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YMCA Camp Colman Review: A Fun Outdoor Summer Camp in Washington

Are you looking for the classic overnight PNW summer camp experience? We recently had the opportunity to explore the YMCA Camp Colman on Case Inlet on the Key Peninsula in Washington. It’s one of those places that just feels like childhood summers the moment you arrive & the signs welcome you on the long drive down into the camp.

It is located right next to Joemma Beach State Park. {This state park happens to be the place we took my dad for his 75th birthday to see orcas AND we saw them from the state park dock! They swam right along the shore of Camp Colman’s beach. So, I knew this was going to be a cool location for a camp right on the water where the orcas like to hang out!}

We visited Camp Colman this spring for a preview day to check out their activities that are available for summer camp and my teen daughter brought along a few of her friends. It just so happened that our visit coincided with a very rainy, wet, muddy PNW typical day — but that didn’t stop these teen girls from having a blast with all of the activities.

✨ Heads up —Thrifty Northwest Mom readers can save 10% on YMCA summer camps this year! (Details below 👇)

History of Camp Colman

When my daughter asked a few friends to come along to the camp, one friend’s mom declared she had gone to Camp Colman for summer camp when she was a kid! I love that her daughter was able to experience it for the day, too!

Turns out – Camp Colman has been around a long time – the camp first opened in 1912!! Wow! Over 110 years old! The Colman family first began inviting the community to their summer home on Horsehead Bay in Gig Harbor, which became the first Camp Colman. They outgrew the space & moved to the current camp in 1966, which is where it still is today.

Things to Know about Camp Colman

Camp Colman is about an hour to hour & a half from Seattle and an hour from Tacoma. During the fall & spring, it hosts many local schools for outdoor school, where kids come to visit typically for 2-3 nights at a time with their school groups. But in the summer, Camp Colman is summer camp extraordinaire, with so many different options for summer overnight camp for all ages!

The camp itself sits on over 100 acres, which includes over a half mile of Puget Sound beach. They also have a 6 acre lagoon, which has just recently been changed back to its natural  state with a breach in the spit to bring the Puget Sound waters back in with tidal changes & more marine life (like sea lions & kingfishers). They also are raising their own salmon in the lagoon in the hopes they will return back to the lagoon to spawn at the end of their lifecycle.

The beachfront on the Puget Sound is used for swimming, boating, paddleboarding & more for the camp programming.  The night before we arrived, their school groups enjoyed campfires on the beach with roasting hot dogs & s’mores.

Both the beach waterfront & the lodge boast stunning views of the Olympic Mountains, not so far in the distance. The lodge averages around 150 campers per session during the summer as well as school groups during the fall & spring.

The camp is heavily forested and spread out, so even with various school groups there while we were there, it felt like we had the camp almost to ourselves since there are so many areas for activities. The cabins are all spread out through the forest, too. This is definitely a camp where kids will get a lot of exercise walking all around. Just be prepared & send them with old clothes & shoes – as they will get muddy! ;) You will definitely be doing a lot of laundry when they get home – but that’s what we call, good ol’ fashioned summer overnight camp fun! Especially in the PNW! You have to be prepared for any weather – and not let it stop you from having fun!

Activities: What Kids Can Expect

Camp Colman offers a nice mix of high-energy adventure outdoor activities + creative downtime, which is ideal for a wide range of kids’ ages & interests. My daughter & her friends love adventure, so they were excited to try out a few of the fun adventure activities. (We did skip some of the high adventure activities due to the heavy rain during our visit). This is just a small sampling of the activities available at the camp.

They also have hiking trails everywhere if you want to explore. Environmental education is an important element to the YMCA summer camp experience, too, whether it’s checking out the different plants around the camp or visiting the salmon chum recently put into the lagoon.

75-Foot Giant Swing

This was definitely the highlight for this group of girls – their favorite activity we tried out! I love that not only is this an activity for the person who is taking their turn on the giant swing, but it involves a lot of teamwork to make this happen for each person.

The students are all involved in getting the person set up in the swing ropes & then everyone has to work hard to pull the swing up high between the tall evergreen trees using a rope pulley system.

 

Then you let go & they take off – swinging high through the trees. On a nice day, it would be a beautiful view of the Puget Sound.

I love that it involves so much teamwork & keeping each of the students actively engaged to make this happen for each other. And this is a nice option no matter what your comfort level is – we had some girls who wanted a more laid-back swing ride, while others wanted to go higher up.

