Alberta is a fantastic region in Western Canada to spend time in nature during the summer. This vast Canadian province is home to a variety of landscapes, from lofty mountains and gorgeous lakes like Lake Louise to wide open plains and deep forests.
Alberta proudly acknowledges its rich heritage of First Nations influence that formed the basis of its historical culture. Summer camps in Alberta take advantage of the fresh air and beautiful surroundings, so campers can spend a productive time outdoors building up their independence.
The untouched environments are perfect for teaching kids about the natural world around them while they learn to work and play in community with others.
If you’re looking for a summer camp where your child can grow and reflect, there’s no place like the Canadian great outdoors!
Camp Evergreen
Camp Evergreen is a Christian faith-based organization that offers summer camps at its expansive woodland facility in Sundre, Alberta. Camp options are age-specific one-week programs for kids 5-17, with tons of activities that help them grow physically, socially, and spiritually.
Activities at the Base Camp include team and solo sports, horseback riding, zip-lining, swimming, canoeing, and wall climbing, plus archery and arts and crafts. At the Roughin’ It Camp, children (grades 5-7) get to sleep in teepees and have more outdoor free time to play in the creek and build forts.
Older kids (grades 6-8) in Outcamps sleep in tents and practice team and individual sports and outdoor survival skills. More advanced Trailblazers programs let campers focus on their choice of skills, developing more expertise in a specific area.
Camp Evergreen’s summer camps follow an active schedule filled with outdoor fun with no electronics, great food, and set times for expanding their faith by learning through Bible stories. Children of all faiths are welcome to participate in Camp Evergreen’s wholesome programs.
Camp Caroline
An unforgettable summer experience at Camp Caroline gets your child out of the house and into nature while providing a nurturing environment for increased Christian faith.
The Baptist camp ministry believes that the best form of service comes from creating a space where children learn more about themselves and others in the beauty of nature.
Camp Caroline, located in the eastern foothills of the Canadian Rockies outside of Caroline, offers a daily routine of active outdoor sports and games balanced with quiet time for worship and Christian teachings.
Children from grades K-12 can choose from age-appropriate options in one-week camp blocks. Swimming, crafts, and fun games are favorites for younger children. In addition to usual camp activities, older kids enjoy archery, rope climbing, zip-lining, and axe throwing.
These same fun activities are offered in the Family Camp session that starts right in the middle and near the end of summer.
Camp Valaqua
Camp Valaqua, founded in 1958, offers summer camps on its lush forested grounds outside Calgary. Under their Mennonite Christian philosophy, children between ages 7-17 can come to know God-in-Creation during a week of outdoor activities, fellowship, and community building.
There’s a no electronics policy at camp, and children sleep in cabins according to their age and gender. First-time Discovery campers (aged 8-10) learn about camping through a fun schedule that has crafts, river swimming, archery, sports, nature lessons, and campfires.
Explorer (ages 10-12) and Breakaway (ages 13-17) camps expand on outdoor activities, allowing older kids more responsibility and focus on their chosen interests.
The Camp Valaqua schedule includes daily chapel time, and all campers are taught to sustainability care for the land. Discovery Days Day Camps are available to 7-10-year-olds who just want to experience the same activities without sleeping away from home.
Camp Cadicasu
Located in scenic Kananaskis Country between Banff and Calgary, Camp Cadicasu offers sleepaway camps in one-week increments for children ages 7-17. Since its beginning in 1930, the camp has been a sanctuary where kids connect with others and enjoy the idyllic forest atmosphere.
Camp Cadicasu’s popular traditional camp teaches basic earth skills, such as making a fire, hiking, and building shelters, with time for water play and outdoor games. Their Wilderness First-Aid Course provides instruction on wilderness safety, perfect for enthusiastic hikers who love being in nature.
During Duke of Edinburgh Journeys, kids undertake guided overnight trips that fortify independence, self-reliance, and confidence. With a no-tech policy in place, campers fully immerse in the programs without distractions.
When they’re not hosting your campers, they host students during school season as they receive field trip groups and provide them with a wonderful outdoor education.
