Nature, Hiking & Exploring

Campers become aware of natural wonders through games and exercises focused on increasing multi-sensory awareness. Less-structured outdoor explorations also delight campers while some lead the way, noticing and sharing different items of interest and intrigue, such as a birdsong or the trail of a wandering squirrel or insect. Mountain pine and aspen forests and wildflower meadows are rich in flora, fauna, geology, and weather systems. Our location at the northwest corner of the Fourmile Fire burn area gives children the chance to experience first-hand the ecological changes brought on by wildfire. Immersion in nature is basic to all other camp experiences.  Highlights for the Mountaineers are their weekly excursions to nearby natural features, streams, and lakes and optional high-country wilderness hikes.

Outdoor Living Skills & Crafts

As an extension of the Nature program, Outdoor Living finds the fun in building a sustainable future. These programs prepare campers for exploring, hiking, and camping in the Indian Peaks wilderness with their families or at Camp in the future.  Fun games and projects promote appreciation of the life systems and their elements - air, water, sun, and earth. Campers learn firsthand the value and skills of maintaining ecosystems, living outdoors, primitive crafts, and being "light on the land" as they prepare for wilderness experiences while having fun. A favorite part of learning about survival and shelter is working on the shared Camp Community Fort in the nearby woods.

Archery
 

Young archers practice safely instructed and supervised 10-step target shooting with bows and arrows to improve their hand-eye coordination. At the Archery Range, there are four lanes for four archers to work on their aim at the same time. Those waiting their turn may play quiet games or work on crafts while the others are shooting. Wrist guards and bows for various pull strengths allow for comfort and success.

Mountainboarding &

Disc Golf

Imagine snowboarding on wheels down gentle dirt slopes and trails through the woods. Navigate over jumps to get some air. Learn to "power-slide" to a safe stop. Mountainboarding on the terrain park in the north forest of the Ranch is a thrill for all.  Some campers even become masters after just a few times on the hill, and everyone has a lot of fun!  The beginning of the 18-hole Disc Golf Course is located at the bottom of the Mountainboarding Course, so throwing discs through the forest to try to land in the baskets adds to the fun!

Gymnastics/Trampoline
 

Children explore their own strength and balance through the use of a variety of gymnastics apparatus. Sessions always begin with fun warm-up games, light stretching exercises, and spotting practice. Campers practice various tricks on the mats, mini-tramp, balance beam, and trampoline as demonstrated and supervised by the gymnastics instructors.

Dramatic Games/Improv
 

Whether a camper is the theatrical type or not, everyone will be laughing harder than ever before! The safe environment created at dramatics allows campers to explore their imagination, creative expression, and on-the-spot acting skills.

Arts & Crafts, Indian Lore and Leatherwork

Outside of the Arts & Crafts Shop, a wide variety of art materials is always available for individual and group projects. Typical activities include sketching, painting, forming clay, and constructing sculptures with paper, glue, various color mediums, and natural materials. Campers make meaningful creations using recycled materials and those found on nature walks.  Outside the adjoining Leather Shop, mallets and stamping tools adorn leather creations.  Campers also discover first-hand the history and culture of mountain and plains Indian tribes. Games, legends, songs, dance, and crafts such as beading, braiding, and pictographs bring to life the ways of the local Arapaho Indians and other tribes.

Earth/Garden/Yoga
 

Experiences in sustainable living are essential to caring for the Earth.  Ever heard the expression, "You are what you eat"? Campers gather wild foods, grow hardy herbs and vegetables at altitude, and tend our friendly goats and their kids. They organically grow and enjoy eating salads, using compost to feed the soil and techniques such as companion planting to combat pests. They design beds for the efficient use of sun and water and use a cold frame to protect seedlings and extend the growing season. Children’s Yoga surprises campers as they discover the fun of stretching into animal poses and quietly reflecting at the Harmony Hut, a beautiful open-air spot set at the edge of a wildflower meadow where a trickling stream emerges from the idyllic, birdsong-filled forest.

Mining History
 

Our area on the ridge west of Gold Hill features abundant natural and cultural heritage. Since Boulder originally began as a supply town for the mining activities in the local mountains, the Gold Hill area is full of reminders of this mining era. In the forest just below the Archery Range, campers explore the grounds around the old Happy Thought Mine where they still shout 'Eureka!' when they dig in the dirt and find bits of fool's gold (iron pyrite).