Got kids? Summer Camp Options Abound

Even though a few more snowy days can be expected in Park City before school ends, it’s time to start planning for summer camp. Let’s face it: There’s no such thing as a lazy summer for Park City kids, and with options that exercise both the mind and body, there’s a camp destined to fit every child, no matter their interests. (Reminder: School ends for Park City on June 6 and starts on August 20)

Full-Summer Solutions

Kids get kooky at Park City Recreation’s Day Camp in City Park (Photo credit: Park City Recreation)

Basin Recreation Summer Blast Day Camp
1388 Center Drive
Park City, Utah 84098
(435) 655-0999

Basin Recreation offers themed weeks for their Summer Blast Day Camp. Kicking off on June 10 and finishing on August 16, campers ages 6-12 can expect swimming, sports, games and art. Registration is offered by the day, week or entire summer, and starts at $40/day. Hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and registration opens at midnight on April 1. Contact Angie Greenburg for more info. In addition to their Day Camp, Basin Rec also offers a wide array of daily excursion and weekly camps, including “Mini Mountain Bike Camp” (6-8 years), “Introduction to Lacrosse Camp” (6-12 years), “Munchkin Soccer Camp” (4-6 years), “H2O Adventure Camp” (7-12 years) and “Indoor Volleyball Camp (6-14 years).

Park City Recreation Summer Day Camp
1354 Park Avenue (City Park)
Park City, UT  84060
435-615-5401 (435-615-5440 when camp is in-session)

Park City Recreation offers a summer-long day camp, headquartered out of its City Park building (by the Miner’s Hospital). Camp is held daily from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., and includes arts and crafts, sports, games, fields trips every Friday, and Wednesday trips to the outdoor pool at the MARC. Full-summer cost is $1,950, beginning on June 10 and ending on August 16. Daily campers pay $53 per day, while weekly options are $215 per week. Add-on activities include four-day golf lessons, swimming lessons and skateboarding. Camp registration opens at 6 a.m. on April 1 and can be accessed online by clicking here. Park City Recreation also offers a Counselor in Training (CIT) program for teens ages 13-15. The program focusses on leadership and job skills while working side-by-side with Summer Day Camp staff and campers. Applications for CIT are due on Monday, May 6th, and can be found here.

Deer Valley Resort Summer Adventure Camp
2250 Deer Valley Drive South (Snow Park Lodge)
Park City, UT  84060
435-645-6648

Deer Valley Resort’s Summer Adventure Camp calls Snow Park Lodge its home base, but the entire mountain is its playground. Hiking, mountain biking and SUP are complemented by games, puzzles, arts and crafts. As a state-licensed center, infants as young as two months are welcome, with options available for kids up to 12 years of age. Camp begins on June 10 and runs five days per week throughout the summer. Prices for 2019 have not yet been posted, but a full-summer camper in 2018 was between $2,739 and $3,190 for the little ones. Visit Deer Valley’s website for more info.

YMCA’s Park City Summer Day Camp
4501 UT-224 (Park City Community Church
Park City, UT  84098
801-839-3379

Headquartered out of Park City Community Church (behind Park City Nursery on S.R. 224), this YMCA camp is excursion-based, which means day campers get to go out and explore their own backyard daily. The camp is for ages 5-12, with a special quiet room for the five-year-olds and a staff-to-child ratio of no more than 1:6. Beginning on June 12 and running through August 16, some of the weekly themes include “Wacky Science,” “Disney Heroes,” “Campers vs. Wild,” “Star Wars” and “Around the World.” Daily hours are 8:30 – 4:30 p.m. for $225 per week, with optional extended care starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. for an additional $15 per week (financial assistance is available).

For the Sporty and Outdoorsy

Kids who participate in the Utah Olympic Park’s FUNdamentals Sport Camp get to try out their freestyle skills in the UOP’s famous pool (Photo credit: Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation)

Young Riders Camps
(Locations throughout Park City)
435-640-8642

The Young Riders Youth Cycling program offers weeklong camps from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. beginning June 10, and provides opportunities for riders ages 5 – 14. Seventeen camps are available throughout the summer for every level of rider, including Pee Wee, Never-ever, Beginner, Intermediate and Advance. Registration is now open and most camps are waitlist, but it’s worth getting on the list in case another kids cannot make it! Visit their website for more info, or contact Julie Minahan at [email protected].

Utah Olympic Park
3419 Olympic Parkway
Park City, UT  84098
435-602-9401

The UOP’s FUNdamentals Sport Camp introduces kids ages 7 – 10 to a variety of outdoor pursuits, including golf, tennis, swimming, water polo and sailing. Each of the six sessions are held Tuesday – Friday, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (early drop off at 8:30 a.m. is available), and include an opportunity to try freestyle skiing skills in the park’s famous pool. Cost is $330 per week, and registration is currently open. Click here for more details.

Summit Community Gardens
4056 Shadow Mountain Drive (off Old Ranch Road)
Park City, UT  84098
[email protected]

Kids can learn about nature, gardening and growing healthy food through Summit Community Gardens’ summer camps. Each week’s theme includes hands-on gardening activities and has options for kids entering kindergarten through 8th grade. The varied themes include “Summer Camp: A Week in the Life of a Farmer” (3rd & 4th grade), “Summer Camp: Art in the Garden” (7th & 8th grade), and “Cycles” (3rd & 4th graders). Camps are $180 per week and run Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Click here for more info.

