Welcome to YMCA Camp Santa Maria, a traditional overnight camp located on more than 1,000 beautiful acres near Bailey, Colorado. We are a mid-sized camp that provides children ages 7-17 with outdoor adventures, resilience-nurturing experiences, support from a welcoming camp community, new skills and countless moments of fun, silliness and smile-inducing joy.
YMCA Camp Santa Maria is a Colorado overnight camp less than a 2-hour drive from the Denver area, Boulder, Loveland, Longmont, Golden and Colorado Springs, offering campers a wide range of experiences. From roasting s’mores and soaring down a huge slip ‘n’ slide to backpacking and mountain biking to stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking, our campers become immersed in the community and culture of our mountain summer camp. Songs, chants and dance parties included!
Sun, June 7–Sat, June 13
Sun, June 14–Sat, June 20
Sun, June 21–Sat, June 27
Sun, June 28–Sat, July 4
Sun, July 5–Sat, July 11
Sun, July 12–Sat, July 18
Sun, July 19–Sat, July 25
Sun, July 26–Sat, Aug 1
Sun, Aug 2–Sat, Aug 8
Sun, Aug 9–Fri, Aug 14 (Traditional Camp Only)
Sun, Aug 9-Tue, Aug 11 (Explorers Camp Only)
Wed, Aug 12-Fri, Aug 14 (Explorers Camp Only)
Overnight camp is about fun. However, it’s not just fun. Counselors work to nurture campers’ knowledge and abilities throughout the summer by teaching them survival skills, music, drama, archery and much, much more. Kids are given a chance to take risks in a safe environment and with a community to support them along the way. And it’s not just kid stuff. From adventure camps that take campers down whitewater rapids to leadership camps that give teens a chance to guide others, camp can be a powerful way to provide young adults with mentors, confidence-building exercises and active time.
“I’ve learned that it’s OK to be yourself.” That’s what campers say after a week at YMCA Camp Santa Maria. It’s that new-found confidence and comfort that is instilled in overnight campers from the moment they check in until the moment they head back home. YMCA Camp Santa Maria campers walk away with a new perspective on life, new skills and a new awareness of their abilities. We see children build confidence, learn to put others first and work toward something greater than themselves. They learn to work with and work out their conflicts with their fellow campers (that’s a must when you share a cabin with so many new people). And maybe most importantly, our campers learn that it’s OK — no, it’s amazing — to be themselves. Camp is a place where kids can be weird, silly, creative and smart. In fact, it’s encouraged.
In the mid 1880s, the YMCA opened America’s first known summer camp program. For more than 130 years, the Y has made summer special for hundreds of thousands of children, offering campers a positive developmental experience through building bonds, nurturing confidence and growing in self-reliance — all in the great outdoors. There is something so special about a child spending part of his or her summer in the mountains: kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, watching sunsets, creating art and roasting marshmallows by the campfire. It’s not only about activities, it’s about making friends, meeting supportive counselors, playing camp games, performing skits and being a part of a community. Come join us in the great outdoors this summer at YMCA Camp Santa Maria.
Sign up for Explorers, Traditional and Pioneer Camps.
We are opening Camp Santa Maria for one day of family friendly fall festivities and Halloween hauntings on Oct 26.
Become a Y member and receive special rates on Camp Santa Maria. Learn more about the benefits of membership.
The Y offers financial assistance to help families in need send their children to camp.
Oct 26, 12:00 pm-8:00 pm at YMCA Camp Santa Maria
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