Youth Programs

Wynn Exploration Campers pose with their completed wolf skeleton after a lesson with local expert Lee Post.

Day Camps for Kids

Spend the summer outside! A variety of day camp options to choose from will keep your kids learning outside all summer long.

Campers head over to the Peterson Bay Field Station on a boat loaded with their gear.

Overnight Camps for Kids

Our overnight camps explore topics from marine mammals, oceanography, fish ecology, and more. Camps are designed for youth ages 9-12.

Teen campers hike through open fields in Kachemak Bay State Park.

Camps and Expeditions for Teens

From wilderness skills to peatland expeditions to marine ecology, discover our summer series of overnight or multi-day camps and expeditions for teens.

A young camper balances on a rock while tidepooling at Peterson Bay as his family looks for intertidal creatures.

Family Nature Camps

Our Family Nature Camps are a great opportunity for families to be together and get outside in an awe-inspiring Kachemak Bay setting. Book a summer experience for your whole family to enjoy together.

Spring Break Camp

Get ready for spring and get outside! In this 3-day camp, students ages 6-10 can stay engaged and learn about what spring looks like for our local ecosystems. Look for birds, build fires and shelters, learn about spring snow science, and so much more.

Making outdoor education accessible

Coastal Studies is excited to be able to offer full and half scholarships for youth to participate in our 2025 spring, summer, and fall camps! Scholarship applications will be considered on a rolling basis or until all scholarship money has been awarded.

Early Registration

To ensure greater access to our overnight camps, expeditions, and programs, we will offer early registration in December for youth/families:

  • in need of scholarships

  • from remote communities in and around Kachemak Bay, the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, Kodiak Island, and elsewhere in Alaska

  • families referred to us by community partners

  • in foster care or transitional housing

  • and others who may otherwise need some extra time and flexibility to register for the camps

If this applies to you or your family, please reach out to Katie Gavenus (907-235-1974, katieg@akcoastalstudies.org) to get the early registration information.

Following early registration in December, we will send registration information to people who were on the waitlist for 2023 camps, and then to those who participated in past camps and to the general public.

Behavioral Policy

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) is an environmental education non-profit. Our staff are dedicated and trained to help all participants have successful and educational experiences. Please review our Behavioral Policy to learn more about how we support our students and create a positive learning environment.

We partner with Homer Wilderness Leaders (HOWL) to provide additional opportunities for outdoor learning. Visit their website and learn more about these programs throughout Kachemak Bay.