Camp Woodcraft
Camp Woodcraft Big Bear Valley Retreat Center, 340 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
About
Camp Woodcraft offers outdoor learning with hands-on, nature-based adventures that include activities such as campfire programs and hikes. The program includes sleepaway camp, family camp, customizable school retreats, and the Eco Warriors youth leadership retreat.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Price: Over half of campers attend through heavily subsidized or free programs.
Camp Woodcraft is a program of Woodcraft Rangers, which has operated for over a century and was founded in 1902 by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton. Woodcraft launched its scouting and camping programs in Los Angeles in 1922 and has maintained a storied legacy of fostering inclusion and access in the outdoors since 1902. The program follows a Camp-4-All model that focuses on ensuring as many youth as possible can experience camp.
Camp Woodcraft offers outdoor education programs and experiences year-round, including school retreats that can be customized to meet academic science goals and the Eco Warriors youth leadership retreat that addresses real-world environmental problems through science and civic engagement. The sleepaway camp focuses on classic camp activities through transformative adventure experiences, and family camp is open to all ages with inclusive supports. Programming uses an experiential, nature-based curriculum and is aligned with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
The mission of Woodcraft Rangers centers on eliminating barriers to participation so that all youth, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic background, can experience the healing power of nature, belong, connect, and grow, and explore pathways to purposeful lives with positive mentorship and a supportive community. Partnerships and contributions support this mission by breaking down cost barriers, and in 2023 Woodcraft launched an inclusion initiative in partnership with the California Department of Developmental Services and local Regional Centers. Camp Woodcraft follows recommendations set forth by Scouts for Equality.
Camp Woodcraft is recognized as a leader in inclusion practices within outdoor education and has a groundbreaking inclusion initiative for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism and ADHD. Inclusion specialists enhance access for neurodivergent youth and youth with disabilities, and the program uses a person-centered approach with individualized supports. The camp is an all-gender welcoming community where campers may elect which cabin they most identify with, daytime activity units are mixed gender, and individual shower stalls are provided for privacy.
The year-round youth development staff reflect the diversity of the students served and offer culturally-responsive programming that integrates diverse perspectives. Helen “Curly” Morales, Director of Camp Woodcraft & Outdoor Education, brings 16 years of experience in youth development, leads a diverse team in providing inclusive, healing-centered outdoor experiences, serves on the board of the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (AEOE), and is a national trainer who serves on the DEI committee for the American Camp Association (ACA). Natalie “Selfie” Pinedo, Manager of Outdoor Education, is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a BA in Human Services, and Diana Gonzalez is an Outdoor and Environmental Educator who is a credentialed educator specializing in designing and implementing dynamic science curricula.
Programs at Camp Woodcraft are aligned with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In 2024, Helen Morales was recognized as Outdoor Educator of the Year for Southern California by AEOE, and under her leadership Camp Woodcraft received the American Camp Association’s Eleanor P. Eells Award for Excellence in Research in Practice.
Last updated April 2, 2026.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Price: Over half of campers attend through heavily subsidized or free programs.
Camp Woodcraft is a program of Woodcraft Rangers, which has operated for over a century and was founded in 1902 by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton. Woodcraft launched its scouting and camping programs in Los Angeles in 1922 and has maintained a storied legacy of fostering inclusion and access in the outdoors since 1902. The program follows a Camp-4-All model that focuses on ensuring as many youth as possible can experience camp.
Camp Woodcraft offers outdoor education programs and experiences year-round, including school retreats that can be customized to meet academic science goals and the Eco Warriors youth leadership retreat that addresses real-world environmental problems through science and civic engagement. The sleepaway camp focuses on classic camp activities through transformative adventure experiences, and family camp is open to all ages with inclusive supports. Programming uses an experiential, nature-based curriculum and is aligned with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
The mission of Woodcraft Rangers centers on eliminating barriers to participation so that all youth, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic background, can experience the healing power of nature, belong, connect, and grow, and explore pathways to purposeful lives with positive mentorship and a supportive community. Partnerships and contributions support this mission by breaking down cost barriers, and in 2023 Woodcraft launched an inclusion initiative in partnership with the California Department of Developmental Services and local Regional Centers. Camp Woodcraft follows recommendations set forth by Scouts for Equality.
Camp Woodcraft is recognized as a leader in inclusion practices within outdoor education and has a groundbreaking inclusion initiative for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism and ADHD. Inclusion specialists enhance access for neurodivergent youth and youth with disabilities, and the program uses a person-centered approach with individualized supports. The camp is an all-gender welcoming community where campers may elect which cabin they most identify with, daytime activity units are mixed gender, and individual shower stalls are provided for privacy.
The year-round youth development staff reflect the diversity of the students served and offer culturally-responsive programming that integrates diverse perspectives. Helen “Curly” Morales, Director of Camp Woodcraft & Outdoor Education, brings 16 years of experience in youth development, leads a diverse team in providing inclusive, healing-centered outdoor experiences, serves on the board of the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (AEOE), and is a national trainer who serves on the DEI committee for the American Camp Association (ACA). Natalie “Selfie” Pinedo, Manager of Outdoor Education, is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a BA in Human Services, and Diana Gonzalez is an Outdoor and Environmental Educator who is a credentialed educator specializing in designing and implementing dynamic science curricula.
Programs at Camp Woodcraft are aligned with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In 2024, Helen Morales was recognized as Outdoor Educator of the Year for Southern California by AEOE, and under her leadership Camp Woodcraft received the American Camp Association’s Eleanor P. Eells Award for Excellence in Research in Practice.
Last updated April 2, 2026.
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