My 14yo daughter was exposed to illegal drugs at Kennolyn. We were under the impression that Kennolyn was a wholesome, sheltered place, but one of the campers, a very wealthy boy, was apparently allowed to bring a marijuana vape pen into camp (despite the fact that the camp assures parents that they will search kids on the way in). He apparently bragged about having the weed vape all week to the other campers, and when the Camp left a group of teen campers unsupervised at night (why?), someone apparently used the weed vape. When the boy was later busted by the camp, he denied using it, claiming that my daughter and another 14 yo girl were the real culprits. The boy insisted he didn't even know he had the marijuana vape in his bag, that someone must have put it there, and said that my daughter and the other girl had "bullied" him into letting them use it. To be clear, though more than a dozen kids were there when the weed vape was used, no one OTHER THAN THE BOY WHO BROUGHT THE WEED VAPE TO CAMP ever said that the girls used the weed vape. For whatever reason, Kennolyn joined the boy in pointing the finger at the girls, and on that basis alone locked my daughter in a room by herself for a long period while they tried to extract a "confession" out of her; they performatively humiliated her by forcing her to serve the other campers at a food line, as if she was the lunch lady and no longer one of them; they refused to let her say goodbye to her cabinmates and friends, or even to collect their contact information; they made her do manual labor for a period, moving heavy bags off of a truck; and, as a final indignity, forced her to go to sleep in a cabin in the woods by herself. My daughter is a young 14, she was absolutely shamed and terrified, and said she cried herself to sleep. I'm paying $2,700 a week for that?!? When I picked her up the next morning she was visibly stressed and shaken, but she was even more angry, because she insisted she'd been falsely accused and had never even seen the boy's marijuana vape, let alone used it. When I emailed Kennolyn's management to challenge the boy's lies about my daughter and complain about the way they had treated her, suddenly their story began to change: now they insisted my daughter had confessed to the boy's accusations! My daughter categorically denied confessing to anything, and the more I dug into it, the more Kennolyn's story changed--first it was one counselor who purportedly heard the confession, then, wait, it was a different counselor altogether who had heard it, then suddenly there were TWO other counselors present for the confessions; etc. The more their story changed, the lower my trust for Kennolyn's leadership dropped. I'm not sure exactly what really happened, but they acted captiously and callously toward my daughter, and were suspiciously inconsistent in their dealings with me, particularly in the way they bent over backwards to exonerate and excuse the boy who actually brought the illegal marijuana vape to camp. My daughter feels disrespected and unfairly maligned, and regrets ever having gone to Kennolyn--they really treated her poorly. I don't blame her, and can't believe I wasted so much money to send my kid somewhere unsafe, where she would be exposed to illegal drugs. We won't be going back. read more

I went to Kennolyn Camp for a few summers as a child and greatly enjoyed it. I would go for two-week sessions which was the right amount of time for me. I think this camp is particularly great for younger children too who are ready for sleep-over camp. It might seem a little too sheltered and not exciting enough for some older campers... My favorite activities were the amazing climbing wall, ropes course, vaulting (gymnastics on horseback), ceramics, and trip to the Beach Boardwalk. When I took a fall from a horse, the nurse was great at comforting and taking care of me. The staff was also fabulous. I always loved my counselors! My only big complaint is that Kennolyn is expensive. Another summer, I went on a two-week program to Australia which was the same price (including airfare!) as Kennolyn. So, send your children because you want them to enjoy a fun, safe camp experience but definitely not to save any money! read more

Our son just finished his 5th year at camp. He LOVES it. Very expensive but this family owned camp has it down. Their managers and staff are top notch, run operations incredibly smoothly, and recruit and train the counselors to a tight culture of camper focused, healthy fun and personal development. The kids come back a slightly better, fitter versions of themselves going in read more

My daughter attended this camp for a week once with her friends and had a good time. The next year she attended with friends she had a hard year and after the first night realized she needed to come home. The head of camp would not let her leave and would not even let her call me. She spent 3 days crying alone because of this. She had sent an S.O.S letter out to our family home and I got it just in time. I called the camp immediately but they would not let me speak to my daughter because they forced her to go on 'outpost'. She was alone and afraid in the woods. I marched up there at the crack of dawn and took my daughter without looking back. I'm sure lots of kids have fun at this camp but if your kid has any issues be careful because they are not sympathetic. read more

