West Los Angeles · Ages 5–11 · Small groups

A little wilder.
A little more themselves.

Adventure Camp LA is a small, community-rooted outdoor program for children in West LA. We spend our days in the Santa Monica Mountains and along the Malibu coast — building friendships, curiosity, and confidence one trail at a time.

Enroll for Summer 2026 About Us
What Adventure Camp LA is

A small, rooted community
for curious kids to grow in.

Adventure Camp LA is built around a simple belief: children thrive when they're given real places, real relationships, and room to figure things out together. We spend our days in the Santa Monica Mountains and along the Malibu coast — returning to the same canyons and shorelines often enough that kids begin to feel genuinely at home in them.

Groups are kept small so that every child is known, seen, and supported. We design our days around collaboration and shared discovery — kids problem-solving together, looking out for each other, learning how to be in a group. That's where empathy and confidence come from: not from being told to have them, but from actually practicing them in the world.

Our community draws from schools across West LA — LAUSD, SMMUSD, Crossroads, Wildwood, New Roads, Windward, Brentwood, Archer, Turning Point, Westside Neighborhood, Village School, St. Matthew's, WISH Community, Citizens of the World, New West Charter, and Ocean Charter — brought together by a shared belief that kids deserve more time outside.

If your child comes home muddy, a little tired, and mid-sentence about something they found in a creek — that's a good day.

Empathy and collaboration, in practice

We design days where kids genuinely need each other — to solve something, navigate something, carry something together. Social and emotional growth happens in those moments, not in a lesson about them.

A real relationship with the natural world

Kids who know the chaparral by name, who've crouched over a tide pool, who've watched a red-tailed hawk ride a thermal overhead — they carry that curiosity and care with them for life.

Room to be who they actually are

Outside, away from screens and social performance, kids often surprise themselves. We make space for that — for the quiet kid, the wild kid, the one who just needs to be somewhere that feels alive.

Small groups, genuine attention

We know your children — not just their name on a form, but how they move through a new place, what lights them up, what they're working on.

How we spend our days

Everything is project-based, peer-driven,
and happens outside.

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The land is the teacher

A creek bed, a tidal pool, a hillside of sage in bloom — these places ask questions that no classroom can. We set the conditions and follow where kids' curiosity leads.

🤝

Children learn from each other

We design days around shared tasks and collective discovery — things that genuinely require listening, patience, and care for the person next to you. Empathy grows from being in real situations together, not from being taught about it.

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Every child at their own pace

Some kids need to hold the sea cucumber. Some need to watch from a distance first. Both are good. We meet children where they are and trust that the natural world — given enough time and space — does the rest.

About Jessika

Hi, I'm Jessika Hudson.

I grew up curious about the natural world and studied anthropology at UCLA — which turned out to be a pretty good foundation for spending a career watching how humans (especially small ones) figure out how to be in relationship with each other and with the land.

I've been teaching children outdoors for over fifteen years, working as a certified herbalist with a specialization in the native plants of the Santa Monica Mountains and a trained wilderclass teacher. I'm a member of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

I started Adventure Camp LA because I wanted to offer something genuinely rooted in this specific landscape — these mountains, this coast, this community. Not a franchise. Not a curriculum kit. Something built from years of paying attention to what kids actually need when you take them outside and get out of their way.

Where we go

The Santa Monica Mountains
and Malibu coastline are our classroom.

We return to a rotating collection of places across the mountains and coast — canyons, creek beds, tide pools, open trails — chosen because they reward attention and hold up to returning often. Some have volcanic rock. Some have running water. Some are best in winter, others in the dry heat of late summer.

A note on the 2025 Palisades fires: We're closely monitoring drainage impacts in the Santa Monica Bay and are currently omitting beaches within the bay from our rotation out of caution. We'll update families as conditions change — transparency about this is important to us.
2026 – 2027 Schedule

A full year of
getting outside together.

Holiday Camps Mon–Fri · 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Regular $635 / week
Siblings $620 / week
Groups of 5+ $600 / week
Summer Camp Jun 15 – Aug 31, 2026 Summer
Thanksgiving Break Nov 23 – 27, 2026 Holiday
Winter Break Dec 21, 2026 – Jan 11, 2027 Holiday
Spring Break Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2027 Spring
After-School Programs 1× per week · Full session or drop-in
Full session $540
Drop-in $70 / session
Fall After-School Sept 1 – Oct 31, 2026 · 9 weeks Fall
Spring After-School Mar 1 – Jun 15, 2027 · Two sessions Spring
Single-Day Holidays $150 per day · $130/day for Labor Day when booking 2+ days
Labor Day $150 / $130 per day
Veterans Day $150
MLK Jr. Day $150
Presidents' Day $150
César Chávez Day $150
Memorial Day $150
The practical stuff

Everything you
need to know.

We try to make enrollment feel like a conversation, not a form. Reach out before you register — we want to make sure it's a good fit for your child and for our community.

Drop-off
Penmar Park, Mar Vista
Drop-off from 9:30 AM · Pickup at 3:30 PM
Transport
Our drivers are 25+ with clean records. We share routes with families in advance so everyone knows the plan.
Aftercare
Available for schools with early release days. Become your school's ambassador!
Ages
5 – 11. All programs.
Group size
Intentionally small. We know your children by name — not just their enrollment form.
What to bring
Sturdy closed-toe shoes, sun protection, a reusable water bottle, and lunch. We'll send a full packing list when you enroll.
Ready when you are

Come find us
in the mountains.

Summer 2026 enrollment is open. Groups are small and fill up — if you're curious, the best first step is just reaching out.

Get in touch with Jessika

Every message gets a personal reply. Usually within a day.