The one week base camp sessions are designed as a starter camp for first time campers in the rising 1st through 6th grades. The one week session is an excellent confidence builder and introduction to summer camp with over half of the campers being brand new to GRP. It follows the basic camp program outline with morning mentor hikes around the Preserve and a selection of up to 24 afternoon activities. Council Fires, Predator Prey, a Variety Show, and Pirate Night provide an introduction to camp-wide evening programs.

The two week camp sessions are designed for rising 2nd through 8th graders. The two week session is a natural progression for one-week campers or beginning campers. These sessions offer a good balance of morning mentor hikes on the Preserve, a selection of up to 24 afternoon activities, and other specialized programming including advanced theater and mountain biking options.

In addition, two week campers plan and participate in a three-day, two-night backpacking trip on the Preserve. There are two Group Learning Project (GLP) Days which are daylong, in-depth extensions of camp activities. GLPs allow campers to explore a specific skill set or interest. GLP days include hiking in DuPont State Forest, Mountain Biking, canoeing at Cascade Lake, fly fishing on the Green River, learning primitive skills and crafts at the Pioneer Cabin, exploring the Carl Sandburg home, geocaching, and as well as many more.

Evening programs highlight the camp session with the following activities as campfires, games (Capture the Flag and Predator Prey), a variety show, an Appalachian Shindig (contra dance), staff hunt, Pirate Night, and many more.

The three week session is the penultimate Green River Preserve Base Camp experience. The three week session is designed for rising 5th through 9th graders who are both new to and veterans of GRP. The unique, close-knit community bonding of the three week session makes it extremely popular for our campers and they return to it year after year. Campers leave this session appreciating their own inner growth and maturity, truly feeling they are “their best me at GRP.”

Advanced hikes on the Preserve as well as up to 24 afternoon activities are offered during the first two weeks of the session. More time for specialized programming—advanced theater and mountain biking—is also available. Additional time is spent on campout planning, Leave no Trace Ethics, and the session campout to ensure a memorable experience. Three week campers also experience unique evening programs including Coffee House, Fourth of July Extravaganza, Long Rock Sunset, and Science Fair.

In the final week of the three week session, campers embark on “The Three Week Journey,” a week full of Group Learning Projects, Dupont Day, and a sunrise exploration. Highlights of some of the three week Group Learning Projects may include day trips to neighboring lands including Dupont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest, mountain biking, canoeing on Cascade Lake, rock climbing, creek stompin’ for salamanders, fly fishing, geocaching, learning pioneer skills and crafts, drawing and painting and many more.

Check in for Base Camp is from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

During this time, your child will…

• move in to the cabin.
• verify all paperwork is complete.
• turn in any medications to or talk with health care staff.
• experience a health check and have the opportunity to update the health history.
• get fitted for a Campout backpack (sessions 2, 3, and 4 only).
• visit the Camp Store (optional).

For the safety of all campers and their families, please…

• drive slowly into camp and on the gravel road.
• check in at the gate to ensure only authorized vehicles are entering camp.
• use the carts to transport luggage only (no pets or younger siblings allowed in the carts!)
• bring an umbrella if there is a chance of rain.
• communicate with a staff member if you need assistance or are experiencing an emergency.

Check out for Base Camp is from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Your camper’s luggage will be in the Back Field (the same place you came for Opening Day). Remember to take home all items—including your child’s laundry bag!

Go to the Pottery Studio to check out, settle your child’s Camp Store account and pick up any art work your camper may have made. You have the option of donating any unused Camp Store dollars to the Green River Preserve Annual Fund. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Finally be sure to check the Lost & Found outside the Pottery Studio for any familiar items.

All the same guidelines listed above under “For the safety of our campers…” for Opening Day apply to Closing Day as well.

For Base Camp, TBX, and BRX, campers may fly into either Asheville, NC (AVL) or Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP). Airline reservations should be made well in advance and paid for by parents. Please fill out the Transportation Form in your camper’s CampInTouch account at least two weeks prior to your child’s arrival.

It is preferable that flights arrive and depart between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on opening and closing days. Campers are encouraged to have a carry on bag with a change of clothes, towel, swimsuit, and toiletry articles. A camp staff member, wearing a Green River Preserve polo shirt, will assist campers and provide transportation to and from the airport on opening and closing days.

GRP recommends sending your camper with a cell phone as they travel in case of emergency. Be sure to program the camp number 828.698.8828 into it. Cell phones for campers who travel by air will be kept securely in the office until Closing Day.

Any changes to pick up or drop off location will be communicated to parents via phone or email.

A staff member will email the parent to notify him or her that the child has arrived safely and/or departed safely.