My grandkids spend every other week with us during the summer and to keep my 7 y/o from going stark raving mad from boredom, we researched day camps and found Kennolyn to be rated among the best in the area. She was reluctant at first, probably because she didn't know anyone. But after one day, she came home exhausted but excited and said she wanted to spend more time there. She is now enrolled in another week. The counselors and office staff are top notch! The safety measures they take for pick up and transportation met with my extremely high expectations. The activities are fun, educational and age appropriate. The food is good. The view is beautiful. I WANT TO GO THERE! The only thing you must remember, even if you forget everything else, is DO NOT send your child here in new clothes and shoes. They WILL come home unrecognizably filthy. When we pulled Emma's name tag off to wash her clothes, I realized her shirt was a completely different color than I had thought. There was a little patch about 2"x3" that looked clean and the rest was brownish black. But that's a small price to pay for the look of pleasure on my grand daughter's face when she told me about her day at Kennolyn. read more

My son just returned from a week at Kennolyn and he had an incredible week! This was his first time at Kennolyn, but not his first sleep-away camp, and Kennolyn was leaps and bounds better than other camps he's attended. Incredible staff, nice cabins, great variety in activities and special events. There's a "family feel" to Kennolyn that really separates Kennolyn from the rest. Thanks for a great week, and I look forward to sending both kids next summer! read more

My two girls (ages 5 & 10) attended Kennolyn's summer day camp in July. 5 months later, they still talk about Kennolyn all the time. A few things as a parent that I most appreciate about Kennolyn: 1) Exposure to so many great activities: fencing, vaulting (tricks on the back of a horse), ropes course, art, archery, team sport games.... Children get to experience everything. I'll never forget one kid say to their mom after coming off the bus the first day, "I can't believe it, I got to try everything I have always wanted to do in one day!" This boy was so excited and bubbling over it just made an impression on me. 2) Great staff - My kids really felt like the counselors cared about them. There's nothing more important to me than knowing this. Most of the counselors seem to be college-aged, one of my daughter's counselors was heading to Harvard University this past Fall. There were also some younger counselors-in-training that were a part of the group. They provided extra support to the counselors and kids, my girls really liked them. 3) Beautiful location - There's just nothing like sending your kids to the Redwoods for a summer camp. The air is so fresh and I think every child should be able to experience a setting like this sometime in their childhood. The kids get to spend time at a beautiful pond, hunting for frogs and tadpoles. And they spend time in the redwood forest learning about the ancient trees and the plant life. 4) Great services - loved the bus service from near our house. My kids loved the ride to camp - singing counselor led songs and making friends. I also appreciated the lunch service. My girls really enjoyed the food and I felt good knowing they would have a nice, healthy meal each day. I am so happy we found Kennolyn and I know my girls will be back for years to come. read more

My son just finished his 8th year at Kennolyn Camps - that alone should be a good indication of how fantastic the camp is. The counselors do a great job with the campers and providing the right balance of support while fostering independence. In addition to the beautiful setting of the camp (in the Santa Cruz mountains), the format of the camp itself enables campers to self-select activities in combination with group activities (the overnight camp out is always such a hit!). The back-office staff should not go unnoticed. Over the years the team has provided help not only to my camper but to us as a family - from rescheduling a session, answering the various questions that arise through the years, to finding a camp shirt to borrow, the office team is available and happy to help. Another aspect about Kennolyn is that they offer a variety of programs including day camp, resident camp, and leadership training camps. And transportation is available! At the conclusion of the summer, our entire family looks forward to the summer ahead, and the next opportunity for my camper to attend Kennolyn. Kennolyn is highly recommended. If you are considering it, go for it! And a note to Kennolyn - keep doing what you're doing; thank you for all! read more

My son had an amazing time at Kennolyn camp this summer. They took extensive safety precautions to protect our kids and made some positive memories, during a challenging time. The counselors are fantastic. The facilities are beautiful and my son had another stellar experience. Outdoor adventures, archery, ping pong, fort building, outdoor sports, rock wall climbing, everything you think of when imagining summer camp. Thank you!!! read more

