After season of cleanup, updates, Camp Leif Ericson readies for summer with big vision ahead

The next generation of campers is going to notice changes when YMCA Camp Leif Ericson and Camp Tepeetonka open this summer.

After two significant weather events flooded the camp in 2019 and 2024, “there had been minimal cleanup to be able to function, and we needed full cleanup,” said Caley Harr, the new camp director.

“The foliage, the trees that are downed from floods and (other) things we’re (finally) getting picked up because time limits you, weather limits you, we run a full season, and if it snows (early in the fall), you can’t do it.”

After “a lot of patching things up, we’re now getting to a point thanks to some very generous donors where we have a camp improvement fund,” said James Oppenheimer, president and CEO of Sioux Falls Family YMCA.

The 60-acre camp at 2301 E. 26th St. marks 60 years of serving Sioux Falls this year. It was a stipulation of the donation that it remain a natural area, despite Sioux Falls growing around it.

Its location along the Big Sioux River limits what improvements can be made. Damaged buildings couldn’t be torn down because flood-related designations limit new construction in much of the camp.

There has been “considerable cleanup” over the winter, new trees will be planted, and “it’s going to look a lot more open,” Harr said. “Trees haven’t grown back in, so it looks stark and drastic.”

Still, campers steadily are signing up for the year. There will be just under 3,000 registered, a slight drop from previous years because “we backed off capacity a bit to make sure everything functions well and the kids are getting to do everything we want them to do,” Harr said.

That includes classic camp traditions and activities such as archery and a popular ropes course that has been repaired. The same songs and legends passed down for decades remain, often driven by camp alumni who return as leaders.

Camp Leif Ericson day camp serves kids age 6 to 9 while Camp Tepeetonka is for age 10 to 13 and a leadership camp is offered to those who are 14 and 15.

“We want it to feel like the original Camp Leif Ericson and have as many of our core activities the same and just increase engagement,” Harr said.

The road into camp also was redone, new water lines were installed and new rented toilets will be used. Transportation now is done through School Bus Inc., offering the same stops with every session.

There still are some openings, especially around July 4, and the deadline to register is May 15.

Parents will find “it’s much more education-based,” Oppenheimer said. “We are trying to make sure we are within a reasonable (staffing) ratio and that every minute is filled with something fun and educational.”

New additions include a mini farm with goats, chickens and other farm animals.

“Last year, the kids were only allowed to interact through the fence,” Harr said. “This year, you’re going to learn what species is this animal, what do they eat, and you’ll learn how to interact and be hands-on.”

She worked in animal care at the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, where Oppenheimer previously served as executive director.

“We’re just making sure all our lesson plans are consistent and age-based, and we’ll focus heavily on staff training,” Harr said.

Other new additions include gardening, with new raised beds and interactive programming, plus a new playground that replaced one damaged from the flood that was installed last season. There also are eight new tepees that revive a camp tradition.

Horseback riding is shifting to the new Rysdon Ranch Camp on donated property from the Rysdon family that the camp is able to use just south of Sioux Falls.

Those camps run two weeks with 10 campers each session, offered to age 9 through 13.

“We started fresh and backed down capacity and really made it education-based,” Harr said. “Hopefully next year, we expand capacity with a level two or three.”

Campers who have financial need can access assistance in all Leif Ericson programs.

“We have a partnership with Promising Futures to sponsor 40 spots to help families that are low income, and we also have financial aid that is very, very robust,” Oppenheimer said.

New this year, families can register for one of three options. A middle tier of pricing covers the cost of camp. An upper tier is about 20 percent higher, with the balance going toward scholarships for others and helping with camp improvements. A lower tier is 20 percent less to be more affordable. So far, about half of those registered chose the upper tier.

“Our goal is to make sure there is no financial barrier to come to camp,” Oppenheimer said.

Longer term, the camp has been approved by the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce for a 2027 Community Appeals campaign.

The vision is to raise funds for a 16,000-square-foot building that would allow for year-round programming.

“So we eventually can run camp over winter, over holidays when you’re going to work and you want something to do with your kids,” Oppenheimer said.

The design calls for an open area allowing flexibility in everything from art activities to recreation.

Shorter term, the goal is “just to improve what we have and use our space better,” Harr said. “Doing the cleanup has exposed so many areas untouched with programs that we can fill with activities and have other spaces to use if we just keep them maintained. That’s my vision in the next couple years while we get our feet under us.”

To learn more and register, visit here.