Our Lady of Victory Camp
The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton is the proud sponsor and owner of Our Lady of Victory Camp (OLVC), set on over 40 acres of rich woodland property in Edmonton, Alberta.
The camp offers spiritual experiences and high school retreats, where children can create friendships with others of their faith while immersed in the beauty of the outdoor lakeside grounds.
Campers at OLVC stay in dormitories according to gender and have a fun-filled week of sports and more. The property has plenty of wide open spaces, campfire pits, walking labyrinths, an outdoor amphitheater, and walking paths.
By unplugging from technology and everyday activities, youths can enjoy faith-based talks and faith-deepening prayer times. OLVC is a Catholic camp but welcomes children of all faiths (or no faith) to attend their sessions.
The week-long camps at Our Lady of Victory are organized according to age groups and run from July to August. The ministry’s three goals for campers are to Encounter Christ, Encounter Community, and Encounter Creation.
Hastings Lake Bible Camp
For kids ages 8-18, Hastings Lake Bible Camp provides weeks of summer fun in a Christian Bible-centered community. Their easy-to-reach location, on 20 acres of Hastings Lake shoreline, is just outside of Edmonton.
Each day of the youth camp is designed to bring kids closer to their faith while enjoying the beautiful outdoor settings of Alberta. The schedule is busy and active but not over-filled. Kids can unplug from the busyness of everyday life and reflect.
Campers at Hastings Lake Bible Camp get plenty of time to engage in outdoor activities such as canoeing, group sports, swimming, archery, and nature walks. Evenings are for enjoying plays, entertaining programs, campfires, and more.
In between, there are scheduled times for Bible study, quiet time, optional activities, and free time for just hanging around with friends or having a snack at the on-campus canteen.
Kamp Kiwanis
Since 1951, Kamp Kiwanis has provided camping experiences to underprivileged kids in the Calgary area. Kamp Kiwanis has recently moved to a new area between Cremona and Sundre in Alberta.
Summer camps will take place at Kananakskis Field Experience Center and form part of the Alberta Camping Association (ACA). The Kiwanis summer camps are unique because they’re completely free. Attendance is by nomination, and each summer over 300 children between 9-12 attend the popular sessions.
The aim of Kamp Kiwanis is to provide a positive outdoor camping experience where kids grow and enjoy a week of fun during July and August.
Camps range from Junior (grade 4) through Intermediate and Senior camps to Outdoor Pursuits Levels 1, 2, and 3 for junior and high school students.
All children attending Kamp Kiwanis can try out their exciting activities, including field games, hiking, flat-water canoeing, arts and crafts, and overnight camping.
YMCA of Northern Alberta
The YMCA of Northern Alberta, a non-profit charity organization, has a long legacy of providing exciting summer camps for children at Camp Chief Hector outside of Calgary.
Kids ages 7-13 can attend one or two weeks of overnight camps. Daily options may include hiking, climbing, arts and crafts, horse education, and setting up tents during their camping excursions.
Youths (14-15 years) can stay in yurts around the lodge while they focus on team-building exercises, sports, outdoor self-reliance, and more.
YMCA of Northern Alberta also offers a two-week equine program focused on horse care, riding activities, day hikes, and games. Younger children aged 6-10 can attend day camps to play with campers and even pet ponies.
Southern Alberta Bible Camp
Located on the lakefront shores of Travers Reservoir in Southern Alberta, Southern Alberta Bible Camp (SABC) provides a welcoming environment for Christian children to deepen their faith.
SABC’s week-long sessions are organized according to grade levels. Children in Elementary, Junior High, and High school have the chance to play and grow with their peers. They also host family camps.
In all camps, kids have the option to choose dynamic activities that interest them, with some daily and others on a rotating schedule. Favorites include waterskiing, ceramics, extreme thrills like tubing and climbing, marksman’s skills, fishing, paddling and more.
Children are encouraged to work together, practice kindness, and develop in life through Christian values, away from all electronics and tech. Financial aid is available at SABC, so no child misses out on the incredible opportunity to attend this Bible camp.
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