Wilderness Camp

Designed for adventurous fourth graders (ages 9-10) who have attended Animal Camp, Cold Blooded Camp, Campfires and Forts, or Little Wilderness Camp at least once! (No first time campers, sorry. Prior risk assessments are a must for this camp.) Wilderness Camp is a week long, invitation only, day camp designed for returning camp kids who just can't get enough unstructured outdoor play at this private nature preserve!

Every day is an outing to a private nature preserve that is never open to the public. Kids experience their choice of hiking, creeking, birding, frogging, snake hunting, orienteering, trailblazing, and fort building! Or they just can relax and do nothing for a change. Our group has exclusive access to the entire property all week. No strangers! Each day we'll begin and end with free time at Pet World in Lawrence during parent drop off and pick up (or parents can choose to drop off and pick up at the nature preserve, 15 minutes north of downtown Lawrence, if we sell out of our 22 seatbelts).

On Thursday evening, parents and families of 10 year olds (who will be too old to return next year) are invited to the Family Farewell (AKA Goodbye Night) where they pick up at the nature preserve instead of PW to say their goodbyes before we break camp on Friday. Most parents only visit the property once when their kids are usually four or five so the 10 year old "aging out" kids can take their families on one final, private tour of the property, show off their camp sites, and make hot dogs and s'mores until the sun goes down. (Nine year old campers return to PW for pick up at their normal time.)

Why Wilderness Camp? Because unstructured outdoor play is simply not as available as it used to be. Back in 2013, 10 years after we started our younger camps, we had noticed that every year our nine year old kids had a hard time facing their last summer of camp. So we lowered the ages of all our other programs and created this advanced level camp and added an extra year, for kids who really enjoy the freedom of running wild in nature, and who have already mastered all of our lower levels. Most kids start attending our nature programs around age five (although kids can start at three). Before Wilderness Camp, kids found themselves sad with no higher level camp for them to look forward to the next summer. Many of the really adventurous kids needed something more.

The truth is, this property is a pretty magical place and most kids just can’t get enough of it. So Wilderness Camp was designed to take these kids to the next level of nature play and provide a safe outdoor space, tucked in the middle of hundreds of private acres, for kids up to age 10. This nature preserve is privately owned with no public access, completely surrounded by huge private properties on every side. Very few people are allowed to use the property so it stays pristine and natural. The experience is about as primitive as a kid can get these days.

Because Wilderness Camp enrollment is limited to returning campers only, who know the property and have already proven they can responsibly handle the freedom, kids have considerably more independent, free time to do whatever they want with only moderate refresher training when requested and less direct, adult supervision. Even though they go home every evening, kids resurrect old forts, build new forts, and set up campsites a little each day while blazing trails, seining the creek, hiking, snake hunting, caring for animals, and basically just enjoying nature play with no interruptions from the modern, outside world. They learn to navigate using the sun, landmarks, natural clues, and a compass, and communicate with two way radios. Most kids stay within a 15-20 acre radius of hilly timber and creek, but they feel as if they're in another world.

Spots are very limited in all camps offered by Pet World's sister company, The Nature Objective. We can only have as many kids as we have seatbealts (unless parents are willing to provide their own daily transportation). Early registration begins March 15 (with additional fees) and open enrollment starts on April 15.

Indoor, outdoor, rain or shine! (But mostly outdoors!)

The most all-inclusive of TNO's camps, WC includes camp shirt, laundry service M-R, free transportation from PW to the farm and back, tents, hammocks, and tools to use, filtered water, drinks, snacks, and extra campfire food on Thursday night.

2024 SOLD OUT April 1
2023 SOLD OUT March 18
2022 - SOLD OUT March 16
2021 - SOLD OUT March 25

Campers navigating trails (L).
Camp counselor teaching the kids how to start a campfire to cook their lunch - take note of the MUD (R).

Campers with wild, baby ringneck snakes they found herping with camp counselors.

Brave camper crossing the famous tree bridge.