Registration for the 2025 youth sessions opens on Tuesday, 21 January 2025.  Early submissions will not be accepted.

The tuition rate for the 2025 Youth Sessions will be determined and announced in November.

This information is for Youth Sessions only.  Click here for information about Adult Session.  Click here for Financial Aid Information.

Before filling out an registration application, please read the Application Information below.

Two options are available for submitting Youth Session camper applications:

(1) Fill out an application online and submit it electronically.   After submitting an online application form, you will have the option to pay the $150 deposit using a credit/debit card or electronic check or to send a check or money order by standard U.S. mail.  Before applying,  you can check session availability here.

Apply online now

(2) Return a paper application by standard U.S. mail.  A paper application should be accompanied by a check or money order payment ($150 deposit).

Download paper application to send by mail (PDF)

Return printed/photocopied application to:
310 Enfield Rd.
Lexington, VA 24450

For inquiries or more information please e-mail director Philip Coulling (director [“at” symbol] naturecamp.net) or call 540-460-7897.

Summer address (after June 8): 316 Nature Camp Trail, Vesuvius, VA 24483 ph: 540-377-2491


APPLICATION INFORMATION

Application dates
Camper applications must be postmarked or submitted electronically no earlier than 21 January 2025.  Submissions before this date will not be accepted. There is no application deadline; applications will be accepted on a “first-come, first-serve” basis.

Deposit
A $150 deposit is due with each application.
The deposit is non-refundable once an applicant has been accepted.  The balance of payment is due in full by 1 June 2025, after which date all fees are non-refundable.

Grade date ranges
Please note that current twelfth graders are still eligible to attend the summer after they have graduated from high school. Exceptions to the designated grade ranges for each session may be considered in the event of conflicts.

Acceptance notification
Notification of acceptance will be mailed within two weeks of the receipt of each application as long as space allows. Detailed information for enrolled campers and a medical form for each individual will follow in the spring. Deposit checks will be held until notification of acceptance is provided. We have capacity for approximately 88 campers in each session. Applications will continue to be accepted throughout the spring as space allows, but availability cannot be guaranteed. Should a particular session fill, we will place additional applicants on a waiting list and notify them of their status. Once a session fills, applications will be prioritized and processed in order as follows: (1) returning campers, (2) new campers from the 2024 waiting list, (3) other new campers with scholarships, (4) relatives of past campers, and (5) random draw. Every year some accepted campers withdraw their applications, and we endeavor to admit as many campers as we can. If you are placed on the waiting list, we will hold your check until we can offer you a place or until you request its return.

Academic focus
Nature Camp is unique in its academic focus. Since its inception Nature Camp has emphasized hands-on, place-based, experiential education in natural history and environmental studies. All applicants should be advised of the requirements to attend twice-daily classes, to maintain a notebook, to complete all (usually written) assignments, to take part in outdoor activities, and to participate cooperatively in shared duties and responsibilities typical of a summer camp environment. Campers are expected to accept the academic challenges with enthusiasm, commitment and hard work. Our long history has shown that campers typically discover the joy in learning and many have enthusiastically returned for more of what Nature Camp has to offer. Those seeking a purely recreational experience, however, will be unhappy.