Camp Facilities
When you stay at a SOAR summer camp, you get a fun and unique stay, from the activities to the facilities and accommodations!
Our campus & facilities vary by location, from rustic cabins to tents. Plus, every location has a bathhouse and natural space for outdoor activities and recreational activities.
North Carolina
Our Balsam Base is located in Balsam, NC, approximately 45 minutes west of Asheville. We are situated on ~25 acres of wooded, mountainous land, bordering Blue Ridge Parkway National Park Land.
At Balsam Base, campers are surrounded by nature! Our grounds are home to various native wildflowers (including trillium & mayapple), blackberry bushes, and a wide variety of tree species. Many bird species, including woodpeckers, goldfinch, cardinals, and more can be seen and heard in the trees above base.
Balsam Base
Click here and toggle over to CAMP in the top right corner after you enter the tour.
Kitchen & Indoor Recreation
We call it, “The lodge” and it’s home to our kitchen, dining hall, an indoor group recreation space, gear/food rooms and administrative offices.
Rustic Cabins
Throughout our campus are 10 rustic cabins, each named for a different explorer. The cabins contain wooden bunks with camp mattresses and are electricity free! Depending upon the course, campers stay between 2 and 14 nights at base sleeping in the cabins as a team. All groups stay in the cabins with their counselors. If the group is coed, the instructors will stay in between the boys and girls.
Bathhouse & Outdoor Recreation
The bathhouse building is adjacent to the Lodge with private bath and shower facilities, indoor group space, and a 24ft climbing wall.
Balsam Base also offers both a low and high ropes course as well as an open field area for games, archery, and hatchet throwing.
Tent Camping
While on expedition campers may stay in ~4 person tents with campers of the same gender or under tarps. Tentmates have no more than a 3 year difference in age. Instructors stay in their own individual tents right next to the students and can easily hear if the camper needs anything.
Wyoming
Eagle View Ranch is located four miles west of Dubois WY, situated on ~22 acres of ranch and woodland.
Nestled in the breathtaking landscape of Wyoming, offers a truly awe-inspiring escape into nature’s grandeur. Perched high in the Rocky Mountains, this secluded ranch boasts panoramic vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see. With its commanding elevation, visitors are treated to sweeping views of rugged mountain ranges, pristine forests, and rolling meadows that paint an ever-changing canvas with each passing season.
Eagle View Ranch
Click here and toggle over to CAMP in the top right corner after you enter the tour or watch the video below.
Kitchen & Bathhouse
Constructed of lodgepole pine, this area houses the kitchen, bath and shower facilities, and a covered dining area with fireplace.
Outfitter Style Shelters
While at basecamp, the whole group of instructors and campers stay together in 1 platform tent. If the group is co-ed, the instructors will stay in between the boys and girls.
Riding Area & Classrooms
With horseback riding as the focus of Eagle View Ranch there is a dedicated venue for honing equestrian skills.
The Eagle View Ranch property includes many outbuildings that function as living spaces, administrative offices, classrooms, gear and equestrian equipment spaces. A second kitchen complex is adjacent to the Lodge, as are the horse corrals and tack buildings.
Tent Camping
While on expedition campers may stay in ~4 person tents with campers of the same gender or under tarps. Tentmates have no more than a 3 year difference in age. Instructors stay in their own individual tents right next to the students and can easily hear if the camper needs anything.
Florida Keys
Our Florida Keys Adventure and Florida SCUBA programs are facilitated in the Middle Keys. We utilize Camp Sawyer, a ~9 acre oceanfront camp owned by the Boy Scout Council.
Camp Sawyer
The property overlooks both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and is surrounded by tidal pools and mangroves perfect for swimming, snorkeling and exploration. All staff and campers stay in tents throughout the summer, and will have access to bathroom facilities, picnic tables, and fire circles.
Kitchen & Outdoor Recreation
Campers at this location quickly learn how to cook safely on camp stoves.
Tents
Florida is a SOAR Satellite program, meaning participants sleep in tents throughout the duration of the program. Tentmates are the same gender and have no more than a 3 year difference in age. Instructors stay in their own individual tents right next to the students and can easily hear if the camper needs anything.
Bathhouse
Shower facilities and bathrooms are conveniently located on site within a short walk.
California
The California participants camp in local State Parks and National Parks. Each campsite is equipped with water and bathroom facilities. Campers and staff will stay in tents for the duration of the program.
State & National Parks
Our California Coastal Adventure program begins at Lake Casitas Recreation Area west of the Big Sur region of California. The participants will travel to the Channel Islands NP, and stay at Morro Bay State Park.
The California Expedition begins in Monterey Bay, and then travels to Yosemite NP and the Lake Tahoe region.
Kitchen & Bathhouse
At this satellite location, campers cook on camp stoves and have access to bathhouses for most nights.
Stay at beautiful state and national parks with amazing views.
Tents
California is a SOAR Satellite program, meaning participants sleep in tents throughout the duration of the program. Campers stay in ~4 person tents each night with campers of the same gender and learn how to properly set up primitive campsites. Tentmates are the same gender and have no more than a 3 year difference in age. Instructors stay in their own individual tents right next to the students and can easily hear if the camper needs anything.
Speciality Courses
Accommodations on specialty courses will vary. International courses typically combine lodging at hostels, private hotels, and campground facilities.
Distinct Accommodations TBD
Campers in our specialty courses stay in a variety of accommodations, from bunk beds in hostels to private hotel rooms to camping, depending on the course. More information about the accommodations of specialty trips is provided after registration.
Kitchen & Bathhouse
The kitchen while on specialty courses can be found in hostels or around the campfire ring. When no kitchen is readily available campers enjoy regional cuisines from local restaurants while practicing budgeting!
Sleep Accomodations
A variety of locations such as hotels, local B&B’s, and more.
