Mountain Kids!

AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PROGRAM IN SANTA FE, NM

OUR HISTORY

Mountain Kids! began in 2009 out of a mother’s desire to connect her children and their peers with nature and a community of outdoor enthusiasts. With a borrowed “Adventure Van” meeting in their backyard, a handful of children and adults began to play in the mountains three days per week during the hot month of June. Nine years later, our community has grown to hundreds of families from Santa Fe and beyond!

OUR MISSION

Mountain Kids! is an outdoor education and adventure program for children based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We aim to foster a sense of community and personal challenge, while instilling a love of nature and all that it provides.

WE OFFER

Hands-on adventures in nature through exploration, imaginative play, games, stories, songs, art, hiking, natural history, backpacking, mountain biking and good-old fashioned fun! For children and teens ages 3-16. Learn more

OUR PHILOSOPHY

With the current trends of nature deficit disorder and our highly scheduled, technology-driven lives, Mountain Kids! aims to hearken back to simpler times where child-centered play in nature was the norm.

BENEFITS

Mountain Kids! aims to unplug our children and “Leave No Child Inside.” Children who play in the natural world enjoy a wealth of benefits, including better physical and mental health and improved focus and concentration.

OUR GOAL

Our goal is to reach all children in Santa Fe and beyond, helping to create a healthy new generation of young people, that care about the earth and each other.

After School Program

With so much research to support the benefits of time spent in nature we are thrilled to offer Friday Afternoon Adventures for SFPS students!

REGISTER NOW

OUR TEAM

All Mountain Kids Staff are trained in First Aid and CPR (at a minimum) and have passed a criminal background check. Staff Training includes learning Mountain Kids safety protocol, and our mission, philosophy and activities.

Katie Macaulay

Katie is the Founder and Director of Mountain Kids. She feels strongly about enabling kids to leave hectic schedules and technology behind in order to wonder, learn, and play in nature. Katie earned her degree in Education from the University of British Columbia and has studied the Art of Mentoring at the Wilderness Awareness School. Learn more

Carmen Harris

Carmen has worked in early childhood education throughout the last decade. Her work couples her concern to nourish the exuberant wonder of childhood with her love for the magic of the natural world. She has a great love for wildness (within and without), and an abiding passion for the rooted world of plants. Learn more

Max Murphy

Max was born and raised in Santa Fe, and developed a strong love for the landscape of the Southwest at a young age. He has spent hundreds of days hiking, fishing, rafting, and backpacking in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Utah. Learn more

Jon Ross

Jon Ross, who goes by JR, was born and raised in southern California where his thirst for adventure drove him to outdoor leadership at the Catalina Island Summer Camps. He sought more outdoor education experience while being an instructor at The Outdoor School in the hill country of Texas, and a then leader at the YMCA in Boston. Learn more

Rebecca Johnson

Rebecca has worked as a Park Interpreter in Colorado, leading pond studies, writing puppet shows, and crafting nature programs for the children and the public. She currently works at La Mariposa Montessori and is looking forward to her second summer at Mountain Kids! Learn more

Morgan Moran

Morgan has worked with children since she was a child herself. She is pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education and currently works at Desert Montessori running their after school program. Learn more

Alexandra Lakind

Alexandra is a seasoned Mountain Kids! counselor, native Santa Fean, and lover of the Sangre de Christo mountains. She is a performing artist who loves to play, collaborate, and make things (up). She is a gifted educator of young children, coming alive and connecting with little ones in a magical way that resonates with their little spirits. Learn more

Ulysses Yarbrough

Ulysses is a student at the Santa Fe Community College, where he especially enjoys film and biology classes. He has lived in the Española Valley for his whole life and enjoys working with kids at Montessori schools in Santa Fe. Learn more

MOUNTAIN KIDS! BLOG

Digging into the Past, Week 2: Arroyo Hondo (both groups)

July 17, 2017

We are so lucky to have such a wealth of knowledge in our community. Jay Shapiro is a retired archeologist who did his PhD thesis on the Arroyo Hondo site. This the second year he has given our kids a private tour. His comment about our campers is that “They ask better questions than...

Digging into the Past, Week 2: Ghost Ranch (both groups)

July 17, 2017

Ghost Ranch is an amazing resource near Santa Fe, and Alex Downs, the now-retired Paleontologist, is a true gem! He came out of retirement to spend time with the kids making plaster casts of dragons, T-rex teeth and claws. Afterwards he gave them a tour of the paleontology museum, answering their questions, sharing some of...

Digging into the Past Week 2, 8-12 Year olds, Abiquiu Lake Campout

July 17, 2017

While our young Megalodons explored the Beaver Ponds, the Peregrine Falcons were setting up camp at Abiquiu Lake for the night. With thunder and lightning swirling around the area, swimming was cut short in favor of safety and lots of games under our group shelter. We made a delicious dinner of bean and cheese...

Years

242

Camps

2657

Kids

52000

Miles hiked

WHAT OUR FANS SAY

I am really grateful to have found Mountain Kids; I love the philosophy of the camp and it has really encouraged Sam in his love of nature and hiking.

Lorri Ballard

Mother extraordinaire!

My kids vote this the best summer camp in Santa Fe!

Kendel Broad

An Awesome Mom from Florida

I was particularly impressed by the organization and thought-out structure of the camp. When my son told me about the finer details of his days (like listening to chapter books on the ride to the trail or playing games to encourage water drinking), I felt even more confident and happy about our choice of camp.

Gretchen Hayden

Marvelous Mom

My girls love the super fun, energetic counselors - their parents lack the enthusiasm to get them hiking. They love meeting new friends while hiking. The atmosphere is so friendly, they have an insta-community of friends, even if they just met.

Erika Bensen

Wonder Mom!

CONTACT

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note and We’ll get back to you ASAP!