Overnight Adventure Camps

Fenster Ranch Summer Camp and Southwest Trekking are teaming up again this summer to offer Overnight Adventure Camps for kids 12-15 years of age! All of these adventures will be led by Matt Nelson and another professional outdoor guide. Female leaders will be present on all co-ed trips. To register, download the registration form here.

Mountain Bike Adventure Camp June    1 – 5

Beat the heat by heading north into Arizona’s White Mountains. This five-day ad venture will take kids on a mountain biking and camping adventure near the town of Pinetop-Lakeside. After driving from Tucson on Monday, participants will ride one of the trails in the White Mountain Trail System, then set up a base camp within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Each day will include mountain biking on forest roads and trails, some of which offer the most enjoyable riding opportunities in Arizona. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all camping/bicycling/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own bike and camping gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Friday in the early evening. Adventures are limited to 12 youth, and all participants should have some off-road bicycling experience. Perfect for beginner and intermediate level riders.

Cost: $400/person

Backpacking Adventure Camp   June 15 – 19

Explore the amazing rock formations and thick forests of Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains. This five-day adventure will take kids on a backpacking and camping adventure in Chiricahua National Monument and near the highest peak in this remote and diverse mountain range. Each day will include hiking on trails and camping in the wilderness. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all camping/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own camping gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Friday in the early evening. Adventures are limited to 10 youth. Hikers of all levels are welcome to participate in this adventure, but should feel comfortable walking 5-10 miles per day with a 25-pound backpack.

Cost: $400/person

Rock Climbing Adventure Camp   July 13 – 17

Climb high. Climb safe. Climb for a whole week on the granite of the Santa Catalina Mountains this summer. We’ll camp among the pines and aspens high on Mt. Lemmon, and spend our days rock climbing at a variety of safe, cool and challenging climbing areas higher up on the mountain. The rewards of climbing are greater than most other outdoor activities, and everyone involved will push beyond previously known barriers with the help of professional climbing guides. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all climbing/camping/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own camping or climbing gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Friday in the late afternoon. Limited to 12 youth per session. Climbers of all levels are welcome to participate in this adventure.

Cost: $400/person

Matt’s Mission: “No Child Left Inside”

After eight years of being the director of Fenster Ranch Summer Camp and working with younger children, I have decided to create an outdoor adventure camp for young teens. When I was 13 years old my summers were spent hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and exploring California’s Sierra Nevada. That time spent in the wilderness was some of the most influential of my life, and it was somewhere among the pines and granite cliffs that I figured out who I was and where I belonged.

Being involved in Tucson’s summer camp scene for so long helped me realize that there are few opportunities for kids 12-15 years of age…and this is a time when self-discovery, awareness and connecting to others is incredibly important. So I have combined my passion for outdoor adventure, commitment to connect kids with Nature, along with decades of experience in the wilderness to organize weeklong trips into Arizona’s most amazing places.

Leadership and outdoor skills will be developed during the outings, including teamwork, communication, orienteering, self-confidence, technical mountain biking, rock climbing, leave-no-trace ethics, responsibility and awareness.

These camps will fill up very quickly, so I encourage you to sign up soon if you’re interested. And please share the information with parents you know whose children would benefit from a week in the wilderness. It’s going to be the best summer ever!

These outdoor adventures are a partnership between Fenster Ranch Summer Camp and Southwest Trekking, two organizations that I have been involved with for many years. All of the trips will be led by experienced, knowledgeable guides that understand the needs of adolescents. For co-ed trips we will have male and female leaders.

Upon receipt of payment and a completed Registration Form/Liability Waiver you will be mailed a packet of information about the outing, including what to bring, what to expect, a checklist of things we can provide if you don’t have them (such as tent, sleeping bag, mountain bike, etc.) and a Health Form that needs to be completed before the trip. Then we’ll look forward to seeing you this summer for an amazing adventure! I know this will be a safe, rewarding and memorable experience that will have a positive impact on your child at a time when they need it most.