Durango Summer Camps
SJMA summer camps are for the nature-loving kids of all ages! These youth summer camps are week-long camps where kids spend time learning about the natural world at SJMA’s Nature Center and exploring our National Forest trails. Younger kids may spend their day catching crawdads, building forts, creating eco-villages, hiking, or river tromping. The camps for older kids are packed full of exploration in the rugged terrain of the San Juan Mountains, and, new in 2025, they will finish the week off with a two night backpacking trip to Emerald Lake.
If your 12-17 yr old is interested in gaining outdoor education experience while playing outside and connecting kids to the outdoors, check out SJMA’s free Counselor-in-Training Program.
Junior Naturalist Field Camps: Rising 1st – 6th Graders
Since 2020, SJMA is proud to continue the tradition of one of Durango Nature Studies’ most beloved and enriching summer camps in Durango. The Junior Naturalist Field Camps (JNFC) are week-long camps where elementary-aged children (rising 1st – 6th graders) will spend time learning about the natural world. Campers may spend their day catching crawdads, building forts, hiking, exploring, or river tromping. These kids leave camp with memories, new friends, and a better understanding of the world in which they live.
SJMA is offering six week-long camps, each with a different theme (from Water World to Eco-Village) during the months of June – August.
**Please note that our 2025 Durango JNFC registration process continues to be a lottery system. The lottery for 2025 Durango JNFC Summer Camps is now closed. If you missed the lottery, you can still submit our waitlist form for your kids.**
Camp Dates / Themes / Cost
June 2-6, 2025: Wildlife Neighbors, $375
Want to know more about the incredible creatures with whom we share a backyard? Here is your chance! Learn about local wildlife species, their conservation, and how to share the landscape with bears, mountain lions, deer, moose, and many others. We’ll learn tracking skills, Leave No Trace ethics, and how to act in an animal encounter, among other fun games and activities!
June 9-13, 2025: Water World, $400
Time to explore the wet and wild world of rivers! From the high snowy peaks to the low desert canyons, we will trace water’s incredible journey from the mountains to the dry expanses below. Join us for a week of water play, exploration of watershed science and aquatic ecology, boat-building, and even our own raft trip on the Animas River!
June 23-27, 2025: Predators and Prey, $375
Explore one of the most central relationships that exist in ecosystems all over the world by exploring some of the amazing adaptations that predators have for hunting, and that prey have for avoiding predators. We’ll explore food chains and food webs, play hunting and camouflage games, and meet some of our backyard predators up close in person!
July 7-11, 2025: Biodiversity Blitz, $375
Sure you’ve heard of the circle of life, but did you know that this “circle” is actually like an enormous spider web, with relationships between species that support one another? Our goal this week is to discover as many of the different species as possible that live in our area. We’ll learn about tracking, classification, and even set up game cameras to see who lives at the Nature Center!
July 14-18, 2025: Eco Village, $375
Join us for a week as we explore the intersection of creativity, community, and nature! First, we will explore some of the indigenous cultures that wove themselves intricately into the web of life that exists in the SW. Then, using the story of Roxaboxen as a foundation, we will tap into our imagination and natural materials to build “homes, businesses, and infrastructure”. Taking cues from symbiotic relationships of different plant and animal species, we’ll cooperatively develop “agreements” to help guide our behavior and choices. The week will conclude with an “open for business” time for the campers to showcase their work for others.
August 4-8, 2025: Nature Detectives, $375
We’ll learn about the art of tracking to discover the hidden stories that play out in nature when we’re not around to see them! From decoding animal tracks and scat to unraveling food webs and understanding bird language, we’ll sharpen our observation skills and uncover the secrets of the wild. We’ll also explore the role of fire in shaping ecosystems, investigate the fascinating world of fungi, and even step into the paws of predators and prey in fun, interactive games. Get ready to think like a scientist, move like an animal, and see the natural world in a whole new way!
Remember, if you have an SJMA Membership of $50 or more, you receive a 10% discount for all educational programming (discount will be applied automatically during registration). If you are in need of financial assistance, please submit the Camp Scholarship Form found here.
Drop Off / Pick Up Location
Fassbinder Park at corner of W 17th St and Main Street. SJMA vans will transport campers to a mix between SJMA’s Nature Center and the San Juan National Forest areas.
Drop Off / Pick Up Time
Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Friday: 8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Age Eligibility*
Rising 1st-6th graders
*A waiver is required for kids under the age of 7 and must be submitted by April 20. Please note, approval of the waiver is not guaranteed. Contact Adriana Stimax for more info.
Max Number Participants
35 per camp
Registration
In our quest to make participation in our popular summer camps more equitable, we continue to use a lottery system model. While it has been a challenge to find a registration system that meets all the capacity desires of our invaluable camp families, we believe that this approach, with improvements from our system last year, will make registration as equitable as possible.
Lottery for JNFC is now closed. If you missed the lottery but are still interested, please fill out our waitlist form.
February 1, 2025 (7am) – February 14, 2025 (11:59pm): Lottery is open! Families will register for various “buckets” within our summer camp lottery system. These buckets will include categories for things such as “Locals,” “Household Member ($50) or above,” “Scholarship Recipients” etc.
March 1, 2025: We will randomly draw names from those registered and announce camp spots.
March 10, 2025. Families who are selected need to register to secure their spot(s) in summer camp by March 10th. We will continue to have a waiting list. Stay tuned for more details.
Questions? Chek out our Durango JNFC Summer Camp Lottery FAQ. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Adriana Stimax, SJMA’s Education Director at astimax@sjma.org.
Adventure Camp: Rising 7th – 12th Graders
From Trailhead to Backcountry
Embark on an unforgettable week of outdoor adventure in the stunning landscapes of the Weminuche Wilderness. At La Plata Adventure Camp, participants will explore ecosystems from desert to tundra, build essential outdoor skills, and develop a deeper connection to the natural world. Highlights include hands-on activities in navigation, shelter building, and stewardship, culminating in a thrilling overnight backpacking trip to the breathtaking Emerald Lake. This camp combines adventure, ecology, and leadership to inspire teens to be excited about the outdoors.
Dates
June 16-20, 2025
Drop Off / Pick Up Times
Monday- Tuesday: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Wednesday: 8:30am – Overnight Backpack Trip
Thursday: Overnight Backpack Trip
Friday: Overnight Backpack Trip – 4:30pm
Drop Off / Pick Up Location
Fassbinder Park
Cost
$800; Remember, if you have an SJMA Membership of $50 or more, you receive a 10% discount for all educational programming (discount will be applied automatically during registration). If you are in need of financial assistance, please submit the Camp Scholarship Form found here.
Age Eligibility
Rising 7th through 12th graders
Max Number of Campers
13
Registration*
Registration is now open!
Each child must be registered separately. You must complete the registration for the first child, including payment, before registering your second child. If you have registration questions, check out our Registration Flow Chart.
* Please note that if you have made this registration less than 48 hours in advance of the start of camp, your registration is not guaranteed until confirmed by staff. We need time to receive and process all of the camp forms mandated by Child Care License requirements.
Please Note
This camp is designed for adventurous campers who are ready to embrace full days outdoors. Activities include hiking in alpine terrain, with some days covering up to 7 miles, and an overnight camping experience in the mountains. Campers should be prepared for physically active days and varying weather conditions, including sun, wind, and cooler temperatures at higher elevations.
Questions
Check out our Camp Policies or contact SJMA’s Education Director, Adriana Stimax: astimax@sjma.org