Summer Camps

Summer Camp is where you will find a safe and caring place for your child to learn about the magic of YMCA Camp Wapsie.

Teepee Village
Teepee Village is for youth entering 1st-3rd grades and is available in half- and full-week sessions. Teepee Village campers sleep in canvas teepees, built on wooden platforms. Care is taken to insure that campers are always protected in inclement weather. Structured activities and a 1-to-6 counselor-to-camper ratio provide this age group with the security and support they need for a successful camping experience.Teepee campers stay together in groups as they participate in many of the activities available to older campers. They have an opportunity to ride horses.

Teepee Village Parent Packet

Cabin Campers
Campers of the same age and gender stay in cabins with bathrooms and showers. Cabin campers are youth entering 4th - 10th grades. A college-age Senior Counselor and a Junior Counselor supervise and guide the cabin of 12 children through the camp experience.

During the morning, campers choose from a wide range of staff-led self-development activities. Afternoon and evening programs include group activities, such as games, skits, campfires, dances, "Mission Impossible", cookouts, and more. A highlight for the older campers is the overnight canoe trip down the Wapsipinicon River.

Horseback riding instruction is available for $46 per week. Register for this program when registering for camp. Five one-hour riding classes are assigned according to level of ability. We also offer daily, a half-hour "Noon Ride."

Cabin Campers Parent Packet

Ranger Camp
Ranger Camp is for youth entering 8th - 11th grades.

Ranger Camp is a more adventurous outdoor component of our summer program. It's for older youth who want a little more rugged experience with opportunities for more in-depth outdoor living skill development. Campers stay with their counselors in large, sturdy, platform tents. They participate in some traditional YMCA Camp Wapsie activities, but for the most part, they are their own community, working together.

Rangers work on various outdoor living skills during the week, such as food preparation and cooking over a campfire; orienteering; fire-building techniques; basic survival skills and safety; minimum-impact camping; and team building. Rangers also get a chance to ride horses, swim, and camp out as part of the program!

Ranger Camp Parent Packet

Horse Adventure Camp
Horse enthusiasts entering 6th through 9th grade stay in platform tents and have a more extensive introduction to horsemanship. They will be transported to Camp Hitaga (just down the road) daily for a morning of in-depth equestrian experience. Experienced staff will instruct campers on the finer points of tack, safety, grooming, identifying breeds, and respect for the animal. Staff also lead instructional classroom training, hands on horsemanship skills and trail rides on the forest paths at Camp Hitaga. Equestrian campers also take advantage of many typical Wapsie activities.

Horse Adventure Camp Parent Packet

Adventure Trips
AdventureTrips are for youth entering 8th - 12th grades. YMCA Camp Wapsie offers some amazing out-of-camp adventure trips! After an orientation at camp, campers load up their gear and head to their destination! Participants should be prepared for active adventures in wilderness terrain, related to the trip. Camp Wapsie staff is trained in Wilderness First Aid and work with guides trained in the skills of each wilderness trip.

Adventure Trips Parent Packet

Introducing Sports Clinics at Summer Camp
During the summer we offer several sport clinics in Basketball and Soccer. Special instructors that will lead, daily clinics, on designated weeks, to teach and practice skills in these sports. The clinics will run during part of morning activities. It is a great way for kids interested in sports to keep up on a bit of practice over the summer while still getting to enjoy the majority of camps activities.

Day Camp
If you don't want to hear that dreaded refrain "I'm bored" coming from your children's lips this summer, consider enrolling them in Wapsie-Pinicon Day Camp. Youth entering 1st-5th grade are invited to the camp, located at Pinicon Ridge Park in Central City, 20 minutes north of Marion. 

Day Campers participate in outdoor activities, such as canoeing, team sports, group games, archery, hiking, nature study, arts and crafts, fishing, swimming, and horseback riding.

One of the highlights of Day Camp is the Thursday Overnight at Camp Wapsie. Campers bring a sack lunch on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Camp provides the Thursday dinner, plus breakfast and lunch on Friday.

Day Camp Parent Packet

Day Trekkers
Older campers can spend the day at Wapsie and go home at night. (This is a program for youth entering 6th - 9th grades.) Under the supervision of Camp Wapsie counselors, Day Trekkers will participate in many of the daily activities offered at Camp and will do some special Trekker Activities. Friday includes an overnight at camp. Saturday morning will conclude with the Parent's Program after breakfast. Meals are included with the Day Trekking experience.

If you are going to drop your child off at Camp Wapsie they must arrive by 8:45 a.m. and you are to pick them up by 3:30 p.m.  A detailed bus itinerary is available in the brochure or from the office.

There will be no bus service provided on Saturday morning. Parents are responsible for ensuring their child is picked up at camp on Saturday.

Day Trekkers Parent Packet

Transportation 
Youth entering 1st-5th grade are invited to the Wapsie-Pinicon Day Camp, located at Pinicon Ridge Park, just outside of Central City, Iowa. Transportation is provided from the Cedar Rapids area. The cost of transportation is included in the cost of Day Camp. If driving your child to Day Camp, check-in at Riverside Pavillion at 8:30 a.m. Pickup is at 3:00 p.m. sharp!

Depart: Stoney Point YMCA, 7:15 a.m. Return: 4:50 p.m.
Depart Helen G. Nassif YMCA, 7:35 a.m. Return: 4:30 p.m.
Depart Marion YMCA, 7:55 a.m. Return: 4:10 p.m.
Depart Riverside Pavillion, 8:30 a.m. Return 3:30 p.m.
(If driving your child to Pinicon Ridge Park Riverside Pavilion, Central City)

Note: YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area memberships must be valid for week(s) attending camp for member rate to be honored.

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