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COVID-19 Alert
All GRCA nature centres are currently closed to the public. Most of our public outdoor environmental community programs (including day camps, birthday parties, youth programs, Scout and Guide badge programs) remain suspended, and events have been cancelled.
After much consideration, we have determined we will not be offering summer day camps in 2021. At this time, we continue to anticipate that restrictions and health and safety requirements due to COVID-19 will significantly impact our ability to deliver quality day camp programs. Since the fall of 2020, the GRCA has focused its limited staff resources on developing modified and/or virtual outdoor environmental education school programs, working directly with some school boards in the watershed. School programming is currently underway with some school boards and being offered in a modified and/or virtual setting.
The health and safety of our staff and campers remain our highest priority. We will consider our ability to offer day camp programs for P.A. days and school breaks in the 2021-2022 school year, and will update this webpage as new information becomes available. Please subscribe to this page for program updates.
For more information about the impact of COVID-19 to GRCA programs and services, please refer our COVID-19 FAQ.
In the interim, our nature centre staff have put together a fantastic list of activities for those who are missing our in-person program offerings.
About our camps
We offer summer day camps, as well as March Break, Winter Break and P.D. Day camps for kids ages 6+. Each camp is action-packed and full of different activities each day. Regardless of the weather, campers spend most of the day outdoors exploring and discovering the fields and forests around the Nature Centre.
All of the camps focus on environmental discovery to connect campers with the outdoors in a fun, yet educational way.
Camps at our nature centres are all about being outdoors, discovering nature, making new friends and creating memories that will last a lifetime. For the Eco-adventure camps, there is a different theme each week designed to make the outdoors fun! Campers spend most of their day outdoors exploring the fields and forests at the nature centres. Our goal is to introduce your child to a lifetime of appreciation for nature and the outdoors.
Our camper to staff ratio is 8:1 and all our staff have first aid training. GRCA is an accredited member of the Ontario Camp Association. Camp programming is from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Drop off at some camps start at 8:00 a.m. and have pick up times as late as 5:00 p.m. Drop off at Belwood Lake starts at 8:15 a.m. Supervision provided during this time is free.
Select camps offer Naturalist-In-Training (NIT) for teens aged 14 (or 13 entering grade 9 in September) to 16. Campers gain skills that will help with future employment. They also have an opportunity to complete their community volunteer hours during the summer.
Check to see if there is a Nature Centre near you
- Apps' Mill Nature Centre, 308 Robinson Rd., RR 4 Brantford (Map)
- Belwood Lake Park, 8282 Wellington County Rd. 18, Fergus (Map)
Guelph Lake Nature Centre, 7677 Conservation Rd., Guelph (Map)- Laurel Creek Nature Centre, 525 Beaver Creek Rd., Waterloo (Map)
- Rockwood Nature Centre, 161 Falls St., Rockwood (Map)
- Shade's Mill Nature Centre, 450 Avenue Rd., Cambridge (Map)