I went to Kennolyn as a child and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I hold those memories close to my heart and always will. Let me explain why Kennolyn is so special to me and can be for you too.. Nestled in the beautifully foggy Soquel mountains of the Monterey Bay in Northern California is Kennolyn. A small camp for kids and young adults that offers a day camp, a resident camp, as well as professional services for weddings, business meetings, gatherings, etc...Kennolyn is in the Northern California redwood forest line and offers a beautiful landscape to escape into. Kennolyn helped prepare me with simple life lessons both emotionally and practically in ways that I still find helping me to this day. I constantly look back at my time at Kennolyn and yearn to be a kid again and experience the times spent there, but I still value each second I was there for I came out a happier and a more prepared person for the world ahead. I was a resident camper (meaning I stayed overnight) for 4 non consecutive summers from the time I was 7 until I was 12 or 13. My first session there was 2 weeks, but as I grew to like Kennolyn I stayed longer sessions, my longest being a whole month away from home. Thanks again mom and dad! I believe the most common session is still two weeks. I remember feeling a bit burnt out after a whole month, but there are enough activities to enjoy for 3 months! Bunking with your peers as a kid for weeks at a time in the forest...going on adventures, doing activities....it builds character. It prepares you for things later in life...dorm life for example. Being a young kid and learning how to live away from home is an important skill lots of kids are starting to learn to live without. It makes leaving home all that harder later on in life without being able to have done it while a youth. The activities available are of every variety. Arts and crafts like stained glass making and woodworking to pot throwing and painting. Animal themed activities like animal care are also available, as well as a full equestrian camp with beautiful stables and wonderful horses. They have all the sports, including golf, fencing, swimming, diving too... and.. RIFLERY. Riflery was just great. I see a crazy review here giving Kennolyn 2 stars because they teach riflery with AIR RIFLES and PELLETS. I understand some people can be afraid of weapons, but be assured Kennolyn takes EVERY precaution to ensure the safety of their campers. I learned how to shoot a Daisy air pellet gun when I was 7 at Kennolyn. The instructors they have teaching riflery are certified to do so and well trained as to prevent any injuries or stupid mistakes from happening. In my 4 summers at Kennolyn I NEVER saw or heard about any accidents from the riflery or archery ranges. In fact, I think more kids got hurt running and tripping and doing normal kid stuff than they did within any activities at Kennolyn. (I once accidentally thrust a door into a fellow camper's head because he was standing right on the other side while I was walking through). My riflery instructor drilled the message into our little heads that guns were dangerous and we could die from them. We knew the risks and dangers of shooting and each and every one of us now knows how to shoot and shoot well for that matter. There is NOTHING wrong with knowing how to operate modern weapons/technology. It's a valuable skill to have regardless of your attitudes on weapons. Anything can happen in this world. Archery as mentioned above was great fun. ALL the necessary safety precautions were taught and established to ensure the well being of the kids. I can also shoot a bow and arrow well too. Thanks Kennolyn. They have an AMAZING ropes course and climbing wall set. They have beginner ropes and advanced ropes. Ropes was probably one of my most favorite (and scary) activities to do. You learn to conquer your fear of heights from an early age and also learn the extremely important value of teamwork and cooperation in whatever you are doing; in this case, it was climbing 20ft-30ft redwood trees on harnesses and ropes, crossing wire bridges with vines and jumping from floating platform to floating platform, ziplining through the trees and smacking a volley ball 10 feet in front of you 20 feet from the forest floor...all the while the adults on the ground keeping your taught and safe. It sounds dangerous and scary, but all the necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the kids. All their ropes instructors are professional climbers and love what they do. I enjoyed ropes more than anything at Kennolyn. I have 5x more to write but Yelp is cutting me off! I love Kennolyn and your kids will love it too! Kennolyn offers life shaping experiences and every summer I went home a stronger and happier person. I was/am a happy camper! Go Kennolyn! P.S. Uncle Max and Aunt Marion are in my memories. I'll remember their Hilltop Hacienda anniversaries forever. read more

It is a lovely camp and the counselors seem to be really wonderful. But I and three families recently discussed why our kids do not want to go back to Kennolyn. Despite the nice facilities and great personalities, the camp is very, very highly structured and the kids rush around from one activity to the next, without really getting to savor anything, or get any downtime, or play time. If your kid loves structure they will really like this camp. If your kids wants to play and deeply engage in an activity, or relax a bit, this is probably not the camp for them. read more

Loved sending our grandchildren to their summer camp and reminded us of our kids memories as well. We love you Kennolym

