The residential camp experience at OMSI Summer Science and Adventure Camps has the potential to be genuinely life-changing. We believe in the power of personal growth and strive to provide programs that weave science, art, and adventure throughout. We want everyone to learn and grow individually and as a community, so each week, campers and staff work to build environments in which everyone belongs. Our goal is to ensure everyone leaves with a greater sense of self-confidence in working with others and being in nature. Summer camp at OMSI is a remarkable blend of community and science, where campers make life-long friends and have unforgettable experiences.
If you are signed up for an overnight summer camp at Camp Gray, this page is for you!
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You Are Welcome Here
OMSI respects, values and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We believe that we will be successful in accomplishing our mission and vision when we seek out and respond to diversity of participation, thought and action. We will work to dismantle barriers to equity and access to the experiences OMSI provides and to create welcoming environments and conditions where all people can reach their full potential. We lead with race.
In keeping with this opening line of OMSI’s equity statement, OMSI Outdoors uses and supports inclusive pronouns. OMSI Outdoors staff will introduce themselves using their pronouns (they, she, he, etc.) and will invite all participants to do the same. OMSI’s goal is for every student to have an opportunity to be true to themselves.
Overnight Summer Camp FAQ
We are eager to answer your questions! Here are a few very common questions. Keep scrolling to find links to facility information with photos, and more specific information in the FAQ’s below.
Typically our program staff assign cabins based on gender identity and age. If your camper is attending with a friend or family member and they want to be in the same cabin, there’s a place to enter that info on the registration form. You can also reach out to us and we’ll do our best to make it happen!
We recognize that sleeping and hygiene areas can present obstacles for those who do not identify within the gender binary, and we are committed to respectfully minimizing those obstacles. Since each individual is different, please reach out if you have any specific questions or concerns.
Please do not send cell phones, tablets, or other devices.
An important part of the camp experience is for each camper to gain independence, develop greater resilience, and enjoy the unique opportunities offered by OMSI Outdoors without technological distractions. Digital cameras are OK, however we urge you not to send anything that cannot be replaced.
We do not allow students to use personal electronic devices during the OMSI-led activities and programs. Please reach out to discuss potential accommodations, as we understand that electronic devices may be part of a behavioral management plan or family emergency procedure.
Prevention is key! Please label everything your child brings, as labeling will result in fewer lost items. OMSI is not responsible for lost articles. Any items left behind will be held at OMSI for two weeks. Call OMSI at 503-797-4000 to arrange for their return. Any unclaimed items will be donated.
We can accommodate mild to severe tree nut, peanut, egg, soy, wheat, and other food allergies.
Our kitchen is not allergen free, but promise to clean and sanitize all surfaces and kitchen equipment to avoid cross-contamination. We’re open to inquiries and problem-solving in advance. Please contact us to discuss your food concerns, and we will be happy to help ease any worries.
Absolutely! Working from information provided at the time of registration, we build menus to meet all food needs.
Typically, we create variations on the main meal cooking gluten-free pasta or vegetarian sausage to provide a similar meal for our vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free participants. We’re open to inquiries and problem-solving in advance. Please contact us to discuss your food concerns, and we will be happy to help ease any worries.
Explore Camp
No two weeks at Summer Camp are the same, but there are some similar patterns to each session. Learn more about the facility and what happens each day.
Camp Check-in
Every summer camp starts with check-in. It’s a busy place with lots of people, so we do our best to keep the system moving. OMSI Instructors will collect all the paperwork and medications. Counselors will help you load your luggage and play games while we wait for everyone to arrive. When everyone has arrived, OMSI Instructors will conduct a quick health check on all campers as the Counselors ensure everyone has a full water bottle and an empty bladder. Then it’s on to the buses and vans for the drive to Camp Gray!
Moving In
The first hours at Camp Gray are all about moving in and getting to know your fellow campers. Cabins have comfortable mattresses and provide a home away from home for all participants to sleep, rest, and make new friends. Each bunk room has eight twin-sized beds and the lower bunk is ADA accessible. Once we’ve arrived, you’ll take a tour of camp, lay your sleeping bag out on your bunk, and play some name games with your bunk mates. Then, we head to the beach before dinner to see the ocean! We also always end the first night with a campfire.
Meal Time
Breakfast and dinner are hot food buffets, and lunch is a sack lunch packed in the morning. You will serve yourself, mindful to take the right portion so that everyone gets their first portion. If you are still hungry, the meal host will give directions on getting seconds. After each meal, a cabin is assigned to run the “Kitchen Party.” Along with your counselor and bunkmates, you’ll help wash and sort the dishes, sweep the floors, and clean the tables. The OMSI staff plays music, so there’s usually a bit of singing and dancing too!
Offsite Activities
Our summer camps will bring you to some of the best places on the coast. Depending on which camp you are attending, we might drive to a rocky spot to explore tide pools, a gentle river to paddle a canoe, or the bayfront to join a sea-life cruise. We also regularly visit the ocean at South Beach State Park. We love the coast and love sharing our favorite places with you!
Onsite Activities
We also spend a lot of time at Camp Gray. Every day you will have time to hang out in the cabin with your bunk mates and play games in the field. OMSI staff will also lead activities at Camp Gray to learn about plants and animals. And throughout the week, there will be drawing, music, and other creative play.
Campfire
A couple times each week we will have a campfire before bedtime. Sometimes it’s only with your group, sometimes it’s will everyone on camp. The last night of camp is a special campfire – that’s the night when campers share their own skits and songs, and everyone get a S’more.
View the Camp Packets
Each packet has all the information you need to be ready for summer camp! Packing Lists, Check-in and Pick-up information, and more.
“Great content while having fun, I have high trust in safety decisions.”
-OMSI Parent
entering 2nd – 3rd
Eco-Explorers 2-3
Monday – Thursday, June 29-July 2, 2026
entering 2nd – 3rd Grade
Seashore Explorers
Monday – Friday, June 22-26, 2026
Monday – Friday, August 17-21, 2026
entering 4th – 5th Grade
Eco-Explorers 4-5
Monday – Thursday, June 29-July 2, 2026
entering 4th – 5th Grade
Wild Pacific
Monday – Friday, July 13-17, 2026
Monday – Friday, August 10-14, 2026
Monday – Friday, August 17-21, 2026
entering 4th – 5th Grade
Yaquina Quest
Monday – Friday, June 22-26, 2026
Monday – Friday, July 6-10, 2026
entering 6th – 8th Grade
Coastal Ramblers
Monday – Friday, July 13-17, 2026
Monday – Friday, August 10-14, 2026
entering 6th – 8th Grade
Design Naturalists
Monday – Friday, July 20-24, 2026
Monday – Friday, July 27-31, 2026
entering 6th – 8th Grade
Salt, Sand, and Sea Foam
Monday-Friday, July 6-10, 2026
Monday-Friday, August 3-7, 2026
entering 9th – 12th Grade
Coastal Documentary Explorers
Monday, July 20 – Friday, July 31, 2026
(Two-week program)
entering 10th – 12th Grade
OMSI Ambassadors
Tuesday, July 21 – Saturday, August 1, 2026
(Two-week program)
entering 9th – 12th Grade
OMSI Surfing Adventure
Monday – Friday, June 22-26, 2026
Monday – Friday, August 3-7, 2026
Looking for a different program?
Are you going to Summer Camp at Camp Hancock, headed out on a backpacking trip with OMSI, or looking for information about Camp Gray’s outdoor school? Explore some additional OMSI programs and experiences!