Our Discovery Trails camps are targeted at offering kids experiences beyond their normal school day. We want them to be able to explore the world on their terms, while still learning. Each weekly camp explores a different theme, such as the arts, the great outdoors, or the native plants and animals of North Carolina.
Summer camp is open to rising first graders (children who have already completed a year of Kindergarten) to rising 6th graders (ages 6-12). Camp will run from 8AM-3:00PM Monday to Friday. Field trips occur twice a week, but will not be finalized until a week before the start of camp and may have to be changed due to weather.
Each week has two camp groups: Group A and Group B. Group A will attend field trips on Tuesday and Thursday and Group B will attend field trips on Monday and Wednesday. On non field trip days these groups will be split into two groups by age. Group B’s day starts 15 mins earlier at 7:45 and finishes at 2:45 and group A runs from 8-3.
Our goal is to give children learning experiences that they will remember for the rest of their lives, so come, join us, and make some memories!
Discovery Trails offers a unique camp experience that you won’t find anywhere else in the area. Not only will we ensure that your kids have a blast, but we will make sure that they come away from it with a new understanding of learning and knowledge that they will want to share with the whole family. We are passionate about covering important topics that children should know about nature and the great outdoors!
Our camps cover a variety of educational topics from science to the arts, to important outdoor skills, all incorporated in meaningful and fun ways for the students.
Each week is $320 except for our ninja week, which is $340 due to the higher cost of those particular field trips. This will include any field trips and all activity costs and any gear your child needs. A non-refundable deposit of $100 is due at signup to hold your spot. The remaining $220 is due 2 weeks before the first day of camp.
Week 1: Trail Rangers
Step into the boots of a young environmental steward during Trail Rangers Week! Campers will explore how to care for the natural spaces they love by learning real ranger-inspired skills. Through hands-on outdoor projects, they’ll help restore micro-habitats, maintain kid-friendly trails, map out natural features, and discover how waterways and forests stay healthy. Each day brings purposeful adventures like litter clean-up missions, erosion-awareness activities, and meeting local conservation volunteers. Campers will build a deeper sense of responsibility and pride as they work together to protect the world around them—one trail at a time.
Week 2: Forest Potions & Magical Nature Science
A week of wonder awaits as campers dive into the mystical world of Forest Potions and Nature Science! This sensory-rich, imagination-fueled adventure blends outdoor exploration with safe, hands-on experiments inspired by the forest. Campers will gather natural materials to create bubbling brews, color-changing concoctions, fizzy reactions, herbal “potions,” and nature-based science spells. They’ll explore real chemistry concepts through petals, soil, leaves, and sunlight while investigating how natural ingredients transform when mixed. This week encourages curiosity, creativity, and pure woodland magic—perfect for kids who love whimsy and messy fun.
Week 3: Woodland Builders
Woodland Builders Week invites campers to become outdoor engineers as they design and construct using the natural materials around them. Through guided building challenges, kids will experiment with balance, weight, and structure as they create mini bridges, group hideaways, log structures, and functional outdoor features. They’ll learn kid-friendly techniques for lashings, leverage, and stability while practicing teamwork and problem-solving. From large collaborative builds to small personal creations, this week fosters resilience, creativity, and confidence as campers transform sticks, logs, stones, and rope into something all their own.
Week 4: Wildcrafting & Useful Plants
During Wildcrafting Week, campers will discover the practical magic of the forest by exploring how people use plants for scent, fiber, color, and simple crafting purposes. Through hands-on activities, they’ll try their hand at natural dye-making, leaf-pressing, weaving with natural fibers, and creating simple salves or balms with safe ingredients. Campers will learn to identify “useful plants” by smell, texture, and role in nature, while building an understanding of traditional skills in a playful, age-appropriate way. This week blends creativity and nature connection, giving campers a deep appreciation for the resources growing all around them.
Week 5: Art in the Wild
Art in the Wild is a creative celebration of nature as both inspiration and medium. Campers will explore a wide range of outdoor art forms, including ephemeral land art, nature mandalas, leaf printing, sun-dye fabrics, stone mosaics, and large-scale collaborative installations. This week emphasizes creative expression, observation, and the beauty of impermanence—many creations remain in the wild for others to enjoy. With the forest as their studio, campers discover new ways to see and interact with the natural world, culminating in a trail-side “gallery walk” to showcase their week’s work.
Week 6 : Ninja Nature Games
Ninja Nature Games Week is fast-paced, high-energy, and filled with outdoor challenges rooted in stealth, balance, agility, and teamwork. Campers will navigate obstacle courses created from logs and forest materials, practice silent movement and “camouflage” challenges, solve nature missions, and learn strategic skills that strengthen focus and coordination. Each day blends playful movement with nature awareness, encouraging kids to tune in to their surroundings like forest ninjas. From cooperative missions to fun competitions, this week builds confidence, resilience, and connection to the outdoors in the most exciting way.
Week 7 : Caring for Creatures
Caring for Creatures is a heart-centered week focused on learning how humans can thoughtfully care for the animals that share our world. Campers will explore the needs of both wildlife and domestic animals through hands-on experiences, guided interactions, and outdoor exploration. Kids will learn about food, water, shelter, safety, and gentle handling as they observe and interact with real animals and discover how different creatures live and thrive in their environments. Through games, role-playing, habitat exploration, and field trips, campers will build empathy, responsibility, and respect for animals of all kinds. This week encourages kindness, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a good caretaker of living things.
Week 8: Trailblazers in Space
Campers will explore the wonders of space and their connection to the natural world during Cosmic Nature Week! This hands-on, outdoor science adventure invites kids to look up at the sky and discover how the sun, moon, stars, and Earth all work together. Through playful experiments and movement-based activities, campers will track shadows, model moon phases, explore gravity and motion, and investigate impact craters and orbits. Using creativity, observation, and imagination, kids will engage with big space ideas through exploration, play, and discovery. Cosmic Nature sparks curiosity and awe as campers discover how the mysteries of space are deeply connected to the rhythms and patterns of nature here on Earth.