How Summer Camps Are Adapting to Climate Change

For Johnson, part of that has involved coordinating with local officials on evacuation areas, and having a structural engineer ensure that buildings are storm ready. “It’s a lot of planning to prepare for the worst and hoping that you never have to use it,” he says. 

But on the day-to-day, activity periods are now shorter, and campers spend more time in the pool or doing other aquatic activities. “There was one day where it was too hot to ride [horses], so they put their boots and bathing suits on and bathed the horses,” says Johnson. 

At Mountain Meadow, water bottles are now used as passes to activities to ensure kids always have their water bottles on them and are staying hydrated. The camp no longer offers a session in August—when temperatures are highest and the wildfire risk is greatest. In 2021 and 2024, they were forced to cancel sessions due to wildfire smoke. 

Things might look a little different from when she was a kid, but Ellena-Rosenau notes that that’s just how it goes at camp. “Camp is about adapting and being flexible,” she says. “It’s been 70 years of this camp, and every summer we’re tweaking and evaluating and finding new ways to beat the heat.”