Challenge Courses & Ropes Courses

 

They have a variety of different options for challenge courses, rope courses & adventure thrill activities. My daughter & her friends tried out the Vertical Playpen and it is a lot more challenging than it looks. Especially when it’s muddy and very wet. This is another activity that involves teamwork, with a rope pulley system holding the participants in place as they try to pull themselves up the vertical ropes course. It was much harder when you had to try to do the course with it swinging, but having someone else hold the ropes still definitely made it easier, teaching them cooperation & working together.

Here are a few other options:

• • Challenge Course
  • Rock wall
  • Catwalk
  • High V
  • Low Ropes & High Ropes course
  • Initiatives Course

Archery

Archery always is a fun activity for any age & it’s a great chance for some downtime as kids are taking their turns. They had multiple archery targets, though, so that it went quickly if you were waiting your turn.

This is an activity with slow & methodical concentration, which is a nice change of pace after some of the fast-paced, high energy challenge activities.

Arts & Crafts

They have a creative & colorful arts & craft room for quite the variety of options, based on the type of camp being offered. This is also a nice chance for downtime & quieter activities inside the craft room when you need a break from the heat – or the rain! My daughter & her friends had fun making friendship bracelets, which is always something she brings home after summer camp. Other types of crafts include custom tie dye, nature-themed projects & more.

Water Activities (Summer Favorite!)

One of the standout features is the Puget Sound beachfront. This makes it perfect for:

• • Swimming
  • Kayaking
  • Paddleboarding
  • Group water games
  • Watching for marine life – keep an eye out for seals, sea lions, and orcas!! (this is right where we saw them swim along the shore from Joemma state park)

Summer Camp Overnight Options for Camp Colman

Make sure to check out all of the YMCA Overnight camp options here – but here is a summary of the options below!

Mini Camp (Great for First-Time Campers)

This is a great opportunity for those kids have not yet camped before or been overnight, away from home much. These programs are typically offered at the start & end of the camp season.

• • Grades 1–10
  • 4 days / 3 nights

Traditional Camp

This is for kids who want the traditional week-long summer camp experience. You can participate in everything from the Giant Swing to the arts & crafts activities. This is available at both Camp Colman & Camp Orkila (San Juan Islands).

• • Grades 3–10
  • 6 days / 5 nights at Camp Colman (7 days, 6 nights at Camp Orkila)

Teen Camp

Teen camp is offering a lot of high-paced, & high energy activities like climbing wall, ropes course & more.

• • Grades 6–12
  • Includes leadership opportunities + more independence
  • 6 days, 5 nights (Camp Colman) & 7 days / 6 nights ( Camp Orkila)

Specialty / Leadership / Expedition Summer Camps

There are also specialty & leadership & expedition camps available during the summer at the YMCA outdoor camps or around the PNW.

Specialty Camps:

• • Art Exploration – grades 6 – 8
  • Boat & Swim – grades 6 – 8
  • High Altitude Leadership – grades 7 – 9
  • Marine Biology  – grades 6 – 8
  • Outdoor Adventures – grades 7 – 9
  • Spanish/English – grades 6 – 8
  • Sports Discovery – grades 4 – 6

Leadership/Expedition Camps:

• • San Juan Kayaking – grades 8 – 10
  • High Altitude Leadership 2.0 – grades 9 – 11
  • Leadership Development Institute – grades 9 – 12
  • Islanders – grades 10 – 12
  • Counselors in Training (CIT) – grades 11 – 12
  • Summer Intern – entering grade 12

Bold & Gold Trips

This sounds like an amazing opportunity. Boys & Girls Outdoor Leadership Development (BOLD & GOLD) trips take place around the PNW. This gives youth the opportunity to explore our beautiful Pacific Northwest & learn valuable skills to become confident leaders. This is for grades 6th – 12th.

Transportation to Camp Colman

There are 2 ways to get to Camp Colman:

• • Charter Bus – they offer round-trip transportation from SeaTac to Camp Colman on tour buses with air conditioning & bathrooms. These are $65/ea way
  • Personal Transportation – parents drive their student directly to Camp Colman

How to Save 10% on YMCA Summer Camps in WA

If you’re thinking of booking at Camp Colman (or Camp Orkila) , this discount is definitely worth taking advantage of! Combine our unique promo code with the YMCA flexible pricing options listed below!

