BOREDOM BEWARE
At YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake, we give campers a wide variety of activity options throughout their camp stay. They can ride local trails, fine-tune their archery skills, build gnome homes, take out a kayak or a paddleboard, and much much more. They can get creative in our arts and crafts room, star in a skit of their creation at campfire, dance, climb, swim and bond with their new friends. Depending on the program your child signs up for, they may even have the opportunity to nurture their wilderness survival skills during overnight backpacking trips or they may spend their time mentoring younger campers and refining their leadership skills. Basically, camp is their oyster.
Here is a sneak peak of what your camper might enjoy during their stay at Camp Tumbleson Lake. For more details on which activities they will do during their specific camp, please see each camp description for details.
- Kayaking
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Water obstacle course
- Giant paddle boards
- Single paddle boards
- Climbing, knot skills and bouldering
- High challenge course and zip line
- Target sports: archery and slingshots
- Mountain biking on trails and in our bike park
- Nature/STEM, including NASA Globe curriculum
- Hiking, backpacking and Leave No Trace
- Survival skills
- Color wars
- Arts and crafts
- Gnome homes
- Rappelling
- Bead ceremony
- Battle for the paddle
- Breakfast of champions
- Low ropes
- Cookouts
- Astronomy
- Gaga
- Nine square
- Camp traditions, songs and chants
- Teen leadership and counselor in training
- One and Two-week expedition camps for teens
- And more!
Parent’s Glossary
Your child may return home from camp wielding a whole new vocabulary. Understand their campy language with the help of our glossary.
Breakfast of Champions: A camp tradition. On Friday mornings, the campers can take an epic wilderness hike and head back down to main camp to jump into the lake for a polar plunge!
Smorgasbord: This is a time during the day that we open up many different areas of camp for kids to choose from, so they can experience more than just their skill tracks.
Gnome Homes: At YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake, we have a booming population of gnomes. They are a nomadic population and can move year to year. Unfortunately, due to the population increase, there is a housing crisis and we need help from everyone at camp to provide shelter for the gnomes!
Bead Ceremony: At the end of each session, counselors will award campers with beads that recognize their growth in their programming, and will also distribute beads that represent the Y Core Values of Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and Inclusion to campers that best exemplified them throughout the week.
Gummie: The toothless, vegetarian alligator that inhabits our lake. That’s right, we have transported Gummie to our new camp!
The Flagpole: A platformed stone structure outside our dining hall that is often used a meeting place.
Embers: Every night, campers are given prompts to help with self-reflection and communication among their cabinmates. Embers most often occurs in a circle in the middle of the cabin but can be experienced outside around a dying fire. Hence the name, Embers.
The Grange: Formerly ‘The Chapel’, this beautiful area of camp sits on the lake and is a special spot that can fit the entire camp community.
Longhouse: The meeting lodge that is set in each unit for campers to come together on rainy days, for a cabin activity or just to hang out as a group.