STONE CANYON OUTDOOR EDVENTURES

My twins attended Outdoor Ed with their school. From what they’ve said, they had a good time overall with only a few minor things they did not enjoy. My review however comes on their management. On the last day they were there, I received a VM explaining a situation that happened with my son and another boy. My husband and I called back and spoke to Shawna. We clearly introduced ourselves with our last name. We were informed of the incident, but it was clear she was not 100% sure what happened as it was 3rd hand information. Once my twins returned, I spoke directly to both teachers who informed me it was another child with the same first name, not last as my son … and the last name was not even close to ours to confuse them. I called back and left a message to let Shawna know of this mistake - we never received a call back apologizing or acknowledging their error.

Stone Canyon Outdoor EdVentures is the BEST! I remember a school outdoor ed field trip in 2016 with my local school in DCSD, SRE (Saddle Ranch Elementary). I remember it was somewhat of a life-changing experience. I had the best High School Lead as a 6th grader; his name was “EJ,” and he was super cool, friendly, comforting, and the best dude to hang out with during free time. I personally had the most amazing joy getting to know my cabin and the LEAD “EJ” I also remember when I was on the zip-line and was super scared cause I had a lot going through my mind and I wanted my LEAD, EJ, to be there with me but sure enough I independently and confidently went down the zip-line and faced my fears head on! Overall, if you are looking into sending your school group or kid to this place I would strongly recommend this place as the experiences are truly transformative and will last you a lifetime.

My child was very sick the first night of his outdoor ed experience and was sent to the camp nurse. He asked to call home and was refused. He was sent back to his bunk where he was sick all night and potentially exposed other kids to a contagious illness. From a parent’s point of view this was handled about a poorly as is possible. I had no idea he was sick until he returned home 2 days later.

Our kiddo had a great week at Stone Canyon! There was a good balance of structure and choice in activities. It's great to have the kids completely unplugged from electronic devices for a week for a wholesome summer outdoor experience. Staff were kind, fun, and supportive. We will be returning in the future!

Don’t take your kids here if they have special needs. I waited a year literally for this review. My kid with autism and anxiety went here last year and was sent home very quickly. It demolished him and just so very much affected him. It even affected friendships as he didn’t want to see his friends that saw something so very embarrassing to him. Stone Canyon is not equipped to handle people with special needs and specifically anxiety. I got many calls from them to try to solve things over the phone. I was told at 10pm or so when I had to come get him. Late at night driving for 30 minutes to get him and then the long drive home. Worst night of my life as a parent. His problems started with us leaving his gear and the staff moved it into cabins. When that happened they gave him a different pillow which did not feel right to him. My son did not sleep well first night and second night which affected him greatly. That had some to do with autism and some to do just as a human being. On day three he had a conflict during dinner time and declined food which is when I got a call from the camp. After discussing and tying my best to help over the phone he was asking for food and was not given any, he escalated till they told him “strike 3”. Like I said they are not equipped to handle kids with special needs. I’m doing this review now because my same kid just did a church camp. First off it was half the cost. He still has the same personal issues and did very well. When I got a call from the camp which isn’t a surprise as he needs some extra support to manage his fears. The thing is just how very different these calls were than the calls I got from Stone Canyon. It was so very much different in how the church camp approached helping my son and being supportive. Stone Canyon is ran like a school with too few resources for kids that have special needs, like a charter school perhaps. There is a line in the sand on what they won’t do and it’s all the kid’s fault. The facilities are nice and I have friends that love the camp for their kids. My review is a warning to parents with kids that have special needs and/or anxiety issues. Find somewhere else.