Established in 1905, Camp Seymour is located near Gig Harbor, WA on 150 forested acres with hiking trails and one half mile of saltwater shoreline on a protected estuary with river otters, bald eagles, salmon, seals, and great blue herons. The two story Environmental Center contains classrooms, a live reptile center, stream table, and a Marine Science Center with saltwater touch tanks. Camp Seymour also has a Living Machine® wastewater treatment system, utilized as a unique teaching tool. A large waterfront dock is utilized for marine science curriculum as well as canoeing, kayaking, and row boating. A climbing wall, archery range, orienteering course, zip lines, and challenge course highlight outdoor educational opportunities conducted at Camp Seymour. Accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA), Camp Seymour serves more than 13,000 youth, teens, and adults annually with year-round programming. The award winning residential Outdoor and Environmental Education (OEE) program at Camp Seymour supports schools in students reaching academic, social, and healthy living goals through effective research-based curriculum that is evaluated on an on-going basis.
The OEE program at Camp Seymour serves over 11,000 students, parent chaperones, and teachers annually and has maintained a higher than 90% retention rate for more than a decade. The retention rate speaks to the quality and value of our program. Systems are in place to provide a safe, high quality, overnight educational experience. OEE instructional methods include dividing students into small field study groups taught by Camp Seymour naturalists. Students are engaged in hands-on activities utilizing Camp Seymour’s natural ecosystems as their classroom.