teen-adventure, and leadership tracks. Session dates and prices move around and sell through the YMCA registration portal; by mid-2026 the remaining bookable overnight weeks were six-day mini-camps for ages 7 to 16 around $1,024 for members, and those were waitlisted. Financial assistance is available, and a Labor Day family camp weekend closes the season.

Mount Hermon in Felton runs faith-based overnight camps. Redwood Camp serves grades 2 through 6 in weekly sessions at $799 a week (meals, lodging, and program included, with sibling and bring-a-friend discounts), and Ponderosa Lodge covers grades 7 through 12 at $990 a week. Registration opens in the off-season (a recent year opened in early December) through register.mounthermon.org.

Kennolyn Camps in Soquel is a regional staple with a day camp for kindergarten through 11th grade (from $745 a week), a residential overnight camp for grades 1 through 12 (from $3,325 a week), and a Huntington Lake overnight for older kids. It registers on a rolling basis, and by mid-summer 2026 many sessions were full with only a couple of open weeks left, so book early.

Camp Harmon in Boulder Creek, run by Easterseals Central California, is a fully accessible overnight camp built for children and adults with disabilities, with a 60-year history and a 1-to-3 staff-to-camper ratio (1-to-1 available). Its summer runs as nine five-day sessions, the youngest group starting at age 10, across an animal farm, garden, arts, and pool. Sessions in 2026 ran $1,450 each at the standard ratio, with Regional Center funding and scholarships available through the camp's scholarships page. Applications close once the season fills, so for next summer, watch campharmon.org and apply in the off-season.

Regional day camps down the hill

Santa Cruz Learning Center runs a day camp for ages 5 to 11, weekly from June 1 through July 31 plus a short August mini-session (no camp the week of June 29), 10 to 4 with extended care available. The center dropped its 2026 pricing to a sliding scale of $200 to $300 a week, one of the more affordable full-week camps around. It also runs short tween and teen camps like Forensics and Physiology and Coastal Crafts and Design.

Seven Directions in Santa Cruz ran a deep art-and-nature schedule in 2026: nineteen one-week day camps from June through mid-August for ages 5 to 18, most full days 10 to 3:30 at $425 to $440 a week, with some half-day camps from $220. Themes ranged from prehistoric animal art and anime to a nature adventure camp at Henry Cowell and end-of-summer eco art, and the studio offers multi-camp discounts. Each camp registers separately through the schedule page.

When registration opens

There's a rhythm worth knowing for next year. Many camps open registration in the off-season, roughly December through spring. Mount Hermon has opened as early as December, and Camp Harmon's applications open in the off-season too.

Early-bird pricing tends to cluster from late January (Farm Discovery's ended January 31) through spring (Valley Sports' ran through mid-March, WOLF's through the end of April). By mid-July, popular sessions are often full or waitlisted: this summer the BCRPD rafting campout, the YMCA mini-camps, and much of Kennolyn's schedule were already spoken for. If a specific camp matters to your family, get on its page over the winter and register by early spring.

Frequently asked questions

When should I register for summer camp in the San Lorenzo Valley?

Plan to register in the off-season, roughly December through early spring. Several camps open registration as early as December, early-bird deadlines cluster from late January through March, and by mid-summer the popular sessions are frequently full or waitlisted.

What are the cheapest summer options for kids?

The library's summer reading program and Henry Cowell's drop-in Junior and Little Rangers programs are free, apart from Henry Cowell's $10 parking. Among paid camps, Community Mountain Gym's Friday drop-in ran $50 a day this summer, and Santa Cruz Learning Center's full-week day camp ran a sliding $200 to $300. Several camps also offer scholarships.

What's available for toddlers and preschoolers?

The youngest camps in town were BCRPD's Adventure Camps for ages 2 to 5 and its Gymnastics and Dance Camp for ages 3 to 6. Community Mountain Gym runs ongoing tiny-tot and preschool classes outside of camp, and the Boulder Creek library's Wednesday-morning storytime is a free weekly option.

Which camps offer scholarships or financial help?

Several. Camp Harmon offers scholarships and Regional Center funding, Farm Discovery lists scholarships for its farm camp, and this summer's Tails of Redwood Trails flyer noted full and partial scholarships. The Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center runs a sliding scale through the Gloria Seneres Memorial Fund, the YMCA offers financial assistance, and Santa Cruz Learning Center moved to sliding-scale pricing. Ask each program directly, since terms change year to year.

For the broader picture on schools, childcare, and year-round kids' programs in the valley, see our family resources guide.

Planning the rest of your season? Check what's coming up on the Boulder Creek Local events page, find local businesses in the directory, and if a camp here has changed its dates or you know one we missed, send it to us.