👉 Thrifty Northwest Mom readers can get 10% off YMCA summer camps using promo code: Thrifty10  at checkout. (code is case sensitive). This discount is also available for BOLD & GOLD trips too

• • Applies to YMCA Camp Colman and Camp Orkila (on Orcas Island)
  • It also applies to BOLD & GOLD trips, too
  • Can be used on available summer sessions
  • Combine with the YMCA’s flexible pricing options

Flexible Pricing Makes Camp More Accessible

The YMCA offers a voluntary sliding fee schedule, with the goal of making summer overnight camp affordable and accessible for many families. They offer a voluntary sliding fee schedule. You choose the price that is most appropriate for your family. This is completely confidential & will not affect your child’s experience at camp at all. No documentation is required at all.  Just choose the option that is best for your family! 

• • • Price A – full cost – this is the full price of camp operations, including training & staffing, support for long term maintenance/repairs & upgrades to the facility.
    • Price B – partially subsidized – this is partially sponsored by funds that supporters provided to help families afford summer camp
    • Price C – lowest rate – this is their most accessible rate which is supported by generous contributions from donors to make camp as accessible as possible for many kids
    • Financial Assistance – there is additional assistance available if needed. You can fill out a financial assistance application. (the additional financial assistance is only offered for one registration per participant each summer)

The YMCA’s goal is to remove financial barriers that prevent anyone from participating in their summer camp programs.

Camp Orkila: Another Amazing YMCA Summer Overnight Camp Option

While our review is focused on Camp Colman, YMCA Camp Orkila is another incredible YMCA camp in Washington. It first opened in 1906 and is located on Orcas Island in the beautiful San Juan islands. It has 280 acres of private beach, forest & open fields to enjoy at the camp.

Transportation Options:

• • • Charter Bus (Meridian Park Elementary): Supervised buses transport campers to the ferry, and staff accompany them to camp. $65 fee/each way
    • Anacortes Ferry Terminal: Parents drop campers off to walk on the ferry with staff; they are met by a camp bus on Orcas Island. $25 fee/each way
    • Direct Drop-off (Camp Orkila): Parents drive directly to the camp on Orcas Island (parents will need to pay ferry costs)

A few highlights of Camp Orkila:

• • • A 1,000-foot zipline, Giant Swing & Climbing Tower
    • Marine science touch tanks
    • Archery, basketball, volleyball, Gaga ball & BMX Track
    • Marine & forest ecology, garden exploration, and tide pool exploration
    • All Camp Orkila sessions are 7 days, 6 nights long

More Ways to Enjoy Camp Colman & Camp Orkila

Weekend Family Camp

If overnight summer camp is not a good fit for your family, another great way to experience the camp experience at Camp Colman or Camp Orkila is by taking part in a weekend family camp or retreat. You can still experience the traditional camp activities, staying overnight in the rustic cabins & get quality outdoor time with your family while meeting new friends, too.

At Family Camp weekends, you can participate in their traditional camp activities such as the giant swing, challenge ropes courses, boating, arts & crafts & more. Plus, you can spend time together with your family or enjoy some downtime or hikes around the camp while your kids are having fun. And end the night around the campfire, roasting hot dogs or s’mores!

All activities, meals & cabin lodging are included in the Family Camp weekends. Most of the family camp weekends look like they happen in late spring /late summer/early fall. Great time to visit for a weekend getaway for a break in nature away from the busy school year.

Homeschool Field Trips

During the fall & spring, Camp Colman or Camp Orkila make a great location for a homeschool field trip. You can contact the camp staff & ask about options for a homeschool day trip & pricing – but what a great option to visit for the day & check out some of the awesome outdoor adventure activities! We are a homeschool family and I thought this would be an awesome experience to bring a group of families to visit!

Final Thoughts

After visiting Camp Colman and seeing my daughter & her friends enjoy just a small taste of the variety of activities the camp has to offer, it’s easy to see why going to a YMCA summer overnight camp is a great decision for kids & teens!

It’s the kind of place where kids:

• • Build independence
  • Make meaningful friendships
  • Spend real time outdoors

And honestly, seeing how much fun the kids had during our visit made it clear—this is the kind of experience that sticks with them.

Don’t Wait—Spots Are Still Available!

If you’ve been thinking about summer camp, now is a great time to book—especially with the 10% discount for Thrifty Northwest Mom readers.

Between the location, variety of activities, and flexible pricing, this is one of the best summer camp options in Washington.