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"Just the FAQs!"

What’s special about Calleva? 

Calleva is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, offering summer camp, school field trips, and programs for other youth and adult groups. 

We’re known for our unique, mobile summer camp programs.  Our campers visit the best, most beautiful wilderness areas in our region.  In addition, we use two Calleva locations for some of our activities:

  • Riley’s Lock (C&O Canal National Park) – is great for water-based programs like kayaking, canoeing and fishing.  Safety lessons and other introductory activities happen here, especially on Mondays, when everyone is getting acquainted with the gear for the week.  Excursions to Calleva’s Adventure Island always begin at Riley’s Lock, which is also the “hub” for our mobile adventure summer camp.
  • Calleva Farm (Dickerson, MD) – is the hub for our agricultural education and horseback riding programs.  Growing Green, Building Green and the Calleva Equestrian Education Program take place on our 165-acre working farm, where we grow hay, vegetables and livestock (including bees!).  Schools, scouts and other community groups have found Calleva Farm to be a great venue for environmental education as well.  

Calleva has a reputation for excellence in outdoor adventure & outdoor education programming.  Our unique blend of fun, education and teambuilding makes every Calleva program unique and excellent!  

From summer camp to adult teambuilding excursions, Calleva provides highest quality instruction, customized & goal-oriented itineraries, and high-energy facilitators. 

My child participated in a Calleva program at school.  What else do you offer?  Calleva school programs are always customized to the specific goals of our educational partners (teachers, administrators and students).  Often schools come to Calleva with curriculum-specific goals, so our school programs are highly structured and incorporate environmental education and agricultural education as well as fun teambuilding challenges.

Summer camp is more about fun!  Of course, we always roll in a little bit of teaching – whether it be skills in kayaking or biking or species exploration in river ecology – but our summer campers barely notice that their learning TONS while they’re out experiencing the river, trail and forests in our area.

We also offer group excursions (including corporate teambuilding & family adventure experiences – rafting, kayaking, biking, ropes course excursions that are designed to encourage family bonding, friendship and fun).   Our group excursions take place in some of DC’s hidden wilderness areas – you’d be amazed at the beautiful natural spaces that exist within 30 miles of downtown DC!!

Calleva Summer Camp

  • What is your summer camp philosophy?  The Markoff brothers grew up at camp.  Our grandmother started Valley Mill Camp (in the 1950s!) and for as long as we can remember we have been a part of the DC area's outdoor adventure camp community. 
  • We know that individual attention is key to a successful summer camp experience.  Calleva’s summer camp staff share our passion for introducing kids to the outdoors.  We train our staff to meet each child at their level and lead them into challenges with the primary goal of building self confidence and encouraging individual initiative.  We love to help kids discover new talents, new courage and new friendships as they experience Calleva’s unique brand of outdoor fun.  Calleva’s core, year-round staff set the tone and train seasonal employees in the Calleva Way.   We are committed to running the best programs in the area for both camps and schools. Although we are a small company, chances are we have run a program for a school or friend that you know. 
  • What is “council”?  Our morning bus routes bring every camper to Riley’s Lock, where we separate into activity camp groups, sing, play games, have contests, awards, and -- most of all -- have fun!  Every afternoon, activity camp groups return to Riley’s Lock for council before the bus routes take off for the return trip home.
  • What are your activity/group sizes?  Staff to camper ratio? Camper ages? Each activity has about 8-14 campers, a Head Instructor, Head Counselor, Junior Counselor or Assistant Instructor, and a CIT. Campers are ages 9-15 (Activity Camp) and 6-9 (Explorers Camp) - Boys & Girls.
  • What are your sessions?  6-weeks?  4-weeks?  At Calleva, campers register for one week at a time!  This makes it easy to build a summer of activities that includes one or more weeks of Calleva camp. Calleva families can register for 1 week or as many as 13 weeks of camp . . . whatever suits their schedule! 
  • My child is 9.  Should she be registered as an Explorer or as an Adventure/Sampler Camper?  Of course, each child is different, and we are happy to talk with you about which program will best suit your child’s personality and physical abilities.  Please contact the office staff!  The main differences between Explorers and our activity camps are:
    • the Thursday overnight campout, and
    • the more intense instruction and activity level.
    Do you provide transportation? Yes, transportation is provided to Riley's Lock from Montgomery County, No. Virginia, & Washington DC Area pick up points. Transportation is included in the cost.  Bus routes are finalized on the Tuesday BEFORE your camp week.  We cannot make changes after that time.
  • Are you an overnight camp or a day camp? We are both! Our regular Adventure Camp is a local day camp on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with regular bus routes before and after camp.  On Thursday, campers go on an overnight campout (within a two hour’s drive from DC).  Calleva Cubs (aged 4-5) is ½ day camp and Explorer Camp (aged 6-9) is day camp.  These campers are transported home at the end of every day.
  • Where are your overnights for Activity Camp? What makes Calleva so unique are the overnights. The overnights vary according to activity, and often vary from week to week within that activity.  Each week, instructors select overnight locations based upon their group’s interests, skill level and team dynamics. Parents are notified by Wednesday about where their child will be overnighting.  Calleva has an Emergency Action Plan for every area we visit.  Instructors and Counselors carry cell phones and can contact our directors in the event of an emergency. 
  • What is CLS (Calleva Leadership School)? Calleva Leadership School offers a variety of adventure trips for teens (ages 12-17).  For a list of trips, click on the Leadership School link.  These life-changing high adventure trips integrate Leave No Trace wilderness camping, adventure sports instruction, and leadership training for teens. While participating in physically challenging activities, CLS students reach beyond comfort zones to experience incredible personal and team success while building strong skills in their chosen activities. CLS trips enable increased confidence and self discipline which contributes to success in school, sports, friendships and family relationships.