Winter is a special time in the deserts of California. The weather is cool, the sun shines brightly, and the air is crisp and clear. Each December, the boys and girls of Tom Sawyer Camps embark on an adventure that they talk about all year long.

On the day after Christmas, the campers depart for Death Valley National Monument. For five days we explore the vast desert with new and old friends. Our days are spent climbing sand dunes, squeezing through slot canyons, sliding down mud hills and just looking over it all at places with names like Dante's View, Stovepipe Wells, Golden Canyon, Badwater, Ubehebe Crater, Scotty's Castle and Marble Canyon. Our nights are full of stars, snipe hunts, s'mores and stories around a roaring campfire about overland travelers and prospectors. Death Valley is one of the premier desert areas in California, and for kids it is a place of discovery and memories that last a lifetime.

With their sleeping bags and camping gear, the Desert Trippers climb aboard the familiar buses and head out for primitive, unspoiled territory. Their counselors for this experience are veteran Tom Sawyer members who will guide their "charges" in the ways of camping and enjoying the out-of-doors. The Desert Trip is a good introduction to tent camping.

One of the main objectives of this trip, as with all TOM SAWYER CAMP activities, is to reintroduce children to less sophisticated, natural environments. In these days of environmental awareness, this trip is an excellent opportunity for campers to experience the beauty and wonder of nature. TOM SAWYER CAMPS has over 75 years of background in leaving the environment "a little bit better" because we have been there.

Click here to download our desert trip parent packet!

See pictures from our last trip here.