Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center

Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center A community-wide circle of friendship! We are a fun, educational and adventurous day camp.

Founded in 1950, our mission is to enrich the lives of children, youth and families through active outdoor environmental activities, hands on educational programs, community building and camp experience. Our programing consists of: archery lessons, arts & crafts sessions, canoeing, fishing, garden education, nature exploration, pottery sessions, swim time, team-building activities, tree house fun, ziplining (& other high ropes)!

We’re excited to introduce Autumn, our LIT Director and one of the leaders guiding campers through low ropes this summer...
06/18/2026

We’re excited to introduce Autumn, our LIT Director and one of the leaders guiding campers through low ropes this summer. Autumn is a first‑year staff member at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah, but she brings a natural warmth and enthusiasm that makes her feel like she’s been part of the CKBY family for years.

During the school year, Autumn studies at Hollins University and works at Barnes & Noble, but this summer she’s pouring her energy into helping our LITs grow as leaders. Our LITs are junior counselors ages 14 and 15, many of whom are former campers themselves. Autumn is already creating a supportive, encouraging space for them to learn, try new things, and discover their strengths.

Her favorite book is Little Women, her favorite snack is Goldfish, and she’s most looking forward to those sweet moments and connections with campers and staff.

We’re so grateful to have Autumn on our team this summer. She’s already making a difference.

We were grateful to welcome Meals On Wheels of Greater Lynchburg to Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center as part of our Kindne...
06/17/2026

We were grateful to welcome Meals On Wheels of Greater Lynchburg to Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center as part of our Kindness Week activities. Campers learned how Meals on Wheels cares for neighbors in our community who might otherwise struggle with food access, and they jumped right into an activity packing meals just like volunteers do each day.

Thank you to Meals on Wheels for joining us at camp and for the important work you do in our community. Your kindness reaches so many, and we were honored to learn from you this week 💚

Our 75th summer is officially underway, and we’re excited to share a special edition of our June newsletter. Inside you’...
06/17/2026

Our 75th summer is officially underway, and we’re excited to share a special edition of our June newsletter. Inside you’ll meet our incredible summer staff, see highlights from training week, learn about Addie & Sydney’s Ripple of Inclusion project, and find simple ways to support our counselors and campers this season.

Read the full newsletter: https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=fccf5c3b4e0ec7d35e073ce8d&id=ab6b6e1fca

We’re grateful for every friend who helps make camp a little stronger, kinder, and brighter.

What a beautiful cool morning to begin our 75th summer at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. Campers were racing down the mi...
06/16/2026

What a beautiful cool morning to begin our 75th summer at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. Campers were racing down the mini zip, cooling off in the pools, and sending the first arrows of the season flying at the archery range. The energy of opening day is always something special.

We were grateful to welcome Jimmy Davis from Bank of the James for closing. Bank of the James has supported nearly every major facilities improvement at camp in recent years, and this summer they are helping provide meals for our 80 campers, 8 LITs, and nearly 30 staff each week. Lunch was pizza bagels, a camp favorite.

Thank you to Bank of the James for helping us begin this milestone summer with so much care and community 💚

Today we open the first week of our 75th summer at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah, and what a joy it is to begin this historic season w...
06/15/2026

Today we open the first week of our 75th summer at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah, and what a joy it is to begin this historic season with all of you. As campers, staff, and LITs arrive for Day 1, we’re celebrating the generations of friends who have shaped this place and the new stories that begin this week.

This summer, in honor of our 75th year, we’re introducing something new: weekly themes designed to help guide the energy, imagination, and character our campers build at camp and carry home with them long after their week concludes. These themes will shape activities, conversations, and moments of reflection throughout the season.

Here’s what our campers will explore this summer:

Week 1 — Kindness
Week 2 — Wonder
Week 3 — Together
Week 4 — Nature
Week 5 — Belonging
Week 6 — Joy
Week 7 — Bravery
Week 8 — Helpers

As we gather for this milestone summer, we remain committed, as we have for 75 years, to making our children a little stronger, our community a little kinder, and our futures a little brighter.

Here’s to the first day of camp, the first steps into a new season, and the friends we’ve been waiting 75 years to welcome.

🌲 Happy Week 1, CKBY family.

We wrapped up staff training week with a full and joyful Friday at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. 🌲Counselors completed ...
06/13/2026

We wrapped up staff training week with a full and joyful Friday at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. 🌲

Counselors completed their final training modules this morning, including sessions on child abuse and neglect. They also received their campsite and co‑counselor assignments for next week, which made everything start to feel very real and very exciting.

