The Nature Connection Summer Camp
The Nature Connection, 397 Miners Way, Hotchkiss, CO 81419
About
The Nature Connection Summer Camps include activities such as bike riding, swimming, paddle boarding, climbing, exploring nature, fishing, hiking, foraging, archery, rock climbing, and a low ropes course. Campers take part in creating art and sculptures with what they collect on hikes, nature-based pointillism paintings, modeling clay structures at a ceramic studio, and plein air painting. Some sessions include visiting a local State Park, exploring local canyons, riparian work on the Gunnison River, seeing dinosaur tracks in person, learning the human history of Escalante Canyon, visiting Grand Mesa National Forest, cross-country skiing, learning about winter ecology and wildlife, learning about snow science and snowpack, and an introduction to avalanche safety. Other activities include learning water safety, paddleboarding, kayaking, rafting for a day down the Gunnison River, an overnight raft trip, tying flies for fishing, handling native fish, climbing at a climbing wall, using a low ropes course and a mobile climbing wall, stand up paddleboard trips, and cross country ski trips. In Boys Outdoor Explore and Girls Outdoor Explore, campers learn how to be outside or live outside, set up tents, and learn the basics of cooking while camping.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: Overnight camps run 4 days and 3 nights, with drop off on Monday at 8:30am and pickup on Thursday at 1:00pm; Delta Day Camp runs Monday–Thursday, 9:00am–3:00pm; “Send it!” Bike Tech 101 Camp meets as half days in the morning Monday–Thursday with a full day on Friday.
• Price: Overnight Camps: $300 per week; Delta Day Camp: $225 per week; “Send it!” Bike Tech Day Camp/Bike Tech 101 Camp is offered free of charge through DCSD Career Explorations Camps.
The Nature Connection states that it is dedicated to eliminating barriers to the outdoors for youth and families in Delta County and Olathe. It works with partners to bring outdoor learning and experiences to students in Delta County and Olathe K–12 schools, and it partners with agencies, local businesses, and funders to create summer jobs, training, and internships for high school students. The organization reports that it has worked with GOCO and coalition partners to invest close to $2 million in connecting trails, climbing boulders, outdoor classrooms, and related projects, and that part of its operation is conducted on public lands under special permits from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. The Nature Connection (Delta County School District 50J) states that it is an equal opportunity service provider and employer and operates under permit from the USDA Forest Service, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. It hosts up to eight weeks of summer camp, with each week including off-site field trips, and offers overnight camp options with meals provided, as well as free lunch provided by Delta County School District for certain camps. Delta Day Camp offers themes such as Wheels Down, Outdoor Olympics, Passport to the Western Slope, Outdoor Artists, and Climb Time, and campers earn stamps in their passport as they visit new places, accomplish challenges, and discover local plants and animals. The Nature Connection also offers family programs such as Full Moon Family Free Ski and Community Rake & Ride, runs a Pathways program that prepares local youth for jobs in the emerging outdoor economy, and states that it envisions every child accessing trails and outdoor learning opportunities directly from their school yards.
Last updated June 4, 2026.
• Ages: 4–14 years old
• Schedule: Overnight camps run 4 days and 3 nights, with drop off on Monday at 8:30am and pickup on Thursday at 1:00pm; Delta Day Camp runs Monday–Thursday, 9:00am–3:00pm; “Send it!” Bike Tech 101 Camp meets as half days in the morning Monday–Thursday with a full day on Friday.
• Price: Overnight Camps: $300 per week; Delta Day Camp: $225 per week; “Send it!” Bike Tech Day Camp/Bike Tech 101 Camp is offered free of charge through DCSD Career Explorations Camps.
The Nature Connection states that it is dedicated to eliminating barriers to the outdoors for youth and families in Delta County and Olathe. It works with partners to bring outdoor learning and experiences to students in Delta County and Olathe K–12 schools, and it partners with agencies, local businesses, and funders to create summer jobs, training, and internships for high school students. The organization reports that it has worked with GOCO and coalition partners to invest close to $2 million in connecting trails, climbing boulders, outdoor classrooms, and related projects, and that part of its operation is conducted on public lands under special permits from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service. The Nature Connection (Delta County School District 50J) states that it is an equal opportunity service provider and employer and operates under permit from the USDA Forest Service, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. It hosts up to eight weeks of summer camp, with each week including off-site field trips, and offers overnight camp options with meals provided, as well as free lunch provided by Delta County School District for certain camps. Delta Day Camp offers themes such as Wheels Down, Outdoor Olympics, Passport to the Western Slope, Outdoor Artists, and Climb Time, and campers earn stamps in their passport as they visit new places, accomplish challenges, and discover local plants and animals. The Nature Connection also offers family programs such as Full Moon Family Free Ski and Community Rake & Ride, runs a Pathways program that prepares local youth for jobs in the emerging outdoor economy, and states that it envisions every child accessing trails and outdoor learning opportunities directly from their school yards.
Last updated June 4, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.