Call of the Wild Camps
Saturday Single-Day Nature Camps
Hike, read, write & play!
Nature camps for outdoor enthusiasts, curious naturalists, eager readers, budding writers, and nature-inspired artists in the East Bay
Second Saturdays of the month for the 2026-2027 school year: single-day nature camps in Berkeley, Oakland, Castro Valley, and Hayward.
Coming Up: September 12th at UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley
Hiking, nature connection, and science exploration are not only for the summer. We hear the call of the wild during the school year, too. K-5th graders explore, hike, play, and learn in parks, forests, and museums in single-day camps on weekends during the school year. Nature is our living classroom in Call of the Wild Camps®. Kids enjoy small groups of up to ten children. Kids share a love of nature, science, learning, and friendship in weekend day camps.
Ages: 5-10
Grades: K-5
Child to staff ratio: most sessions 4:1 or 5:1
View the main Call of the Wild Camps page to learn camp prerequisites for registration and attendance and what to wear and bring.
Rain or Shine: Outdoor lovers enjoy the outdoors rain or shine. Like all Call of the Wild Camps®, the Saturday single-day camps for the school year are held rain or shine. Please bring your child with clothing and gear appropriate for the weather to set your child up for success and to be a happy camper! Proverbial wisdom: There is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices. Museum visits are planned for months that normally get the heaviest rainfall, plus kids may also have nature walks and hikes outside in the rain.
Appropriate clothing and gear make for a happy camper in many types of weather.
Activities
Saturday Call of the Wild nature camps are outdoor nature camps, plus some indoor museum trips! Below is a sample of varied activities for campers to enjoy.
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Hikes, nature walks, boating, and nature connection at different East Bay sites on the second Saturdays of the month, like Lake Chabot, Roberts Regional Park, Joaquin Miller Park, Tilden Park and Tilden Nature Area, Dimond Park, Lake Merritt, and Shorebird Park
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Exploring science museums and centers, such as Chabot Space and Science Center, UC Botanical Garden, The Lawrence Hall of Science, Tilden Environmental Education Center, Shorebird Nature Center, and Sulphur Creek Nature Center
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Nature-inspired reading, writing, storytelling, visual arts, and environmentally friendly crafts
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Free play, exploration, and opportunities to make friends
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Experience Call of the Wild Camps® a single day at a time, so newcomers get to know camp educators and returning campers
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Sample activities that are similar in 3-day and 5-day camp sessions that your camper can separately join, such as fall break, winter break, spring break, and summer break camps
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As with all Call of the Wild Camps®, kids get to deepen their sense of wonder for nature, learn animal rights, become more eco-conscious, learn biology and environmental stewardship, strengthen stamina, and more!
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Some sites and museum visits may flexibly overlap and repeat by popular demand. For example, Chabot Space and Science Center is accessible by hiking in three different park sites.
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East Bay Weekend Camp Locations
Call of the Wild Saturday nature camps are in Oakland, Berkeley, Castro Valley, and Hayward. Kids enjoy a different site each session. Click the buttons to learn more!
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Saturday Single-Day Camps 2026-2027
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Dates: Sep 12, Oct 10, Nov 14, Dec 12, Jan 9, Feb 13, Mar 13, Apr 10, May 8
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Regular Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (sign-in time from 9:00 AM-9:30 AM and sign-out time from 4:30 PM-5:00 PM) (Please note: the Hayward camp session is 10:00 AM-4:00 PM)
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Single Session Price: $129.99
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Multi-Session Discount: $75.00 off discount if registering for 8 to 9 Saturday sessions in one registration form. Discount valid until October 9, 2026. Enter the discount code in the registration form. Discount Code: MultiSession75
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Sessions with Museum Trips: the costs of camper museum tickets are included in your registration.
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Scholarships: scholarships for 50% off are based on financial need and are funded by generous donations from camp registrants. Scholarship Application
Planned Locations for the 2026-2027 School Year:
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Sep 12: University of California Botanical Garden. 200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720.
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Oct 10: Lake Chabot Regional Park. 17404 Lake Chabot Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546.
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Nov 14: Shorebird Park. 160 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710.
