Favorite Outdoor Summer Camps in Los Angeles for Summer 2022

Los Angeles parents are blessed with the widest range of summer camps choices imaginable (just check our camp guide and directory!). Kids who are driven to spend their summers focusing on musical theater, art, surfing, science, horseback riding, or even making movies have all the day camp options in the world, right in our backyard. But sometimes, summer needs to just be about being a kid and having fun. Kids need to let loose and play, play, play. At these traditional outdoor summer camps from Santa Monica to Altadena, that's exactly what they can do.

For more summer camps in Los Angeles, including picks for preschool summer camps in LA and the best free and cheap day camps in town, be sure to bookmark our Los Angeles Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory, where you can search for camps by type, age, and town.

Best Outdoor Summer Camps on the Westside

1. Camp Cosmo — Santa Monica

For kids ages 5-12
Camp Cosmo is a favorite with local kids because every single day, kids get to decide what they do. Campers choose from activities including making music, creating art, jewelry making, science projects, cooking, water play, taking apart computers, or something else entirely. Camp Cosmo Live begins in June and runs through September, in small groups and for full weeks only. There is also an online option.

2. Cali Camp — Topanga

For kids ages 3-15
Cali Camp offers kids from pre-K through high school a chance to spend the summer engaging in classic outdoor activities, up in the fresh air of artsy, woodsy Topanga. Kids get a taste of horseback riding, gymnastics, target sports, tennis, rock climbing, rope climbing, and more. Kids are grouped together based on age. Transportation is included in tuition, with pick-up locations all over town—and once your kid is on the bus, Cali Camp promises a non-stop ride to Topanga.

Horseback riding is just one of many activities offered at Cali Camp. Photo courtesy of Cali Camp

3. Camp Awesome — Playa del Rey and Redondo Beach

For kids ages 4-13
Camp Awesome is a drop-off-only beach summer program that consists of play, leisure, sports, arts and crafts, water activities, exercise, and loads of positive reinforcement. Parents can follow their children at any time online through social media.

4. Sandy Days Kids Camp — Pacific Palisades

For kids ages 4-14
The Pacific Ocean is right there, so kids can spend a day romping and camping on the beach in the Palisades, enjoying sand, water, and sunshine at Sandy Days Kids Camp. A typical day includes a nature walk, hula-hooping, boogie boards, ball games, and crafts.

5. Tocaloma Summer Day Camp — West LA

For kids ages 4-14
Located in the hills just west of the 405, Tocaloma offers campers tennis courts, a swimming pool, and fields for just about every sport. Kids can try their hands at archery, photography, drama, and music in addition to a full array of outdoor sports. Enrollment of a minimum of two weeks/five days a week is required. Transportation is available for an additional fee.

6. Tumbleweed Camp — West LA

For kids ages 4-14
Tumbleweed offers some of the LA area's most popular summer day camp programs, keeping kids entertained in the fresh air, on horseback, in swimming pools, hiking, climbing, and playing traditional Chumash games all summer long. The camp is located up in the hills above Brentwood, by Crestwood Hills Park, and transportation is included in tuition. Campers must be at least 4 years old on the day they start camp.

7. Aloha Beach Camp — Malibu

For kids ages 4-14
Aloha Beach Camp offers kids a chance to surf, boogie board, and swim in the ocean, along with some tubing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, beach ecology, and other seaside activities. Kids are grouped in one of three age-appropriate aquatic programs and then can choose from over 200 beach and ocean activities. Free transportation is available from just about any neighborhood in the LA area, so you don't need to worry about how they'll get there. And if you're very busy and don't want to commit to a fixed schedule, there's an option where you can send your kids on a day-by-day basis.

Cowabunga! Photo courtesy of Tom Sawyer Camp

Best Outdoor Summer Camps in the San Gabriel Valley

8. Tom Sawyer Camp — Altadena

For kids ages 3-14
Tom Sawyer Camp strives to live up to the legacy of its namesake, offering classic outdoor adventures for kids young and older. Activities include such old-fashioned kid fun as fort building, hiking, making dams, frog catching, horseback riding, archery, obstacle courses, and swimming.  Camps can be reserved with 1 and 2-week sessions, five days a week and transportation is included in the fee. Pre Camp for the littlest campers is offered, and Tom Sawyer Camp is a great first summer camp experience for kids, but please note that Pre Campers must be potty trained and 3 years old by the start of camp.

9. Summerkids Camp — Altadena

For kids ages 5-12
This old-fashioned camp nestled in the San Gabriel foothills is run by a pair of long-time campers by the names of Mama Mía and Cowboy Joe, who like to tell shaggy dog stories by a campfire. That's just the start of the wholesome, outdoor fun, of course. Kids get to choose daily between crafts, group games, scavenger hunts, swimming, hikes into the chaparral hillsides, science experiments, and camp cooking. Camp is open to children entering kindergarten to sixth grade. 

Kids jump for joy at Camp Wildfolk! Photo courtesy of Camp Wildfolk via Facebook

Best Outdoor Summer Camps in Mid-City

10. Camp Wildfolk — West Hollywood and Valley Village

For kids ages 4-17
Camp Wildfolk is a wildly fun, unique day camp, blending the spirit of traditional camp with a progressive, camper-centered approach. It has two locations, one in West Hollywood and the other one in the Valley. Campers can create their own experiences by choosing their class electives. Wildfolk is a hands-on, project-based adventure where kids team-build, explore, create, and innovate. A Guides-in-Training program is offered for teens ages 13-17.

Get ready to hang ten! Photo courtesy of Camp Summertime

Best Outdoor Summer Camps in the San Fernando Valley

11. Camp Summertime — Agoura Hills/Malibu

For kids ages 4-14
Camp Summertime is at the beautiful Calamigos Ranch on over 120 private acres including 2 ponds and 3 swimming pools. This traditional day camp keeps kids busy and active from the moment they arrive until the second they leave. Campers build self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-respect within a supportive environment. Camp spots here fill quickly, so register early to reserve a spot. There's no extra charge for bus transportation. 

12. Camp Keystone — Agoura Hills

For kids ages 3-15
Set on 30 acres of park-like land in the Santa Monica Mountains, Camp Keystone is non-stop fun that includes a giant waterslide, horseback riding, go-karts, boating, swimming lessons, rock climbing, classic arts & crafts, and every sport a kid could want to play. This place does camp the old-fashioned way. There are 3 camps specially designed according to age. Transportation is available from many locations around the Valley and the Westside for an additional fee.

13. Camp Kinneret — Agoura Hills

For kids ages 4-18
Located in Agoura Hills on the site of a former sleep-away camp, Kinneret feels pleasantly far from home. Traditional outdoor camp activities include swimming, horsemanship, crafts, hiking, archery, ropes, paddle boats, and miniature golf—there's even a petting zoo. Campers can attend their age-specific program, two, three, or five days per week, in four or five-week sessions. Transportation is included. 

With additional reporting by Ana Belibasis

Originally published February 1, 2012