Please note that most airlines require children ages 6 to 12 who are flying without an accompanying adult to fly with the designation of “Unaccompanied Minor.” Every airline’s rules are unique and we recommend utilizing this service for the safety of your child.

If your child is flying to camp, it is easiest to have trunks shipped to camp. UPS or FedEx are the most effective ways of handling shipping luggage. Our shipping address is Green River Preserve, 301 Green River Road, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718. To ensure luggage is present on opening day, it is wise to send luggage or trunks to camp a week to ten days prior to your child’s arrival. At the end of the session, if desired, Green River Preserve can ship trunks COD to the home address. To expedite this, please send all shipping information to our Office Manager. Please indicate specifically which pieces of luggage are to be shipped. You may also prearrange to have your trunk returned by the same service you use to send it to camp. In that case, preprinted return address labels from the shipper should be left with the Office Manager.

Campers can “charge” purchases against their credit line. Parents set the credit line amount on their camper’s CampIn Touch Store Charge Authorization Form prior to opening day. (See the Forms section of your camper’s account.) The recommended camp store credit line of $50.00 per week is assigned to campers whenever parents are unavailable or do not make their wishes known. Campers should not bring cash to camp. Camp store accounts should be settled when picking up your camper.

Parents are responsible for all camper medical fees. Any medical bills incurred during the program will be billed, whenever possible, directly to the parent’s insurance carrier. A medical form and proof of health and accident insurance coverage are required for admission. A camp nurse or one of the directors will communicate with parents by phone in the event of a significant illness or injury.

All campers love to receive mail from family and friends, so write often! Campers are encouraged to write home at least once per session. Each session our counselors send a letter to parents about their camper. We ask you not to send packages to your camper. It can lead to unintended competition within the cabin group and sometimes even hurt feelings. We reserve the right to return, at your expense, any packages sent in violation of this rule. Camper’s name
Green River Preserve
301 Green River Road
Cedar Mountain, NC 28718

Our email policy is an extension of our effort to slow our campers down. While emails are convenient for parents, too many emails may lead to homesickness, so we ask that you please use snail mail. We welcome emails to the Program Director regarding your camper.

When a camper leaves home, he or she needs to be allowed the space to develop his or her own personality. Therefore we discourage phone and visitation interruptions from parents or relatives during the camp session. Our office gladly accepts phone calls from parents interested in their child’s progress at camp. We can arrange for your child’s counselor to call you with a progress report. Children should not be called during a session except in the case of emergency.

Our infirmary is staffed with a registered nurse and medical assistant throughout the summer. They screen minor complaints and provide first aid as well as monitor the safety and cleanliness of the cabins and other facilities. Advanced medical care is available at local physicians’ offices, Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, and Transylvania Hospital in Brevard.

If you are sending your child with essential medications, upload these medications with the dosage and instructions into CampMinder. This will help our medical staff immensely prior to your camper’s arrival. Upon arrival, you will meet with the medical staff to confirm the medications and communicate any necessary information. Please carefully follow the below medication instructions.

Instructions for bringing medicines to camp:

• Please package all medicines your child is bringing to camp in reusable pill boxes and label the pill box with their name and date of birth.
• Separate the medication into morning, lunch, dinner, and bedtime for 1 week and place medicines and camper’s information in a clearly marked ziplock bag.
• The medical staff will fill the pill boxes for the subsequent week(s) (unless you choose to bring another reusable pill box).
• If a camper takes medications at bedtime, but can take them earlier, please move these meds to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
• If you are sending as needed medication (e.g. ibuprofen because your child takes this regularly for shin splints when they are active), you do not need to put this into a pill box. Please also know that we have a fully stocked over the counter medication supply.
• We respectfully ask that you not send vitamins or non-essential medications.

Meals are hearty, delicious and kid-friendly. Breakfast entrees are supplemented with a fruit and yogurt bar. Lunch offers a soup, and dinner has a rice and bean bar. A vegetarian entree is available at all meals and reasonable accommodations may be made for campers with food allergies. A chalkboard displayed in the Dining Lodge lists all the items on the menu as well as any common allergens found in each dish.

Campers who have dietary restrictions or allergies are encouraged to bring any preferred snacks or meal supplements. Personal food must be checked in to the Kitchen. Due to the number of children with severe nut allergies, Green River Preserve strives to be a nut-free community. Products containing peanuts or tree nuts are not allowed in the Dining Lodge or Kitchen. Please call the camp office at 828-698-8828 if you have questions about meals, allergies, or dietary restrictions.

We feel that birthdays are very special and we will enjoy celebrating them with your child. Homemade goodies are prepared by our cooks, so please do not send baked goods or sweets. Counselors will enjoy decorating the cabin with balloons and crepe paper. We welcome any additional table or cabin decorations.

