It’s time to book summer camps in Portland, Oregon, and the BEST recommendations are always the ones you get from other parents.
Check out the winners of our annual readers’ poll in the Camps Category below. Can’t get enough camp content? Find even more summer camps listed in our Summer Camps Directory.
Congratulations to these fabulous winners!
Outdoor Adventure Camps
WINNER: Trackers Earth Portland
Building fires, animal tracking, camouflage and foraging for food are just a few of the wilderness survival skills your kid can pick up at a Trackers Earth outdoor camp. Pro tip: If your kiddo is crazy about animals, be sure to check out the Wilders camp where they hang out with farm animals and learn farmsteading skills.
TOP 5
Girl Scouts of Oregon/SW Washington
Bird Alliance of Oregon
Camp Two Roads
Friends of Tryon Creek
Cascade Pacific Council
Arts & Crafts Classes and Camps
WINNER: Children’s Healing Art Project (CHAP)
One of the best creative outlets for kiddos who have an illness, disability or special needs is Children’s Healing Art Project, better known as CHAP. This repeat PDX Parent Reader Favorites winner fosters the healing power of art with weekly art club gatherings (also available online on Zoom), quarterly themed art boxes, summer art workshops and more.
TOP 5
Owl and Bee Clay Company
Vibe of Portland
Portland Preschool of the Arts & The Hangout
Whimsy Wees Art Studio
Tucker Arts Camp
Climbing and Obstacle Classes and Camps
WINNER: The Circuit Bouldering Gym
Billing itself as the original Pacific Northwest bouldering gym, the Circuit Bouldering Gym (with three greater Portland-area locations) cultivates a community of strength and empowerment through its indoor rock climbing set up. In addition to more than 200 routes for climbers, the gym offers youth and adult classes, after-school clubs, birthday parties, and summer and winter camps.
TOP 5
The Movement Park
Portland Rock Gym
Skyhook Ninja Fitness
Revolution Parkour
Parkour Visions
Dance Classes and Camps
WINNER: Oregon Ballet Theatre School
Through beloved annual performances like the Nutcracker, Oregon Ballet Theatre’s professional and student dancers enliven Portland stages. Dancers as young as 3 can learn classical techniques from world class instructors. The organization also offers youth workshops.
TOP 5
The Portland Ballet
BODYVOX Dance
The Everybody Dance Project
NW Dance Project
Classical Ballet Academy
General Day Camps
WINNER: Trackers Earth
Trackers is nearly synonymous with summer camp in Portland. The established outdoors camp — and repeat PDX Parent Readers Favorites winner — immerses kids in age-appropriate outdoor survival skills, archery, paddling, woodworking and much more. There’s also a variety of camp options from no-school day camps to overnight summer camps.
TOP 5
Mittleman Jewish Community Center
North Clackamas Parks & Recreation Department
Sellwood Community House
Oregon Episcopal School
Friendly House
Foreign Language Classes and Camps
WINNER: Adventures in Spanish
For families who want their kids to be bilingual in English and Spanish, Adventures in Spanish is the place to enroll. Whether your child is a beginner, or already hears Spanish at home or school, the school’s interactive preschool, and camps and classes, will help them learn Spanish. Classes utilize songs, play time and engaging activities to also foster an understanding and appreciation of Latin culture.
TOP 5
International School of Portland
L’Etoile French Immersion School
Kids Like Languages
International Leadership Academy
Camp Abenteuer
Gymnastics Classes and Camps
WINNER: The Children’s Gym
Founded in 1984, the Children’s Gym offers youth gym classes, camps, events, activities and even child care! And there’s a class for everyone at this Northeast gym, from 12-month-olds to 14-year-olds. They also host birthday parties!
TOP 5
Echo Theater Company
Oregon Gymnastics Academy
Westside Dance & Gymnastics Academy
The Little Gym Lake Oswego
OMEGA Gymnastics
Animal Camps
WINNER: Oregon Humane Society
Animal-loving kiddos will have a blast at the Oregon Humane Society’s summer camps. Campers learn about animal welfare, do arts and crafts, play games, and of course, interact with the society’s dogs, cats and other small mammals. Even better, camps are designed and age-appropriately grouped for students in third to eighth grades.
TOP 5
Triskelee Farm
River Ranch Horse Camp
French Hill Farm
Royal Ridges
Wilsonville Equestrian Center
Inclusive Camps
WINNER: Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp
This beloved organization offers the best parts of summer camp — a tranquil outdoor environment, supportive counselors and fun activities and experiences — and makes it accessible, inclusive and enriching for children with disabilities. Campers have the opportunity to zipline, ride a horse, swim and more during their various camping programs. And for prospective campers, there’s also Family Camp: an overnight camp experience with family to introduce them to camp.
TOP 5
BB360 Camp
Camp Yakety Yak
Spectra Gymnastics
Tucker Arts Camp
Easterseals Oregon
Overnight Camps
WINNER: OMSI
Kids who dig science and the natural world will have a blast at either of OMSI’s two overnight camp locations: Camp Hancock in Fossil, Oregon and Camp Gray on the Oregon Coast. Desert survival, paleontology and surfing are a few of the overnight themes to choose from. OMSI also offers a backpacking camp in which campers sleep in tents.
TOP 5
Camp Howard
Camp Namanu
Camp Two Roads
Trackers Earth Portland
Camp Tilikum
Performing Arts Classes and Camps
WINNER: Northwest Children’s Theater and School
At Northwest Children’s Theater’s summer camps, kids ages 4 to 14 can find a camp that helps them hone their singing, dancing or acting chops. From Percy Jackson to Wicked, the themes of the performance camps will get kids excited for their time in the spotlight. Pro tip: NWCT offers summer camps at four locations in the Portland metro area.
TOP 5
Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Echo Theater Company
Oregon Children’s Theatre
Imagine Theater
Portland Drama Club
STEM Classes and Camps
WINNER: OMSI
OMSI has been offering kids’ camps since the ’50s and like the museum, the focus is always on science — but with a totally fun approach. From crime scene forensics to kitchen chemistry to caring for exotic animals, science-loving kids will learn loads at OMSI day and overnight camps.
TOP 5
Saturday Academy
Code Ninjas
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
Experiment PDX
Journey to STEAM
Sports Classes and Camps
WINNER: Soccer Shots
Kids ages 4 to 8 can kick it up at Soccer Shots camps. During the half-day camp, coaches focus on individual soccer development, team-building, character development, and coordination, balance and agility in a positive and non-competitive environment.
TOP 5
Pedalheads
Rose City Futsal
Skyhawks Sports Academy
Stronger Skatepark
Baxter Sports
Music Classes and Camps
WINNER: Music Together of Portland
Repeat winner Music Together of Portland offers families a chance to play and bond while singing and dancing together. With classes for babies to 8-year-olds, you’ll find the right class for your kiddo at one of their six locations.
TOP 5
School of Rock
Ethos Music Center
Oregon Repertory Singers
Backbeat Music Academy
The Musikry
Spring and Winter Camps
WINNER: Northwest Children’s Theater and School
When you need to work during chilly winter break or soggy spring break, there’s no better place for your kids to be than in the theater! At least that’s what our readers think. Northwest Children’s Theater offers winter- and spring-break theater arts camps at two locations for ages 4 to 14.
TOP 5
Oregon Children’s Theatre
BaxterSports
Echo Theater Company
Vibe of Portland
Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation