Group of people outdoors holding stick puppets with horse heads above their heads against a cloudy sky.

summer camp

Summer Camp at Ekone Ranch

Horse camps and (so much) more!

see the 2026 schedule

  • “This was her third time at Ekone, and first one that had daily riding. She loved the trail rides and working with the same horse for the week.”

  • “Highlight - being called into a loving place where she could be her true self. Her highlights included Dutch braids in the tent, mermaid pools, and the counselors!”

  • “He was so happy and asks how soon he can go back all the time. This was our first camp experience-- and he loved it. Highlights: counselors, pace of the day, variety of activities.”

  • “She tends to get homesick and was well supported with extra care from staff. Had a great time. Loved the food, cooking, crafting, rope swing, games. Got daily letters from home which was very helpful for her.”

  • “She was grounded and happy afterwards. Full of music! She left and wanted to learn to play camp songs on the ukulele. Place to push her edges in a supportive environment and be out of her comfort zone".”

  • “Wonderful! This was her third time at Ekone, and first one that had daily riding. She loved the trail rides and working with the same horse for the week.”

  • “5th year at camp. Love it so much!! highlight was riding Mosie. Had experience of her horse getting spooked, but she knew what to do and handled it! Such an improvement from a kid who wouldn't touch a horse 5 years ago.”

  • “AMAZING! He was so happy and asks how soon he can go back all the time. This was our first camp experience-- and he loved it. Highlights: counselors, pace of the day, variety of activities.”

  • “She loved it all... This is her 3rd year and she's 11 years old. She will continue coming back every year and it's well worth the 4-hour drive. She also attended other camps this year and the others just don't compare to this one.”

More testimonials
Children riding horses on a forest trail, with some children raising their arms in excitement and wearing helmets.
Three children using a pasta machine to make pasta, standing around a wooden table in a kitchen or workshop setting.
People sitting in a circle on green grass in a rural outdoor area with trees, a building, and fields in the background.
Group of people sitting in the back of a red pickup truck filled with green branches, outdoors on a sunny day, with trees, parked cars, and a stop sign visible in the background.

Summer Camp Serving Children From Oregon, Washington & the PNW for 40 years

Since 1986, Ekone has been a home to children in the summertime.

At Ekone, campers experience being an important member of an inclusive community, in relationship and service to a place. We believe that this experience is fundamental to our human nature, transformative for those who experience it, and essential to creating a viable, vibrant future on Earth. 

And fun!  If there's anything Ekone is known for, it's finding the fun in everything!

Check out the Session Schedule to learn more about our wide variety of programs featuring horses, art, music, wilderness, cooking, leadership, and rites of passage, and for more about the horse-human relationship at Ekone Ranch click here!

see the 2026 schedule

SKILLS THAT SUPPORT TOMORROW, MEMORIES THAT LAST A LIFETIME

About Camp at Ekone Ranch

Group of people sitting on a dry grassy hillside in a circle, with hills and trees in the background.

Days outside

Days at camp are spent almost entirely outside, with a community of 25-35 kids aged 8-18  in two concurrent tracks, and a crew of 10-15 staff and mentors aged 16-80. Together, we engage in play, work, skill-building, and activities designed to connect us to nature, each other, and ourselves. 

A girl sitting on a wooden dock by a pond, with a black dog on a leash nearby. The dock is partially floating, and the pond is surrounded by green grass and trees.

CONNECTING WITH NATURE

We learn to listen closely to the birds. We stalk the deer at the pond. We create art from found objects. We run wild through the woods. We shed some of the busy-ness of modern life and remember how to make our own fun.

Four kids, three girls and one boy, standing together outdoors at sunset, hugging and smiling, in an open field with picnic tables and trees in the background.

CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY

We also care for the needs of our place and community, taking responsibility for ourselves and our shared experience. We cook meals, clean up after them, tend the garden, feed the animals, buck hay, haul firewood, and engage in conservation projects. We learn to listen, speak our truth with kindness, and create the kind of community we want to live in.

Two children riding horses in a grassy field with pine trees and a clear blue sky.

ENJOYING LIFE

And we simply enjoy life on the ranch.  Campers sleep in the beautiful new bunkhouse or under the stars.  Our wholesome, delicious meals are cooked from scratch, and most of our produce is from Ekone's own garden.  We take a break from screens, mirrors, makeup, competition, and drama. We swim in the pond, swing on the rope swings, catch frogs, and build forts. 

Check out 2026 Summer Camp Sessions & Schedule

2026 CAMP SESSIONS
A group of people with dirt-stained palms and fingers, showing their hands together outdoors near a tree trunk and dry grass.
A girl and woman on horseback, reaching out to shake hands, in a forested outdoor riding area.
A girl with curly hair, wearing a red hat and plaid shirt, picking red cherries from a tree with green leaves and blue sky background.

DONATE TO OUR SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Support Us to Widen Access to Summer Camp at Ekone

The lifechanging experience of summer camp relies on many hands and much generosity!

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Ekone is fortunate to generate 50% of the operating budget through earned income (like camp tuition). The other half depends on philanthropic donations and grants. 

We could not offer scholarships without such support, nor care for this land and work with the integrity that it deserves.

Support us today
Three children, two girls and one in a black shirt, working together to make pasta with a pasta machine. They are in a kitchen or cooking class setting.
Scenic landscape with grassy foreground, trees on the left and right, rolling hills in the distance, blue sky with some clouds.
Two women and a horse outdoors on grass under a blue sky with scattered clouds. One woman is standing, smiling, holding the horse's bridle. The other woman is lying on the horse's neck, laughing. The horse is brown and wearing a hat.

summer camp access for all

Ekone Camp Scholarships

We are committed to making Ekone’s programs accessible for a diversity of children and for kids who lack access to these kinds of experiences in daily life. We also seek to restore access to this land for tribal youth and families, and to support leadership potential in the next generation. 

Please apply for scholarship support if tuition is out of reach for your family. You’ll find the option available in the Camp Application form.

Apply for Camp

work with us

Summer Camp Builds Leaders

Leadership is about taking on appropriate challenges, taking on initiative even when uncomfortable, paying attention to the big picture *and* the tiny details, living and working in community, trying new things even though they might not work. Camp staff have to tackle real problems, in the moment. They have to find the fun in hard work. And they have to inspire the next generation to do the same. 

And we have roles for folks all along the leadership journey. Just starting out? Apply to be a summer camp intern. Want to support but be behind the scenes? Apply to help in our kitchen or garden!

We offer both paid and volunteer positions based on roles and experience. 

Questions? Email michelle@ekone.org

Apply Here

Excited?

Here’s More About Camp at Ekone

Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for camp - you’ll find packing lists & everything else you’ll need to prepare for the best summer camp ever!

We can’t wait to see you there!

Frequently Asked Questions about Camp at Ekone

  • The link to the application goes live in December. We accept initial applications for TWO WEEKS then do a first round of application reviews. If there are more applications than spaces in any given session we'll use a lottery system to determine who gets into camp.

  • Most definitely! In the summer camp application you can indicate that you want to apply for a scholarship, and the scholarship application will show up at the end of the camp application. 

    (more information about scholarships here)

  • Read all about our approach to equitable and restorative pricing here.

  • You can read about our cancellation and financial policies here.

  • Camp is a great time to use snail-mail! Our address is 401 Ekone Rd, Goldendale, WA, and campers love to get mail at camp. (Mail can be slow, though, so planning ahead and mailing letters before or at the very beginning of the week is encouraged. You can also leave letters with staff at drop-off and we can deliver them to cubbies throughout the week!) We also encourage campers to write letters, if they can find time during our busy days. No news is good news, but parents are also welcome to call and check in with Ekone staff to see how the week is going. We don’t allow campers to make phone calls unless it’s a real emergency—our years of experience have shown that phone calls home are a leading cause of homesickness. Ekone staff (including the 4-legged ones) have lots of practice working with children who are away from home for the first time, and provide a nurturing and compassionate environment and 24-hour support to ensure that it is a very positive experience.

  • Meals are always one of the campers’ favorite things about camp!  We provide wholesome, kid-friendly, mostly vegetarian, from-scratch dishes, using lots of fresh produce from our own garden.  Many a child has learned to love vegetables at Ekone.  We commonly accommodate campers who are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or have specific mild or moderate food allergies.  In some cases we will ask parents to send specific foods that their child requires. Severe allergies require a discussion with the Camp Director to determine whether we can safely and practically meet the needs of the camper.  We are unable to accept campers diagnosed with Celiac disease. Learn more about our meal program here. 

  • The simplest answer is, "Yes, sometimes!" 

    When you apply for camp, you are always welcome to include in your application the name of a friend who is also applying. We definitely take that into consideration. We always prioritize siblings coming together if that is what is requested.

    Where it gets trickier is if a whole group of kids want to come together. Our camp sessions are small - 12-18 kids total. If a group of 4, 5, 6, etc. want to come together, that can turn into quite a big portion of the entire session.

    We strive to make each session as inclusive of the whole group as possible, and sometimes a large clique that is already close can shift the vibe in ways that make that inclusive intention harder to achieve. If there are many friends that want to come to camp, we recommend splitting into pairs or trios and applying that way! 

    And remember - there are SO MANY more friends to make at camp than the ones your child already knows :)

  • Because of our small sessions, we can individualize the riding instruction for each child. "All Level" sessions include first-time riders and more advanced riders, and we make groups, assign horses, and customize instruction accordingly. We also offer sessions that focus on different riding levels. Please read program descriptions carefully to make sure the session is appropriate for your rider!

     

  • In an effort to make our camps more accessible to more campers, if your camper has come to two years or riding intensive camps, please choose another type of camp session.  Riding intensive camps include: All-levels Horse Camp, Young Rider, Wrangler Camp, and Advanced Riding Camp. You can read more about this policy here.

  • Well, no day at Ekone is ever average! But you can read about what a day could be like here.

Apply for Camp