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Dec 12: The Lawrence Hall of Science. 1 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720.
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Jan 9: Roberts Regional Park & Recreation Area. Redwood Bowl Staging Area, 10060 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94611.
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Jan 9: Chabot Space and Science Center. 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619.
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Feb 13: Tilden Regional Park. Tilden Park Indian Camp, Fire Trail 4, Kensington, CA 94708.
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Mar 13: Dimond Park. 3860 Hanly Rd, Oakland, CA 94602.
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Apr 10: Sulphur Creek Nature Center. 1801 D Street Hayward, CA 94541.
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May 8: Lake Merritt. Kids' Kingdom Playground, Oakland, CA 94610.
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Oakland Saturday Camps
Photos are representative of sites and activities from past camps, unless otherwise noted. Locations including science center or museum visits may have varied exhibits that differ from last school year.
Roberts Regional Park & Recreation Area, Oakland
Redwood Bowl Staging Area, 10060 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94611
Redwood Bowl is a super convenient location with a short hike to Chabot Space and Science Center, across the street from Joaquin Miller Park.
Call of the Wild weekend explorers get to enjoy educational nature walks through the forest in Roberts Regional Park.
Roberts playground is a fun place for Call of the Wild adventurers to play after hiking in the redwoods.
Roberts playground also has educational activities on the play structures for kids to enjoy.
Call of the Wild weekend nature explorers can climb and do field games at Roberts playground.
A place to hike, read, and play in the redwoods. Does that not look like the stump in Dr. Seuss's The Lorax?
Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland
10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619
Chabot Space and Science Center has interactive exhibits for kids to enjoy, like the science of color. Do the apples look appetizing? Will your appetite change when you press the button to see their real colors?
Call of the Wild weekend museum explorers enjoy hands-on learning, like studying lunar ice crystals.
Call of the Wild science enthusiasts can test and explore flight and paper airplanes in Chabot's wind tunnel.
Call of the Wild Camp explorers can experiment with magnetic blocks on an air table at Chabot Space and Science Center.
Kids can replicate the Moon's surface using their hands and shaping tools on Call of the Wild's Saturday visits to Chabot.
Call of the Wild museum explorers can exercise their creativity, designing spacesuits for different EnviroZones.
Dimond Park has three playgrounds and a unique progression Call of the Wild kids get to make from urban park to wild green spaces.
From Dimond Park, Call of the Wild explorers get to nature walk along Sausal Creek and even do a couple of creek crossings.
Call of the Wild Camp young naturalists practice their own environmental stewardship, like 5th graders did at Sausal Creek.
Call of the Wild biology enthusiasts learn about native wildflowers and grasses that were planted on Dimond Canyon Trail. Campers practice Leave No Trace to respect the diverse habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Call of the Wild Camp adventurers take risks and build confidence with their outdoor skills, including part of the hike with a rope to grip after a creek crossing.
Call of the Wild Campers take plenty of breaks on hikes and nature walks. Tucked away by the creek trail are rocks like natural seats to relax, journal, read, have story time, and listen.
Call of the Wild campers at Lake Merritt start and end the day playing at Kids' Kingdom playground overlooking the lake.
Call of the Wild young naturalists spot and learn about birds at Lake Merritt (the first wildlife refuge in North America), such as the black-crowned night heron, the official city bird of Oakland.
Call of the Wild kids explore in The Gardens at Lake Merritt, including visiting pollinators at the Air Bee N Bee
Call of the Wild kids explore and learn about the diverse plants and animals in the gardens
Near the gazebo at Lake Merritt, Call of the Wild campers get to explore and climb trees
Call of the Wild kids also get to go boating at Lake Merritt
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Berkeley Saturday Camps
Photos are representative of sites and activities from past camps, unless otherwise noted. Locations including science center or museum visits may have varied exhibits that differ from last school year.
Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley
Tilden Park Indian Camp, Fire Trail 4, Kensington, CA 94708
Name change note: Indian Camp picnic site is now called "Camp Alders." It is still called Indian Camp on Google Maps, but it appears as Camp Alders on the new Tilden Park map.
Call of the Wild explorers hike around Lake Anza after a rock scramble.
