Denali Discovery Camp

Are you looking for an affordable, local, homegrown, Alaskan summer camp experience for your 1st-8th grader? If so, join us for Discovery Camp! 

Program Overview

Since 2000, Discovery Camp has been connecting young people and the wonders of Denali National Park and Preserve through exploration, teamwork, and fun. This day camp program has parents and kids excited, with 100% of parents in 2017 saying that they would want to re-enroll their kids in 2018, and 100% of the kids agreeing!

Have your child join us at the Denali Education Center as a Nature Scout (1st-2nd grade), Denali Detective (3rd-4th grade), Ecosystem Explorer (5th-6th grade), or Wilderness Researcher (7th-8th grade), and let the learning begin!

Because using the wilderness classroom is a privilege, Denali Discovery Camp teaches and adheres to the principles of Leave No Trace and strives to maintain a low impact camp experience for current and future Campers.

Mission

To provide local children with quality learning experiences through hands-on adventure and fun in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Goals

• Provide an opportunity for children to experience the outdoors in a fun and safe manner.
• Develop a sense of inquiry and curiosity about the natural world.
• Cultivate skills of observation, awareness, and reflection about our environment.
• Promote understanding of the subarctic ecosystem.
• Convey the significance of Denali National Park and Preserve as a protected ecosystem.
• Foster stewardship of wilderness and wild places.

Registration

Registration will open at 9am on Monday, March 1st, via an online registration link. You may also call the DEC at 907-683-2597.

Scholarship Applications are due within 7 days of registration.

All paperwork is due two weeks after confirmation of program enrollment. Paperwork includes Medical History Form, Authorization Form, and Code of Conduct. Paperwork can be emailed to youth@denali.org or mailed to Denali Education Center. Failure to submit paperwork by this deadline will result in the forfeiture of your camp spot.

Scholarship notifications will go out by Monday, April 5, 2021. Payment will be collected starting Monday, April 19. All programs must be paid by Monday before the start of camp.

Cancellation and Refund policy is as follows:

5 weeks before camp- Full refund
4 weeks before camp- 75% refund
3 weeks before camp- 50% refund
2 weeks before camp- No refund

Tuition for each camp group:

Nature Scouts…students entering 1st & 2nd grades, $300
Denali Detectives…students entering 3rd & 4th grades, $325
Ecosystem Explorers…students entering 5th & 6th grades, $350
Wilderness Researchers…students entering 7th & 8th grades, $375

Instructors

In the words of one parent, our instructors are “top notch!” Instructors are hired primarily from our local Denali community, so you know they know their stuff. Each group of 10 campers has 3 dedicated counselors. They are hand-picked because of their experience, knowledge, and dedication to quality education. They are classroom teachers, science teachers, English teachers, music teachers, STEM teachers, environmental educators, scientists, authors, former Park Rangers, current Park Rangers, and more! All instructors have previous experience working with youth, wilderness safety and first aid training, and a joy for what they do.

General Information

Discovery Camp runs for 5 days, Monday through Friday. Each day, you will drop your child off either at the Denali Education Center or Murie Science and Learning Center at 9am ready for a full day of adventure. During the day, they will hike, explore, and learn all about Denali. Campers are picked up by parents at 4:00pm at the Murie Science and Learning Center.

Every group has an overnight component during Camp, with the Nature Scouts and Denali Detectives having one night in the park, Ecosystem Explorers having two, and Wilderness Researchers having three. These overnight experiences are essential to the camp experience, yet scaled to take into consideration campers’ previous experience being away from home.

Discovery Camp ends every year with a potluck BBQ and celebration at the Denali Education Center as we watch a slideshow of photos from Camp, see skits from each of our groups, and come together as one big community. It’s a great way to see what everyone’s been up to!

For more detailed information about each group:

• Nature Scouts…students entering 1st & 2nd grades
• Denali Detectives…students entering 3rd & 4th grades
• Ecosystem Explorers…students entering 5th & 6th grades
• Wilderness Researchers…students entering 7th & 8th grades