Located 15 minutes from the coastal town of Ventura, this Ojai site boasts warm days and cool nights year round.
Our intimate campus is large enough to accommodate groups up to 230, but it’s also small enough for you to foster meaningful interaction and deepen relationships.
Naturalists at Large has found that students’ active participation in learning and living together forms the foundation for a successful outdoor education program. The program focuses on outdoor skills while introducing students to the diverse environments of the local area. Naturalists at Large is responsible for organizing both the daytime activities and the evening events.
Students are encouraged to explore the area’s unique natural and human history, build teamwork through shared experiences, develop leadership skills, and gain basic outdoor competencies. All programs are designed to foster a “sense of place” by immersing students in the natural and cultural history of the canyon and surrounding areas. Through trail exploration, habitat studies, and immersive living experiences, students connect deeply with their environment.
Each trail group is led by a Naturalists at Large naturalist-instructor, accompanied by a faculty member or parent chaperone, for the duration of the program. Groups are organized into pods of 2 or 3, rotating to new locations daily, with activities focused on specific concepts or environments. Using active learning techniques, hands-on games, and engaging activities, students are guided in grasping key concepts while enjoying their outdoor experience.
You will be housed in either of the following: year-round, duplex cabins which house 10 people on each side, are climate controlled, and include private bathroom facilities (mostly for the girls). For the classic camping experience, you’ll enjoy our 8 bed canvas-sided platform tents with wood decks and porches, nestled in small clusters among the oak trees lining our creek (mostly for the guys). Bathrooms are located in nearby bathhouses, within easy walking distance.