Call of the Wild adventurers traverse logs by Lake Anza.
Call of the Wild bibliophiles enjoy a fictional story about a boy addicted to screens.
At Tilden Little Farm, Call of the Wild kids enjoy visiting the animals. Tilden no longer permits feeding the animals, for their health, but kids can pet them and enjoy learning about them.
Call of the Wild kids enjoy free play at Tilden Nature Area playground.
At Tilden Environmental Education Center, curious Call of the Wild campers reach into the mystery touch box.
The Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley
1 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
Call of the Wild campers start and end the day outdoors at The Lawrence Hall of Science
Call of the Wild explorers enjoy a hike in the Berkeley hills beside The Lawrence
Among other outdoor learning opportunities, campers explore the watershed in Forces That Shape the Bay Science Park
Campers get to enjoy free play to start and end the day
Call of the Wild hikers also venture in the hills above The Lawrence, overlooking the bay
Last school year, Call of the Wild kids got to enjoy live-action dinosaurs at Dinosaur Lookout
Last school year, campers got to snack among dinosaur exhibits and try to spot living dinosaurs in the sky (birds are modern-day dinos!)
Campers enjoy hands-on activities like experimenting with making and flying paper airplanes
Among many other interactive exhibits, Call of the Wild campers get to experiment with sound and music
Call of the Wild Berkeley campers enjoy a 3D nature show in The Lawrence
Call of the Wild adventurers can build and play at Adventure Playground, where the play structures are created by children!
Call of the Wild kids also get to play on the structures at Shorebird Park Playground, plus play field games.
At Shorebird Park Nature Center, young naturalists at Call of the Wild Camps® learn biology and environmental education.
Animal lovers at Call of the Wild Camps® can enjoy wild turkey sightings, among other animals at Shorebird Park.
Call of the Wild outdoor enthusiasts get to go on nature walks along the bay and explore tidepools in the estuary.
Windy days by the bay are great for Call of the Wild kids to craft and fly kites and learn the science behind kite flying.
University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley
200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
UC Botanical Garden is a living museum spanning over 34 acres of ecosystems from around planet Earth. It's almost like hiking and nature walking around the globe in a single day! Campers adventure through botanical worlds from nine geographical regions, spanning California, deserts of the Americas, South Africa, Asia, Australasia (New Zealand, Australia, etc.), South America, the Mediterranean, Mexico and Central America, and more.
Kids get to explore North America's largest collection of wild-collected plants from almost every continent. The garden features 10,000 types of plants, including rare and endangered species. Highlights include pitcher plants in the Carnivorous Plant House, gigantic cacti and succulents in the Arid House, ancient living-fossil trees in the Cycad & Palm Garden, and towering, giant coast redwoods in the Redwood Grove.
Kids carefully practicing their powers of observation may also spot small wild animals in UC Botanical Garden. Year-round bird residents include Steller's jays, California scrub-jays, chestnut-backed chickadees, black phoebe birds, and Anna's Hummingbirds. Raptors and fall migrants include red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and early fall migratory bird species passing through the East Bay hills. Late pollinators, such as butterflies in late summer and early autumn, include the Gray Buckeye, Acmon Blue, and various crescent butterflies drawn to blooming plants. Bees and beneficial insects are active across the Mediterranean, California native, and South American garden beds. Other wildlife kids might spot include small reptiles and mammals, such as Western fence lizards sunning on rocks and squirrels darting around the gardens.
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Castro Valley Saturday Camp
Lake Chabot Regional Park, Castro Valley
17404 Lake Chabot Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546
Call of the Wild weekend adventurers can go boating at Lake Chabot.
Call of the Wild Camp explorers get to hike in the hills above the lake. One day, a raccoon was hiking on the trail, too!
The loop hike around Lake Chabot is 9 miles. Call of the Wild hikers won't be doing the full loop but get to build their stamina hiking around parts of the lake.
Pedal boats for kids to navigate and the Lake Chabot Queen tour boat await!
Call of the Wild children get to explore biodiversity on Lake Chabot hiking trails, including the roles in the ecosystem played by trees, mosses, lichens, fallen leaves, and more!
