Grown-Up Summer Camp Weekend in the Sierra Nevada: Yoga, Archery, Pickleball and Campfires

The camp sits on 1,500 acres of forested land in Portola, California, in the Lost Sierra region. It's run by Sierra Nevada Journeys, an outdoor education organisation, and for this weekend they open the whole site to adults only. Accommodation is in 16 cabins, each with its own bathroom and shower, sleeping up to 12 people in bunk style. Meals, wine and beer, activities and programming for two nights are all covered by the $600 per person price.

Friday starts at 11am with check-in and the first block of activities. The weekend is deliberately unstructured: the challenge course, archery, pool, camp games, pickleball and nature hikes run across the three days, and you pick what you fancy. Liz Swindell, who owns the Wild Pines artists' and makers' shop in Graeagle, California, leads two flexible Paint n' Sip sessions where you choose your own colours and subject and take the finished painting home. Clyde Yamamoto of Capital Storytelling runs a workshop on finding and telling your own stories. Brittany Lang, who lives in Verdi, Nevada, teaches vinyasa yoga in the mornings — upbeat flows, open to every level.

Saturday night is the big one. Nightbrain, a band from the Lost Sierra region playing since 2020, perform a mix of covers and their own songs — moody grooves, club funk and soulful chill-hop. Keys are Alex Lemnah, drums Emmanuel Lemnah, vocals Suzanne de Martimprey, rhythm and trombone Chase Ramirez, guitar Nathan Retallack and bass Chris Retallack. DJ Braidz, from Quincy, California, plays a poolside set, and the evening winds down with stargazing.

Food is camp-style catering across the weekend, with beer and wine included. A sample weekend agenda and menu are published and subject to change, and a camper handbook sets out what to expect each day. Everything happens on site, so once you arrive you don't need to drive anywhere.

Registration for the 2027 edition, running 13–15 August 2027, opens on 15 September 2026. The 2026 edition ran 13–15 August 2026. For groups wanting a whole cabin, or companies interested in sponsoring or holding a group retreat here, the camp takes enquiries by phone and email.

What's included

- Group accommodation in the camp cabins for two nights - Meals across the weekend - Wine and beer - All camp activities and programming - Morning vinyasa yoga with Brittany Lang - Two Paint n' Sip sessions with Liz Swindell - Storytelling workshop with Clyde Yamamoto - Live music from Nightbrain - Poolside DJ set from DJ Braidz - Campfires and stargazing

What's not included

- Travel to and from the camp in Portola, California - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Anything not listed as included