Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
Campers at Arcadia Nature Camp crouching beside water that is thick with duckweed, using dip nets and strainers to look for aquatic wildlife
Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle

Arcadia Nature Camp Programs & Pricing

Arcadia Nature Camp offers unique, age-appropriate camp programs for ages 5–15. There are daily nature themes with hands-on investigation, habitat exploration, searching for animals big and small, crafts, games, and loads of fun!

  • A counselor at Arcadia Nature Camp holds out a large turtle shell for campers to touch and inspect
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Campers use solar print paper and ferns, flowers, and leaves to make nature art at Arcadia Nature Camp
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Campers at Arcadia Nature Camp crouching beside water that is thick with duckweed, using dip nets and strainers to look for aquatic wildlife
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Three campers at Arcadia Nature Camp peer closely at tall grass at the edge of a meadow, looking for insects
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Close-up of a Monarch butterfly resting on a child's hand at Arcadia Nature Camp
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Campers and a counselor at Arcadia Nature Camp paddling canoes marked with the Mass Audubon logo down a peaceful river
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • A group of campers at Arcadia Nature Camp climbing on a large, horizontal tree branch
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Smiling campers at Arcadia Nature Camp play tag in the grass with a counselor holding a radio
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Two campers at Arcadia Nature Camp play inside a shelter built of branches
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • Campers at Arcadia Nature Camp exclaiming with delight at a specimen in a bug net held by a counselor
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle
  • A camper wearing an Easthampton Little League shirt holds up a clear plastic specimen jar and peers at the insect inside
    Arcadia Nature Camp, Easthampton, © Phil Doyle

Nature Camp

Monday–Friday • 9:00 am–3:00 pm
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)

Hummingbirds • Ages 5–6 (Entering grades K–2)
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 5
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)

Summer camp is a perfect place to encourage your kid’s curiosity, increase their sensory awareness and provide a safe space for engaging in nature connection. Your camper will explore Arcadia’s diverse habitats and learn about the plants and animals that call this special place home. Join us for hikes, games, crafts, scavenger hunts, storytelling, and creative play!

See available sessions

Kingfishers • Ages 7–9 (Entering grades 2–4) 
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 8
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)

Be ready for days packed with new sights, sounds, smells, and games as you explore the sanctuary’s many habitats. Investigate the hidden corners of Arcadia, including the clay pits and the lively edges of streams and rivers. Learn to use a net to safely catch frogs, grasshoppers, and other insects and learn about field marks that help us identify the animals we find. Through crafts and activities, piece together the web of life to better understand the meaning of “community” on a variety of levels.

See available sessions

Great Blue Herons • Ages 10–12 (Entering grades 5–6) 
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 8
Weekly sessions from June 24–July 5 (no camp on July 4), July 15–19, and July 29–August 16

Explore the nooks and crannies of Arcadia as you search for plants and animals and investigate the unique adaptations that help them thrive. Explore in and around the vernal pools, monitor the quality of the water and identify the animals you catch. Explore the clay pits, search for animals tracks and scan the skies to learn about the birds of the area. Hop in canoes and paddle the calm waterways of Arcadia to view this place from a unique perspective. Spend a day hiking on nearby Mount Tom State Reservation where you will compare and contrast the landscape to Arcadia.

Please note that families will need to drop off and pick up their campers at Mount Tom for the day trip.

See available sessions

Specialty Camps

Nature Photography • Ages 11–15 (Entering grades 6–10) 
Counselor-to-camper ratio: 1 to 10
Session dates: July 22–26

Learn how to use a digital camera to take awesome nature photographs. While developing your photographic eye, hike the trails and search for that perfect nature image, then review your images with fellow campers. Learn photography tips and techniques, and of course play some of our most popular nature games.

Campers must bring their own digital camera or smartphone.

Register online 

Teen Leadership Programs

Environmental Leadership for Teens (ELT) • Ages 11–15 (Entering grades 6–10)
Session dates: July 8–12
Counselor-to-camp ratio: 1 to 10

Become a climate change leader! Find your voice, have fun with others who are passionate about climate action, and help your community. Throughout the session, campers will learn how to design and carry out a climate action project while experiencing the best that summer camp has to offer: hikes to the far edges of the sanctuary, going on a canoe adventure, team-building activities, games, imaginative play, and more. You will leave with a sense of hope and the tools you need to be a climate change leader in your community and beyond.

Register online

Counselors-in-Training • Ages 14–17 (Entering grades 9–12)
Weekly sessions from June 24–August 16 (no camp on July 4)

Counselors-in-Training (CITs) gain valuable leadership skills while assisting camp counselors with daily tasks and camp activities. CITs are enthusiastic role models with a positive attitude who will enjoy working with children ages 5–9 in our Hummingbird and Kingfisher camps. 

Prospective CITs must complete a short online application and have a meeting with the Assistant Camp Director to go over the program, the role CITs play as part of the camp team, and make sure the applicant and the program are a good fit. Once accepted, all CITs will be invited to attend our in-person training at the start of the summer. 

Being part of the CIT program is one of the many benefits of Mass Audubon membership. In order to register as a CIT, your membership must be current through the summer; if you need to purchase or renew your membership, you should do so as part of your registration transaction.

Due to overwhelming interest in Arcadia Nature Camp's CIT program, we have filled all CIT slots for the 2024 camp season. Please check back next January, we will share an application link for the 2025 camp season then. Feel free to contact [email protected] with any questions related to our CIT program.

2024 Camp Session Pricing

Mass Audubon is committed to ensuring that every family that wants their child to experience summer camp should have the opportunity to do so. A sliding scale model helps us work toward that goal through an easy and dependable process for families. With the sliding scale structure, every family enrolls for camp at a tuition rate based on their annual gross income and size of family.

Mass Audubon Membership

Registering for camp is one of the many benefits of Mass Audubon membership. In order to register for camp, your membership must be current through the end of your camper's last session; if you need to purchase or renew your membership, you should do so as part of your camp registration transaction.

All camp families registering at Tiers 1–3 will receive a free one-year Family membership (new or renewal), thanks to the generosity of members at the Protector level and higher who chose to donate their free gift membership benefit.

Review Sliding Scale Tiers

Prior to Registration

To make sure you’re prepared to register for camp, please read our registration instructions and camp policies, which include changes to pricing and membership.