There's no swimming allowed in Lake Chabot, but kids get to explore by the lake shore and have their snack breaks with scenic views.
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Hayward Saturday Camp
Photos are representative of available sights as of August 2026, unless otherwise noted. Animals and exhibits may vary from time to time.
Sulphur Creek Nature Center, Hayward
Camp Hours: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
1801 D Street Hayward, CA 94541
Sulphur Creek Nature Center is a special little place where the love of animals and kindness come together. More than just a nature center, it's a wildlife rehabilitation center and refuge where sick, injured, and orphaned native wild animals are cared for by dedicated staff.
During our Saturday camp, children will have the chance to meet some of the center's amazing animal residents up close. Indoors in the Discovery Center, kids view reptiles, insects, and amphibians, in addition to learning from the biodiversity facts wall and cozy book nook. Kids can discover fascinating facts about native California wildlife while learning how people can make a difference by treating animals and nature with compassion and respect.
Seeing real rescued animals helps children understand that even small acts of kindness can have a big impact. Campers explore ethical vegan values and animal rights as they learn from wild animals in a space where they are not kept in cages for our entertainment and exploitation but for the care and benefit of the animals.
Campers also go on a short nature hike, searching for birds, insects, plants, and signs of wildlife while exploring the natural world.
Sulphur Creek Nature Center is a small space for young animal lovers with big hearts to make discoveries, enjoy the outdoors, and be inspired to become caring stewards of wildlife and the environment. Come spend a Saturday filled with nature and kindness - you never know which wild neighbor you'll meet!
Map of Sulphur Creek Nature Center, a small wildlife rehabilitation and wildlife education center with a short hiking trail, outdoor classroom and amphitheater.
Sulphur Creek, part of San Lorenzo Creek Watershed. Call of the Wild weekend explorers discover wild animals and plants that call the watershed home.
Sulphur Creek Animal Hospital. Campers do not enter the hospital but learn about its purpose and future career paths for caring for wildlife.
Kids learn to bust myths about bird intelligence, such as the "bird brained" expression.
Sick and injured native mammals cared for in outdoor enclosures include a coyote and fox. Kids also get to learn facts about co-existence with these native mammals.
Indoors in the Discovery Center, campers see and learn about amphibians, such as the Sierran tree frog, California newt, and Western toad.
In the Discovery Center, campers learn about biodiversity, the variety of life in all its forms, across the world.
Outdoor classroom space at Sulphur Creek Nature Center, near the short hiking trail. Campers get to snack, have lunch, do nature journaling, nature-inspired art activities, and more in a dry space when rainy and shaded place when sunny.
Barn owl at Sulphur Creek Nature Center. Native animals in outdoor enclosures include many bird species, such as a great horned owl, barn owl, Western screech owl, crow, and turkey vulture.
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Call of the Wild Camps® on Saturdays for the 2026-2027 school year are open for registration!
Your requests are always welcome! Bay Area outdoor day camp locations and specific trail requests are considered by popular demand for Call of the Wild nature camps in the Bay Area! For requests or inquiries, feel free to reach out with an email for the quickest reply.
Call of the Wild Camps
* Summer Camp
* Fall Camp
* Winter Camp
* Spring Camp
Email: info@inspireactivelearning.com
Phone: (510) 224-3549
Hours:
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Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM-7:30 PM
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Saturday: 9:00 AM-6:30 PM
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Sunday: Closed
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area
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Alameda County
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Albany
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Berkeley
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Emeryville
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Oakland
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Alameda
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San Leandro
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Castro Valley
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Pleasanton
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Dublin
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Fremont
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...and more!
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Contra Costa County
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Concord
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Pleasant Hill
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Walnut Creek
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Antioch
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Brentwood
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Orinda
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Lafayette
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Alamo
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Danville
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San Ramon
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...and more!
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Santa Clara County
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Milpitas
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San Jose
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Cupertino
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Saratoga
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Los Gatos
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Santa Clara
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Sunnyvale
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Mountain View
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Los Altos
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Palo Alto
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Solano County
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Vallejo
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Benicia
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Cordelia
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Suisun
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Fairfield
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Vacaville
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