2023 Enrollment Information
| Pinnacles | April 2 - April 7 | $900 | (6 days) | ages 10 - 16 |
| Big Sur | June 19 - June 26 | $1600 | (8 days) | ages 9 - 15 |
| Mendocino | June 30 - July 9 | $1800 | (10 days) | ages 10 - 15 |
| Sierras | July 13 - July 24 | $2000 | (12 days) | ages 11 - 17 |
| Backpacking | July 28 - August 4 | $1600 | (9 days) | ages 14 - 18 |
Download and complete our fillable application form.
Please Note: Camp Chrysalis has embraced fillable PDFs! While in the past we have asked you to print PDFs, and then fill them out with a pen, this year all PDFs are fillable within the document. This should make it easier for you to fill in the information, and easier for camp staff to read it during camp.
First download the pdf, then fill it out, then save them with your child’s name, then either email them to Lee Tempkin at lee@campchrysalis.com, OR print them out, and send them to: CAMP CHRYSALIS, 2434 McKinley Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703.
All fees can be paid with check, Venmo, Pay Pal, money order or credit card. A credit card will have a 5% surcharge. Contact Lee directly for information about Venmo, PP, or credit card payments.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE
PLEASE CONTACT LEE TEMPKIN FOR MORE INFORMATION
Enrollment is generally filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, Camp Chrysalis reserves the right to make admissions decisions on other basis, such as maintaining an even gender balance in the sessions.
A deposit of $400 is due at the time of sign-up. The tuition balance, application form, and the Personal Information and Permissions Forms (see “Forms” page) are due by April 1. Upon receipt of the application and deposit we will contact each camper's family to confirm their space and with further details about preparing for camp. There are no refunds of deposit for cancellation after April 1. Any refunds or credits for cancellation after April 1 are given solely at the director's discretion.
January 20, 2023
Dear Families,
We had a very successful summer in 2022. Despite two viruses surfacing at Mendocino, our first session, our other sessions were more fortunate with our protocols able to keep campers and staff healthy and safe. These protocols will most likely guide this summer’s actions with testing before and during camp, masking as needed and hand washing and health checks part of our daily camp behavior. We are all learning to live with Covid as it enters the endemic phase. We have reserved our sites and are planning to use school busses again to transport the campers to camp. Here are the details for summer 2023.
Big Sur is our first session this year and is ideal for first time campers as well as veterans. We’ll be staying in nine contiguous sites at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and will be learning about the riparian plants of the redwood and chapparal environments. We’ll play in the Big Sur River, hike to Andrew Molera Beach and immerse ourselves in the redwood experience.
Mendocino is our second session with the best tide pooling of the summer. We will see very low tides and spectacular sea plants and animals that are usually under water. We will be staying in a large group site at MacKerricher State Park with day trips on the Big River, hikes up ancient sand dunes to a pygmy forest and up a fern covered canyon to a waterfall. This year, we’ll be enjoying the fireworks on the headlands of Noyo Harbor. With the wonderful rain this winter, we expect lots of berries and happy plants everywhere!
Our third session is to our Sierra site near the Sierra Buttes with hikes and swimming in twelve bodies of water including nearby lakes and creeks. Geology and botany are key areas of study and campers see the effects of glaciation as we hike each day and learn the different wild flowers and trees that live in these rich environments. We also offer archery instruction in this more secluded group site. We’ll end this session with a backpacking trip to Deer Lake where we’ll spend two nights sleeping under the stars.
In all of our sessions, we offer many crafts and campers paint T-shirts, sew leather bags, and sketch in their journals while learning to use brushes, silk screens, needles, and awls. We also have a rich wood working environment and campers create jewelry and other items made out of wood sand learn to use saws, drills and sand paper safely and efficiently.
In our core sessions, we divide the campers into four small groups or cohorts with two staff members where campers work with each other and staff to help cook the meals, clean up the dishes, keep our camp tidy and learn to chop wood, build and light our campfire. Each day ends with a campfire where we share our love of singing and our country’s rich folk songs with campers.
Our backpacking session is our fourth and smallest session with twelve campers and three staff. This year we are planning to hike into the Ansel Adams Wilderness with ample opportunities to gaze at mountain peaks and climb over some, spend time along beautiful mountain lakes and creeks and perhaps see some bears. This session is for our high school campers with some prior backpacking experience.
We hope to see your child this summer at one or more of our sessions. Please register early since sessions often fill up by April. For more information, visit our website at campchrysalis.com or contact me at lee@campchrysalis.com.
Sincerely,
Lee Tempkin, director