What a disappointing experience! Our daughter should have had a great summer day camp experience at Kennolyn with her friend. Instead, it turned out to be less than terrific because of a very unresponsive program director (Allison) and unreasonable office coordinator (Brenda) who could not or would not accommodate a request. My friend and I early registered our 9 year old daughters in January for summer camp in July using the Kennolyn online registration form. On the online forms we both requested our children be paired as "buddies" so they could experience camp together, the entire point of our signing up together. On the morning of their first day of camp, the girls arrived and were assigned into two different camp groups - effectually separating them for the week. My friend and I were left phone messages from the program director telling first thing in the morning telling us that the girls were not assigned as "buddies" . After a series of phone calls to the office coordinator explaining that we did request that our children be paired together, we were told that they had no such record and that it was NOT POSSIBLE to move our daughter's into the same group after the first hour of camp. We were told, "They cannot be moved because of camper to counselor ratios and they've already been assigned." However, my daughter and her friend report that a handful of children were switched between the groups after morning circle. The response we were given was not what we expected from a well regarded camp program which costs nearly $100 per day (nearly double for what we normally spend on day camps). Their administrative staff could have made a greater effort to accommodate our request rather than assume that our daughter would have a great experience irregardless of my explaining that we signed up for this program so the girls could experience it together. When I asked my daughter if she wanted to go back, her response was that it would be more fun if she were with her friend. We withdrew our daughter from the program, after the first day and asked for a full refund which we are now waiting for. Needless to say, they've lost our future business and we will not be sending our daughter back to Kennolyn -- not because of the facilities but because of their disorganized and insensitive administrative staff. read more

I love this camp! I have been attending Kennolyn for nine years in a row and have made so many great lifelong friends! Every single year the counselors remember my name and greet me. No other camp I have been to had as great of a family connection as Kennolyn does. Best camp you could ever go to/send your children to! They have fantastic counselors and best of all, INTERNATIONAL counselors! Who could have any more fun then fencing with a Hungarian man, horse back riding with an English woman, climbing trees with an Australian man, or dancing with an African woman? No one I've met at this amazing camp. read more

I can't say enough good things about this camp. My kids just returned for their 4th summer. They have tried other camps, but only choose to return to Kennolyn. This is the best summer camp around. read more

Kennolyn deserves five gold stars! Our 11-year-old son recently went for a two week summer sleepaway session, and contracted acute appendicitis on the fourth day there. All the staff at Kennolyn handled his health crisis with compassion and caring---he was brought to the hospital in a timely manner, a camp nurse or senior camp administrator was with him at all times, and their communication with us was first-rate. We have the utmost trust and respect for the entire camp staff in every way. read more

My daughters have just got back from two weeks at Kennolyn - my oldest (now a "senior camper") has been there five times, and my younger daughter has been three times. I can't say enough good things about Kennolyn. My older daughter has a medical condition that is self-managed but which needs some care and supervision. Kennolyn always has two nurses resident on staff (they are typically school nurses) and we've had consistently great experiences working with them. In the first couple of years, we spent time on the phone with the nurses before the camp session explaining what our daughter's regime should be. These days, they know us and greet her like an old friend. They give her a lot of freedom, but make sure they know what is going on. The activity range at Kennolyn is extremely good. It ranges from arts activities like silk painting, pottery, carpentry, jazz dance, and guitar, to sports like fencing, archery, yoga and soccer, and adventure activities like climbing, ropes, mountain biking and more. This summer my older one participated in the enormously scary (for parents) high ropes course, senior climbing, pottery, and "senior pool hangout", as well as going on "Outpost" (overnight camping without tents) twice, a visit to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, and two trips to the beach. The younger one participated in a special equestrian camp - just 9 girls - which used all the activity time. She also did outpost, beach day, etc, but the rest of the time she was horses, horses, horses; from cleaning the tack, to dressage and jumping instruction, trail rides, overnight camping on horseback, and even a bit of vaulting. All in all, a terrific experience, well worth the money. The kids will still be talking about it at Christmas time, and we'll be booking next summer in January! read more

See also my review for Kennolyn ... the camps themselves are awesome too. Each summer, they offer Day Camp for local children, Resident Camp for children who sleep over in at least one week sessions, and Family Camp for families to spend together. read more

Crazy expensive but my 13 daughter LOVES this camp. Kennolyn is her favorite place in the world. She's made good friends there, and I've met several adults who went there as kids and have really fond memories of it. She's done the "Culinary Arts" program for the past two years and raves about it. read more