Summit Land Conservancy Outdoor Explorers and Little Explorers Camp
1650 Park Avenue, Ste. 200
Park City, UT  84060
435-649-9884

For kiddos who love being outside and engaging in “nature play,” Summit Land Conservancy has the ideal camp experience planned. Children will learn about ecology, botany, biology, wildlife identification, local history, and the importance of land stewardship while acting as a junior conservator. Half-day camps from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. are available for Little Explorers (ages 5 & 6), with themes that include “Mountain Bike Monday,” “Trail Trekking Tuesday,” “Water Wonders Wednesday,” “Thrill Seeker Thursday” and “Farmer Friday.” The Little Explorers camp is only held for one session – August 12–16 – and costs $200/camper. However, five sessions of the Outdoor Explorers Camp for ages 7-12 are offered throughout the summer, with each session running five full days, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily. The themes are the same as those for the Little Explorers, with the exception of “Weber River Wednesday,” featuring a raft tour of the Weber. Outdoor Explorers costs $375/camper; drop-off and pick-up is at the City Park softball field for both age groups. Registration opens on April 3 at 9 a.m., and can be completed online here, or by stopping by the Summit Land Conservancy’s offices at 1650 Park Ave. Contact Caitlin at 435-640-9884, or [email protected] for more information.

Getting Arts & Science-y

A student draws at the Kimball Art Center (Photo credit: Kimball Art Center)

Swaner Nature Preserve
1258 Center Drive
Park City, UT  84098
435-649-1767

The week-long educational summer camp programs offered through Swaner Nature Preserve run June 17 through August 16, and include both half-day and full-day options. A few openings remain, so click here to check them out, or ask to be placed on the waitlist for others, as openings are always possible. Then, purchase a membership by Feb. 28, 2020 and mark your calendar for March 15, 2020 to register early as a member next year for the best selection of camps.

Kimball Art Center
1401 Kearns Boulevard
Park City, UT  84060
435-649-8882

Camps at the Kimball Art Center are designed to inspire, educate and foster an appreciation for art in all its forms. From June 10 – August 16, kids ages 3-17 will find offerings across multiple media, including sculpture and pottery, graphic design, painting, mosaic and jewelry-making. Classes are Monday through Friday, and run 2.5-3 hours each. Peruse the many options by clicking here.

Park City School District
(Various locations around Park City)
435-645-5617

PCSD’s “Summer Fun” offers week-by-week programs for every grade from June 10 through August 11. Many of the dozens of week-long camps incorporate STEAM concepts with a fun twist, and include subjects like, “Camp Invention” (grades 1-6), “Off the Chart Art – The Art of Pixar” (grades 3-5), “Pete the Cat – It’s all Groovy” (ages 4-6), “Play Well Legos – Harry Potter” (ages 5-12), and a variety of “Chef School Jr.” options. The full catalog and class details go online on March 29, and can be found by clicking here, or email Jane Toly at [email protected].

Natural History Museum of Utah
301 Wakara Way
Salt Lake City, UT  84108
801-581-6927

Natural science and STEAM-related summer camps are available for grades kindergarten through 7th at the Natural History Museum of Utah, located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. Camps begin the week of June 10, with some featuring nearby partners like Red Butte Garden, Tracy Aviary and Clark Planetarium. Topics range from “Farm to Table (with Wasatch Community Gardens),” to “Art with Power Tools for Girls Only,” and “LEGO WeDo and Engineering (with Play-Well TEKnologies).” Most camps for younger kids are half-day, while older kids attend from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Click here for more information and to register.

Utah’s Hogle Zoo
2600 Sunnyside Avenue (840 South)
Salt Lake City, UT. 84108
801-584-1700

Utah’s Hogle Zoo offers camps for kids from (incoming) 1st through 8th grade, with the littlest campers starting out in half-day camps lasting just three days per week, and the oldest campers scheduled for full-days and a five-day week. Some of the more in-depth zoological experiences include, “Let’s Do Lunch” where campers learn the hunting and dining techniques of animals, and “Dr. Zoo,” which takes kids behind the scenes to see what goes into caring for every species, from the cockroach to the rhino. Prices range from $80 for half days to $330 for full days, with discounts for zoo members.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
12033 Lone Peak Parkway
Draper, UT. 84020
801-355-FISH (3474)

For kids fascinated with life under the sea, the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium offers weeklong camps throughout the summer. Themes include “Tide Pool Titans,” “Feathers, Fins and Fur” and “Full STEAM Ahead.” Campers are grouped by ages 6-7, 8-9 & 10-11. There are two half-day camp options for ages 4-5 and 6-7, and the Marine Biologist in Training camp is available for ages 12-14, plus a special field-trip session for ages 14+ All campers receive a t-shirt, water bottle, backpack, behind-the-scenes experiences and animal encounters of the most creepy-crawly kind! Camps begin on June 3 and end August 16, with half days from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., and full days run 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., with extended care options. Prices are $130 for half day and $255 for a full day, with discounts for aquarium members.

Overnight Adventures

Even the littlest campers get to spend the night at Camp Roger (Photo credit: Camp Roger)

Highly-revered overnight camps are available close by through the YMCA’s Camp Roger (on Mirror Lake Highway jut past Kama) and the Girl Scouts’ Camp Cloud Rim (above the Montage in upper Deer Valley). Camp Roger offers week-long camps from June 9 – August 16 for ages 6-15, featuring mountain biking, hiking, archery, arts and crafts, and horseback riding. Camp Cloud Rim offers an idyllic, lakeside setting at 9,200 feet, where girls entering grades 1-12 can experience week-long, themed camps, such as “Boating Bonanza,” “Artrageous” and “Backpacker.” Some camps even allow younger and older siblings to share in the experience, with younger kids staying just a few nights, and older siblings camping for the full five days.

With so many options for day, week and summer-long adventures, you’ll quickly realize why Park City is the choice for so many families. If you’ve just decided to Choose Park City, be sure to connect with Christine today at 435-640-4238 to explore future adventures of your own!