A Week Built for the Climber in Every Kid
Climbing towers, bouldering walls, and rocky scrambles will excite the climber in us all. Climb On! takes the kid who cannot stop climbing the furniture at home and gives them a whole week of legitimate places to do it. Campers rotate through the Gretna Glen climbing tower, the bouldering wall, and outdoor rocky scrambles, learning the skills and safety that turn raw climbing energy into real climbing ability.
On top of the climbing focus, the week includes a signature off-site day trip to Chickies Rock County Park in Lancaster County for real rock climbing with trained staff and toprope belaying. All skill levels are welcome. By Friday, campers who showed up unsure of their grip are sending routes they would not have believed they could do on Monday.
Three Kinds of Climbing. One Great Week.
Tower. Wall. Real rock. Climb On! builds skill across all three, every day of the week.
The Climbing Tower
Gretna Glen's signature climbing tower is where the week starts. Campers harness up, learn belaying fundamentals, and build confidence on routes that match their current skill level.
Bouldering Wall
No harness, no rope, low to the ground. The bouldering wall is where campers work on grip strength, movement, and problem-solving. Every route is a new puzzle to figure out.
Chickies Rock Day Trip
The week's signature off-site trip. Real rock climbing at Chickies Rock County Park in Lancaster County, with toprope belaying and full staff supervision. It is the day campers talk about all summer.
Classic Camp Around It
Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, archery, campfires, worship, and Bible Discovery all fit around the climbing focus. The specialty is climbing. The rest is the full Gretna Glen experience.
Skill Building, Every Single Day
Climb On! is built for the camper who has been asking to try rock climbing or who already knows they love it. The week follows a deliberate progression. Campers start on the tower to learn safety and belaying basics. They build grip and movement skills on the bouldering wall. Then they take everything they have learned and apply it to real rock at Chickies Rock.
All climbing abilities are welcome. Trained staff work with campers at every level, from total beginners getting into their first harness to returning climbers ready for harder routes. The goal is not to produce expert climbers in five days. The goal is to give every camper the confidence, skill, and memory of what it feels like to send a route they did not think they could do.
WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Climb On! is based at the Wilderness Ridge Outpost, Gretna Glen's rustic outpost. There is no electricity. Campers sleep on cots in canvas platform tents or rustic cabins with bunk-style beds. Water and bathrooms are close by.
This is an unplugged experience by design. It matches the climbing theme: simple gear, real connection to the outdoors, and a crew that feels like a small team for the week.
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW
All climbing instruction is led by trained staff. Helmets and harnesses are required and provided. The Chickies Rock day trip includes fully supervised toprope belaying with certified staff.
Gretna Glen is ACA-accredited, meeting over 300 health, safety, and quality standards. Staff are Ministry Safe and UMC Risk Management trained. Transportation to and from Chickies Rock is included in the program cost.
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
- Kids 9 to 12 who love to climb, or who have been asking to try
- Campers looking for a program with a real specialty focus
- First-time climbers ready for a guided, confidence-building introduction
- Returning climbers who want real-rock time alongside tower and wall progression