Our two sons attended Kennolyn in August of 2011. Both boys were thrilled to return after day one. There are so many fun activities for them to experience. New friends were made and so much was accomplished each day of the week. The camp directors are wonderful, as are the counselors. The location is beautiful, surrounded by redwoods, clean fresh air and beautiful scenery. There is so much for the children to do, the rifle range, archery, crafts, outdoor survival, swimming, court sports, horse-riding, ropes courses, zip-lines, fencing and vaulting. By the end of the day, my boys were tired and happy after a day of fun, exercise and being under the redwoods. I recommend Kennolyn to any parents looking for a summer camp for their children. The online registration is easy, there is even transport to and from camp. read more

I have gone to Kennolyn for the past 3 years and I absolutely LOVE it!!! Here is why: - The counselors. They are so sweet and nice and they are great people to talk to if you have a problem. They make sure you are safe, while not being TOO overprotective to the point where it's annoying. - The activities. I loved all the activities you got to do at camp. There are so many options so I never feel bored. The staff are very nice if you want to switch activities, or if you are having a problem with something about the activity. Example: I took riding for a day, then decided I wanted to switch, and they easily switched me over to a different activity. -The facility. Kennolyn has a beautiful campus. Lots of nature surrounding all the cabins. The cabins are really clean and nice! (A lot cleaner and neat than my room!) The beds are pretty comfortable too. -The trips. As a two week camper, I got to go on trips to the beach, the santa cruz beach boardwalk, and I got to go on outpost. For those of you who don't know what out post is, it is a trip you take with your cabin in the woods (not too far away from campus) and you sleep in sleeping bags under the stars. I think it is an amazing bonding experience. You make s'mores, tell jokes, and really get to know your cabin-mates. Outpost may seem scary at first, but end up being super fun and exciting. The trips to the beach and the boardwalk are also tons of fun. -The fact that you feel like family at camp. Everybody feels included, and they treat you like family. They have so many night-time activities and theme nights (such as around the world night and the dance) and you really get to know everybody. Those are just some of the few things I love about the camp, but I got to go pack and get ready for Kennolyn!!! Over-all, Kennolyn is an amazing, awesome, fun camp that I would recommend to anybody. Hope this helped!!!! read more

I attended Kennolyn as a child and loved it. So I was pleased to have my daughter attend as well. She had a great experience for many years. That is until a male counselor was discovered giving my teenage daughter and her cabin mate alcohol. The counselor was fired. We picked up our daughter immediately. We decided not to pursue legal action but this was a parents worst nightmare. read more

We have been going to Kennolyn for six years and this year we have faced some unfathomable bureaucratic and communication issues that we had never expected from the most expensive camp in Santa Cruz County. After several communication issues that were addressed after a lot of stress from a working parent, the icing on the cake came when my daughter was not served the lunch we had been charged with and she was accused of not telling the truth. She is 12 and has repeatedly, on several days, asked the staff is she was on the lunch list and was consistently told her parents had not paid for her lunch. When I have escalated the issue with the camp director, after having been told that my daughter had been offered lunch and that she didn't take it, I was told that the refund they had reluctantly given back should suffice and I should not seek further investigation on what happened. Needless to say, I am terribly upset and disappointed in how the Kennolyn camp staff has chosen to deal with a situation where they should accept at least some level of responsibility. The reality is: this review is not going to hurt them or prevent people - or even us - from sending our children to their camp. In Santa Cruz County we don't have many options and the staff at Kennolyn behaves accordingly. Shame on you, though! read more

My three kids have gone to Kennolyn for six years now (eldest is ten) and they love, love. love camp. It is all that camp should be -- swimming, horses, hot, dusty -- great, enthusiastic counsellors, singing too loud, popsicle in the hair fun. And for our generation of fussed over, protected children even more important. They're wholly safe, and encouraged to climb higher, play harder than ever before and figure out how to get their own sunscreen on...I love that their counsellors are enthusiastic, silly and college age (great, great role models). My kids come home filthy, exhausted and grinning happily every time, with their heads held a little higher for the experience that's all their own. Recommend, no reservations -- ! read more

Very successful and entertaining. Have over 42 activities to choose from and is great for building self esteem. Very luxurious horses are very kind and sweet there! read more

My 8-year-old daughter attended the Day Camp for a week last year and absolutely loved it. Who wouldn't? It's a kid's paradise with access to horseback riding, swimming, archery and hikes into a fun area where the kids can be kids and have a true camp experience. Of all the camps we've experienced (Steve & Kate's, soccer camp, Athena), this one was the one she said she absolutely wants to do again next year. We'll be back for sure! read more