Outdoor Fun with Friends
At the Wenatchee River Institute (WRI), we believe the best place to spend a day off is outside. WRI's Youth Camps focus on connecting youth to the natural world, making new friends, and having fun! Camps are offered throughout the year and topics can be seasonally specific. Students will learn about the world around us, play fun games, explore the trails on the WRI campus, spot birds, make art, and more!
WRI offers youth day camps during the school year for fall break, mid-winter break, and spring break for students in grades K-3, and in the summer in July and the first half of August for students entering grades 1-9! Learn more about camps below.
For summer camp registration, WRI uses a lottery system. Our hope is that the system will offer more equitable access to WRI Summer Camps and alleviate stress around registration. The lottery process happens in late February and early March each year. Sign up for the E-News to be the first to know about upcoming camps and the lottery. See more info below!
We want every child to have a chance to learn and play outside with us. WRI's Youth Camps are priced in the Pay What You Can structure to make camps as affordable as possible to all families. It is our hope that some families will have the ability to pay a little more to offset the costs for families who cannot.
Summer Camp Lottery 2026
Campers can enroll in one week of camp through the lottery system. If there are spots in camp after the lottery, those will be open to everyone through general registration. Entering the lottery does not guarantee a camper a spot in camp. The summer camp schedule will be posted with camp descriptions by the time the lottery starts. See those below!
Important Dates:
February 25th, 5:00pm - March 4th, 8:30am: Lottery registration available (Read below for directions on how to enter the lottery.)
March 6th: Lottery results announced by 5:00pm
March 13th, 8:00am: Deadline to accept and register for spots offered through the lottery (You will need to complete registration for the camp spots offered to you through the lottery.)
March 16th, 5:30pm: Remaining camp spots will open for general registration.
How to enter the lottery:
Timing: The lottery will be available beginning February 25. The lottery closes Wednesday, March 4th at 8:30. There will be no priority given to those who entered the lottery first. All entries between February 25 and March 4 will be treated equally.
Entering the Lottery: Review the camp schedule and descriptions when they are posted. When you open the registration link, every camp will show a waitlist option. To enter the lottery for a camp, sign your camper up for the waitlist. Please only sign your camper up for one camp waitlist through this process. You will receive a confirmation email for your waitlist sign up.
Siblings: We recognize that sending siblings to camp in the same week is a priority for many families, and we want to be able to accommodate that as much as possible. The registration form includes a question about whether you’re hoping to register siblings for the same week of camp. Submit a separate waitlist registration for each camper you’d like to register. We will do our best to honor these requests. Please note, if you'd like siblings to attend camp the same week, please enter them in the lottery for camps occurring the same week.
Results: If your camper receives a spot in camp through the lottery, you will be notified by email by the end of the day on March 6. That email will include a link to register. You will need to complete registration by March 13 to accept that spot in camp. Entering the lottery does not guarantee a spot in camp. We are hopeful, however, that everyone who enters the lottery will get a spot in camp this summer. When you register, you can add early drop off.
Pay What You Can: WRI is committed to continuing the Pay What You Can structure for camps. Each camp lists the full cost of camp on the registration page. Discount codes will be shared with the lottery results to adjust the cost of camp.
Upcoming Camps:
Thank you to our 2026 Summer Camp Partners and Sponsors!
The Wenatchee River Institute is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit. EIN 20-5611326
