About Mountain Camp

Mountain Camp is a co-ed summer resident camp for campers entering 2nd-12th grades.

We are located near Lake Tahoe on the shore of beautiful Ice House Lake in the Eldorado National Forest. Mountain Camp’s minimal technology, non-competitive program is designed to make sure each child succeeds. We work to create a fun and safe environment that encourages independence while nurturing lasting friendships. At a time when children are increasingly surrounded by computers, televisions, and video games our goal is to get campers outside, actively creating, playing and learning lifelong outdoor skills.

Camp is outstanding at teaching the values of self-reliance and resourcefulness. It facilitates relationships with a focus on collaboration and communication, it is full of opportunities for creativity as well as problem-solving and critical thinking, and it invites exploration, play and adventure. These are most commonly referred to as Social Emotional Learning skills and educational experts believe they are essential for future success. At Mountain Camp we believe that camp is critical to the education and development of children, and it is the best possible “classroom” for learning these skills. Ultimately, our goal is to have these experiences, friendships and laughter stay with campers the rest of their lives.

Our Program

The program at Mountain Camp is developed and structured around the following three core areas:

Building Community

We teach that communities are formed on respect, trust, and acceptance. Cooperation and teamwork are promoted above a highly competitive program.

Healthy Lifestyle

A balance of new experiences, outdoor exercise, creative arts, and sense of independence exists in a safe environment surrounded by supportive role models.

Positive Self-Image

Activities are designed to build confidence by rewarding effort and enthusiasm over proficiency. Campers’ sense of achievement is developed through setting and pursuing their individual goals.

Why Work here

Working at Mountain Camp develops the skills most desired by companies and organizations across all industries. Employers often call these 21^st Century Skills, but we prefer the term Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. These include: problem solving, initiative and work ethic, communication and collaboration, creativity, flexibility, and resilience just to name a few.

It’s common for our staff to report back that their time as a counselor at Mountain Camp developed their skills more effectively than internships where they (or their peers who did not work at camp) received little support, mentoring, or real exposure to the challenging experiences that lead to personal and professional growth.

We provide all those things, with a robust staff training, a supportive and accessible leadership team, professional development throughout the summer, and 1 on 1 check-ins to develop goals and reflect on performance.

Even if you are not considering a career working with children in the future, practicing patience, empathy, conflict resolution, community building and creative problem solving with children, all day - all summer, will make you a better parent, a better partner, and a better human being.