Summer Science Camp FAQ

Please see below for a list of FAQ’s.

If the below does not answer your question please contact: Cassy Jo Brown at summercamp@walkingmountains.org 970.827.9725 x114

2023 Cancellation Policy

  1. Refunds will be issued in the same manner that payment was made prior to July, and by mailed check thereafter.
  2. 100% of tuition paid, minus transaction fees and a $25 cancellation fee, will be refunded if notice is received prior to April 27, 2023.
  3. 50% of tuition paid will be refunded if notice of cancellation is received after April 27, 2023 and prior to within 14 days of session start.
  4. Cancellations received within 14 days of session start date are not eligible for refunds.
  5. Cancellation requests due to illness (COVID-19 quarantine) or accident prior to the camp session start date require a physician’s written verification or note from Public Health. Upon receipt of verification, we will issue a full refund, minus transaction fees and a $25 cancellation fee.
  6. Refunds will not be issued for missed days within a session. If campers miss days due to symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or mandated quarantine, refunds will be addressed on a case by case basis.
  7. Campers sent home for disciplinary reasons will not receive a refund.

2023 Waitlist Policy

  1. Scholarship recipients on the waitlist will be offered open spots in the order applications were received.
  2. After offering camp spots to scholarship recipients on the waitlist, camp spots will go public. Everyone on the waitlist for that camp will receive an email about the open spot. Spots will be claimed on a first come, first served basis.

Walking Mountains Science Center is committed to removing barriers in order to make summer science camp possible for more youth. In an effort to increase equity, we are eliminating the $100 membership benefit that previously provided priority access to register for summer camps.

Over the last few years, the majority of spots for camps were filled by $100 members during the early registration window, leaving few spots available to people who could not afford to pay an additional $100, which is not inline with Walking Mountain’s equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.

Walking Mountains is working hard to ensure that all of our programs are as accessible as possible to everyone in the Eagle River Valley.

To apply for a scholarship for our Summer Science Camps, fill out the form HERE.

To receive a scholarship code prior to summer camp registration on-sale, submit your application by March 1st. Scholarship recipients who are approved for a scholarship will recieve an email by March 20th with a scholarship code, which can be used as soon as camp registration opens on March 28th at 6:00 pm MST.

For Weeklong Day Camps at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon and at Brush Creek Elementary School in Eagle:

Drop off is Monday-Friday between 8:30-9:00 am.
Pick up is Monday-Thursday between 4:00-4:30 pm. Fridays pick-up is at 3:00 sharp.

For Earth Explorers Day Camps at the Science Center in Avon:

Drop off is between 8:30-9:00 am.
Pick up is Monday-Thursday between 4:00-4:30 pm. All campers must be picked up by 4:30 pm.

For Overnight Camps at The Science Center in Avon:

Drop off is between 8:30-9:00 am on the first day of camp.
Pick-up is at 3:00 sharp on the last day of camp.

Drop off and pick up locations:

Avon Camps, Overnight Hut Trips, and Earth Explorers Camps:
Walking Mountains Science Center – Walking Mountains Science Center (318 Walking Mountains Lane, Avon, CO 81620)

Eagle Camps:
Brush Creek Elementary School (333 Eagle Ranch Road, Eagle, CO 81631)

Avon Camps

When arriving at Walking Mountains Science Center, proceed slowly up the driveway located behind Buck Creek Medical Plaza. You may stay in your vehicle, and camp staff will direct you to your camper’s drop off location (either at the Visitor’s Center or the Center for Sustainability). When in the pick up or drop off line, please do not pull around other vehicles to ensure safety for all campers and staff. If you would like to park and walk your camper to their classroom, you can park in the lower or upper parking lots. If walking your camper, please only utilize the gravel pathways. Do not walk your camper down the asphalt driveway as there is a blind corner. When you arrive at your pick up or drop off location, camp staff will sign your camper in or out.

Eagle Camps

At Brush Creek Elementary school, please park in the staff lot to drop off campers, or stay in your car to drop off from the bus drop off line. You will see Walking Mountains staff in front of the school by the staff parking lot when you arrive. They will check your campers in and show them to their camp groups.

