At its core, summer camp is all about having fun and making memories. Kids should leave with new friends, lots of great stories, and minimal sunburn. If your camp is looking for new ways to add excitement for your campers, consider the list of adventure camp activities below. These ideas can be implemented in most any location and will be the start of turning your camp into an adventure camp.

Rough It for a Night

Take your campers out of the cabins for a night and rough it in the woods. This could be a short backpacking trip if your camp has that option, or it could be a one night camping excursion on the grounds. Teach the kids survival skills like building shelters, starting fires, and signaling for help or focus on teaching leave no trace ethics. Camping outdoors is a great way to introduce kids to nature and teach them new skills.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is a great summer camp activity because it combines both a mental and a physical challenge. Climbers of all abilities can progress up the wall and feel accomplishment as they reach the top. Climbing also offers great opportunities for learning new skills and building confidence. Campers can learn skills such as belaying, lead climbing, and rappelling with an auto belay as a backup for extra risk mitigation. Don’t have a climbing wall at your camp? No worries! Use the Arboreal Climbing System to create a climbing challenge in the trees.

Ropes Course (High or Low)

High or low ropes courses are great adventure camp activities because they can easily be scaled up or down. A low ropes course involves minimal space and relatively little investment. To amp up the adventure, take the course into the trees and build a high ropes course. Ropes courses can offer a combination of solo challenges or group challenges for confidence building along with team building activities.

Mountain Biking

ThiIt may be easier than you think to add mountain biking as an adventure activity at your summer camp. If there are forest roads or beginner mountain bike trails available, take your campers out for a ride. If these options are not available, consider creating a mountain bike skills course at your camp. With a little bit of elbow grease you can create a handful of obstacles to teach mountain biking basics. Start with building a low, wide balance beam for learning how to ride straight lines, use cones for cornering drills, build a small ramp to practice going up and over obstacles, and build a small course with logs and rock obstacles for campers to progress on.

Free Fall Jump

Add something that is absolutely out of the ordinary with the QUICKflight Free Fall device. Campers will stand at the edge of a platform high above the ground and then step off into thin are for a thrilling free fall followed by a soft catch. Campers may hesitate to take that step, so make sure there is a cheer squad to encourage everyone and to share the excitement. If you don’t have an existing platform, combine the Arboreal Climbing System with a QUICKjump on the Modular Mount to create a climbing and free-falling adventure in a single tree!

Night Hike

Many nights at camp are spent around the campfire telling stories and roasting marshmallows. Take a night to step away from the fire and explore with a night hike. This is one adventure camp idea that takes very little investment to create an entirely new experience. Give the campers headlamps and head out on a hike or a walk in the woods to explore the night sounds and sights. It’s a completely different experience in the woods at night!

Zip Lining

If your camp is looking for a serious adventure camp idea, adding a zip line is the way to go. The farther and faster, the better! To create the best zip line experience, use the zipSTOP Zip Line Brake. The zipSTOP uses magnetic eddy current braking technology to passively brake campers. That allows campers to enjoy the ride without having to worry about how or when to brake.