We celebrated a great first week together with a pizza lunch and an afternoon in the CKBY pools. It was the first swim of the season and a perfect way to end a warm June day.

This year’s staff is an exceptional group with a wonderful blend of returning counselors and new faces. They bring so many skills, passions, and experiences to camp, including a couple of former Leaders in Training who have stepped into counselor roles for the first time. Watching them grow into these positions has been a highlight of the week.

What a gift it is to begin our 75th summer with a team like this. We cannot wait to welcome campers on Monday. 💚

Day 4 of staff training brought new faces, meaningful conversations, and plenty of teamwork at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Ce...
06/12/2026

Day 4 of staff training brought new faces, meaningful conversations, and plenty of teamwork at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. 🌲

We were excited to welcome Taylor, our Lynchburg Beacon of Hope intern, to camp for the first time this morning. After opening songs, our team met with longtime educator Allison Jordan to reflect on the impact a week at camp can have and the unique ways each of us becomes part of the history and legacy of CKBY.

Yesterday’s rain left our trails and campsites soggy, so our staff practiced the same flexibility we ask of campers. With some creative thinking, we still managed to pull off our pancake lunches even with damp firewood and wet fire pits.

Throughout the day we explored more of the grounds, including a walk over to Bedford Hills Elementary School PTO as part of our emergency preparedness training. In the afternoon we had a special treat as Stuart from Stuart Twery Photography joined us in Addison’s Amphitheater for staff photos. Some were serious and some were very silly, and all of them captured the spirit of this incredible team.

Tomorrow wraps up a wonderful week together with this exceptional crew. We could not ask for better counselors. It has taken 75 years to bring this team together and it was worth the wait! 💚

Day 3 of staff training brought so much wisdom and generosity to Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. 🌲We were grateful to wel...
06/11/2026

Day 3 of staff training brought so much wisdom and generosity to Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center. 🌲

We were grateful to welcome Julie from Kids Connect Neighborhood, who shared insights from her counseling work on helping children understand and navigate their emotions. She offered practical tools for emotional literacy, communication, and self‑regulation that will support our campers in meaningful ways this summer.

Our friend Bette Bibee from the Wild Ones Greater Lynchburg Area Chapter also visited to introduce an environmentally friendly method of mosquito control. Wild Ones is providing 15 mosquito buckets for camp this season, a simple and effective way to care for our outdoor spaces.

We ended the day with Dr. Cheryl Lindeman, a longtime volunteer with our school field trips. She spoke with counselors about teaching strategies for children and how to spark curiosity and a love of science during our time in nature.

And a big thank you to camper and staff mom Rosie Ford for bringing breakfast this morning. What a gift to start the day!

We are so thankful for these wonderful friends who shared their time, experience, and encouragement with our staff today. They are helping us build a thoughtful and well‑prepared team for this 75th summer of camp. 💚

Day 2 of staff training at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center was full of learning, connection, and a few special surprises. ...
06/10/2026

Day 2 of staff training at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center was full of learning, connection, and a few special surprises. 🌲

We began the morning with a thoughtful message from former CKBY Executive Director Pat Haley, who encouraged our team to build intentional, in‑person connections this summer. His reminder felt especially meaningful as we prepare to welcome campers into a world that is more digital than ever. Camp continues to be a place where real friendships grow and where young people feel seen and supported.

Our counselors also completed First Aid and CPR training with our friends from Campbell Insurance. These sessions help ensure that every camper is cared for with confidence and professionalism throughout the season.

Later in the day, we cooked our first hot meal of the summer and spent time learning our way around both the arts shelter and the mini zip line. There was plenty of laughter, teamwork, and the kind of joy that comes from being together in the woods.

A heartfelt thank you to Pat for joining us this morning and to longtime camp friend and mom Emily Crowder for bringing breakfast. Your kindness helped make the day even brighter.

What a wonderful start to this 75th summer of camp. 💚

Today was the first day of staff training at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center, and what a joyful start to the season it was...
06/09/2026

Today was the first day of staff training at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center, and what a joyful start to the season it was. 🌲

Our summer staff spent the day practicing opening songs, visiting activity areas across our 47 acre campus, and preparing for the important work of caring for children. Training also included sessions on workplace harassment, bullying, and violence prevention, along with bloodborne pathogens training. These are essential pieces of creating a safe and welcoming environment for every camper who joins us this summer.

We have a wonderful mix of new faces and returning staff members this year. Their energy, kindness, and commitment to children were already shining through on day one.

How lucky we are to have such a fantastic group leading the way for this 75th summer of camp. 💚

Address

4415 Boonsboro Road
Lynchburg, VA
24503

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+14343841755

Website

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