If your camper is in an Earth Explorers Camp, they will not be traveling during camp and will stay on the Avon campus of Walking Mountains Science Center for the whole day.

If your camper is signed up for any of our Weeklong Day Camps, they will be traveling in 15-passenger vans to different USFS hiking trails, Eagle County Open Spaces, BLM sites, parks or playgrounds, and sometimes businesses or museums.

If your camper is signed up for an Overnight Residential Camp, they will be traveling in 15-passenger vans to a 10th Mountain Division Hut for a two night hut trip.

While most of the places we travel to are within Eagle County, we do go as far as Leadville, Glenwood, and McCoy to access sites with relevancy to certain camps. You will receive an email a week prior to camp with specific site locations your camper will be traveling to. You will also receive a camp agenda on the first day of camp when you drop off your camper. The camp agenda includes the finalized list of sites your camper will be traveling to, as well as their topics and activities for each day.

In accordance with Colorado State Law, If your camper is under 8 years old, they must bring a booster-seat or car seat to camp with them for both Week-long Day Camps and for Overnight Residential Camps. If your camper has a car seat that requires more set up than a booster seat, you must set the car seat up in the van for them upon dropping them off on their first camp day of the week.

Please notify one of our camp staff if you have a car seat that you need to set up and they will direct you to the location of the van for set up, as well as if you need to take it home with you after camp each day.

Please make sure your camper’s name is written on their booster seat or car seat to avoid it getting misplaced!

Our two-day Earth Explorers camps run with up to 10 campers and 2 Walking Mountains instructors. There may occasionally be a high school intern or volunteer helping out with Earth Explorers programs as a third instructor.

Our weeklong camps run with up to 13 campers and 2 Walking Mountains instructors.

Overnight hut trips run with up to 10 campers and 2 Walking Mountains instructors.

Campers are divided based off of the grade they will be entering in the fall. We offer K/1st, 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th, and 9th/10th grade camps. Our camp curriculum and activities are extensively thought out in order to be age appropriate. We have found that dividing our camps in this way creates the best camp experiences for both campers and camp staff. It also allows campers to move through Walking Mountains camps every year without repeating the same camp.

We discourage having campers in camps that do not match the grade they are entering in the fall, even if it’s a family member or close friend. We reserve the right to cancel and refund your camp registration if the camper is not registered for the correct grade level camp. If you feel there is an outstanding circumstance where a camper would need to be placed in a camp outside of their grade level, please contact Cassy Jo Brown, Summer Programs Manager, directly.

Walking Mountains Summer Science Camps are taught by qualified professionals who are graduate students pursuing their Masters of Natural Science Education through our Foley Graduate Fellowship, as well as qualified Walking Mountains staff with extensive backgrounds in leadership, outdoor recreation, and natural science education. Each camp consists of two instructors and a max of 13 campers. All camp instructors are Wilderness First Responders. Most importantly, our staff are passionate about teaching campers about our local ecology and spending time outside exploring and having fun!

Every camper enrolled in a Walking Mountains camp receives one free camp T-shirt! Additional camp T-shirts can be purchased at the front desk of the Visitor Center on our Avon campus.

We offer Earth Explorers day camps for youth that will be going into Kindergarten or 1st Grade in the fall. These two-day camps stay on the Walking Mountains Science Center campus in Avon. Earth Explorers runs Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Earth Explorers camps are offered in two-day packages and different themes are offered for each package. Campers will sign up for a Monday and Wednesday camp or a Tuesday and Thursday camp.

There are other programs we offer for younger preschool children at Walking Mountains Science Center, such as EarthKeepers, which is on Tuesday and Saturday mornings for youth between 3-5 years old. Click here to learn more about our Preschool programs.

Please contact:

Cassy Jo Brown | Summer Programs Manager
summercamp@walkingmountains.org | 970.827.9725×114

If you need assistance in Spanish, please contact:

Estefania Godoy | Bilingual Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
estefaniagv@walkingmountains.org | 970.827.9725×131

Renata Aruajo | EVOM Coordinator
renataa@walkingmountains.org | 970.827.9725×125