Arcadia Nature Camp Programs & Pricing
Arcadia Nature Camp offers unique, age-appropriate camp programs for ages 5–15. There are daily nature themes with hands-on investigation, habitat exploration, searching for animals big and small, crafts, games, and loads of fun!
Online registration for Arcadia Nature Camp will open on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 6:00 am. To ensure that as many children as possible are able to participate in camp, families may register each camper for no more than four weeks of camp.
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Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle -
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
Nature Camp
Monday–Friday • 9:00 am–3:00 pm
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)
Hummingbirds • Ages 5–6 (Entering grades K–2)
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 5
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)
Summer camp is a perfect place to encourage your kid’s curiosity, increase their sensory awareness and provide a safe space for engaging in nature connection. Your camper will explore Arcadia’s diverse habitats and learn about the plants and animals that call this special place home. Join us for hikes, games, crafts, scavenger hunts, storytelling, and creative play!
Kingfishers • Ages 7–9 (Entering grades 2–4)
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 8
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)
Be ready for days packed with new sights, sounds, smells, and games as you explore the sanctuary’s many habitats. Investigate the hidden corners of Arcadia, including the clay pits and the lively edges of streams and rivers. Learn to use a net to safely catch frogs, grasshoppers, and other insects and learn about field marks that help us identify the animals we find. Through crafts and activities, piece together the web of life to better understand the meaning of “community” on a variety of levels.
Great Blue Herons • Ages 10–12 (Entering grades 5–6)
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 8
Weekly sessions from June 24–July 5 (no camp on July 4), July 15–19, and July 29–August 16
Explore the nooks and crannies of Arcadia as you search for plants and animals and investigate the unique adaptations that help them thrive. Explore in and around the vernal pools, monitor the quality of the water and identify the animals you catch. Explore the clay pits, search for animals tracks and scan the skies to learn about the birds of the area. Hop in canoes and paddle the calm waterways of Arcadia to view this place from a unique perspective. Spend a day hiking on nearby Mount Tom State Reservation where you will compare and contrast the landscape to Arcadia.
Please note that families will need to drop off and pick up their campers at Mount Tom for the day trip.
Specialty Camps
Nature Photography • Ages 11–15 (Entering grades 6–10)
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 10
Session dates: July 22–26
Learn how to use a digital camera to take awesome nature photographs. While developing your photographic eye, hike the trails and search for that perfect nature image, then review your images with fellow campers. Learn photography tips and techniques, and of course play some of our most popular nature games.
Campers must bring their own digital camera or smartphone.
Teen Leadership Programs
Environmental Leadership for Teens (ELT) • Ages 11–15 (Entering grades 6–10)
Session dates: July 8–12
Counselor-to-camp ratio: 1 to 10
Become a climate change leader! Find your voice, have fun with others who are passionate about climate action, and help your community. Throughout the session, campers will learn how to design and carry out a climate action project while experiencing the best that summer camp has to offer: hikes to the far edges of the sanctuary, going on a canoe adventure, team-building activities, games, imaginative play, and more. You will leave with a sense of hope and the tools you need to be a climate change leader in your community and beyond.
Counselors-in-Training • Ages 14–17 (Entering grades 9–12)
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)
Counselors-in-Training (CITs) gain valuable leadership skills while assisting camp counselors with daily tasks and camp activities. CITs are enthusiastic role models with a positive attitude who will enjoy working with children ages 5–9 in our Hummingbird and Kingfisher camps.
Prospective CITs must complete a short online application and have a meeting with the Assistant Camp Director to go over the program, the role CITs play as part of the camp team, and make sure the applicant and the program are a good fit. Once accepted, all CITs will be invited to attend our in-person training at the start of the summer.
Being part of the CIT program is one of the many benefits of Mass Audubon membership. In order to register as a CIT, your membership must be current through the summer; if you need to purchase or renew your membership, you should do so as part of your registration transaction.
Due to overwhelming interest in Arcadia Nature Camp's CIT program, we have filled all CIT slots for the 2024 camp season. Please check back next January, we will share an application link for the 2025 camp season then. Feel free to contact [email protected] with any questions related to our CIT program.
2024 Camp Session Pricing
Mass Audubon is committed to ensuring that every family that wants their child to experience summer camp should have the opportunity to do so. A sliding scale model helps us work toward that goal through an easy and dependable process for families. With the sliding scale structure, every family enrolls for camp at a tuition rate based on their annual gross income and size of family.
Mass Audubon Membership
Registering for camp is one of the many benefits of Mass Audubon membership. In order to register for camp, your membership must be current through the end of your camper's last session; if you need to purchase or renew your membership, you should do so as part of your camp registration transaction.
All camp families registering at Tiers 1–3 will receive a free one-year Family membership (new or renewal), thanks to the generosity of members at the Protector level and higher who chose to donate their free gift membership benefit.
Prior to Registration
To make sure you’re prepared to register for camp, please read our registration instructions and camp policies, which include changes to pricing and membership.