Cabin assignments are made according to age and grade level to ensure compatible levels of maturity. We recognize that there may be reasons for exceptions to this policy, such as maturity beyond, or not up to, a camper’s chronological age. Where such is the case, parents should inform us prior to the time of enrollment so that proper cabin assignments can be made. The directors reserve the right to make the final decision on cabin assignments.

We cannot guarantee placement in any particular cabin. Campers frequently want to be in the same cabin as a friend. We are glad to honor such requests when mutual, provided the campers are of the same grade and age and the assignment does not result in an excessive number of campers from the same city. The request should be made on the camper’s application.

If a cabin request cannot be honored, it may be possible to pair children in mentor groups. The mentor group is a camper’s core group during the session and he/she will spend each morning between breakfast and lunch exploring the Preserve with this peer group.

We play a lot at Green River. We will get wet and dirty. Sometimes it is hot; sometimes it gets cool, even cold. We want our campers to be comfortable and equipped, so we recommend bringing durable and inexpensive clothes. A packing list is available on your CampIn Touch page or you can download them here:
One Week Packing List
Two & Three Week Packing List
Blue Ridge Expedition Packing List
Outer Banks Expedition Packing List
Leadership in Training Packing List
Base Camp Expedition Packing List
Western Expedition Packing List

A professional cleaner provides laundry service for two week and three week campers. Laundry service is not available for one week campers. Nevertheless, clothes are sometimes stained or lost. Please do not send new or valuable clothes or clothes that will bleed. Laundry fees are included in the tuition.

Pro Tip: Label all your camper’s clothes!

FOLLOW THESE HELPFUL TIPS Please do not rely on your GPS system to find us. Instead use the directions listed below.

From Brevard, NC or Greenville, SC

• Travel on Highway 276 to the community of Cedar Mountain.
• Beside Cedar Mountain Cafe on the eastern side of 276, turn left onto Cascade Lake Road.
• Go 50 yards, then turn right onto Reasonover Road.
• Go 4 miles. At the end of the pavement, bear right onto Green River Road.
• Go 3/10 of a mile to the Preserve entrance on your left.

From Hendersonville, NC or Spartanburg, SC

• Travel to Tuxedo via Interstate 26 and Highway 25.
• Take the Green River Road exit (exit #3) off of Highway 25.
• Turn west (away from Tuxedo). Go 10 miles.
• The Preserve entrance will be on your right. Caution: The last 4 miles are on a bumpy, unpaved road. Most passenger cars will be fine, but go slowly and watch for potholes and wildlife.

Although not required, we strongly recommend one-way traffic from east to west to increase safety and decrease stress along our gravel road.

11-11:30 AM for BRX, LIT, and OBX expeditions.

BRX and LIT (formally TBX) drop off at the GRP base camp in Cedar Mountain, NC. OBX drops off in Stella, NC. Western meets in Albuquerque, NM at the airport on arrival day between 12pm-4pm.

Yes! Expeditioners can send and receive mail. Because they are in and out on different adventures, we sometimes go a few days between mail pick-ups. Please note the following addresses for each Expedition.

BRX and LIT
Camper Name
BRX or LIT

When a camper leaves home, he/she needs space to develop his/her personality. Our office gladly accepts phone calls from parents interested in their child’s progress at camp. We can arrange for your child’s leader to call you with a “progress report”. Children should not be called during a session except in the case of an emergency. Similarly, we discourage visitation by parents or relatives during a camp session.

If you are planning to fly, please arrange your Expeditioners flight to the following airports:

BRX & LIT

Plan to arrive and depart before 12pm from one of the following airports

• Asheville Regional Airport, Asheville, NC
• Greenville Spartanburg Airport, Greenville, SC

• Backcountry and frontcountry food
• Sleeping accommodations in tents (OBX), tarps (BRX), and wall tents (LIT)
• Fun and responsible leaders who are Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness First Aid Certified
• Professionally outfitted activities: i.e. Whitewater rafting (LIT)
• Leadership training, community living skills, life skills development, and so much more

Expeditioners can have a small amount of money for objects such as souvenirs, gifts, and personal items but it is not necessary. We recommend travel money for any camper flying.

Please reference the packing list found on each Expedition specific page. This is the complete list of items you will need for your adventure. Please adhere to this list as much as possible because space is limited in our vans. Keeping that in mind, please pack all items in the backpack you will be using or a duffle bag. Please do not bring a trunk on expeditions (unless you are an LIT). It is nice to have both a duffel bag and a backpack for the Blue Ridge Expedition. This way, items can be stored in the duffel bag that do not need to go out on the backpacking trip.

Please use gear you already have! Borrowing items from family and friends is a great way to recycle items and put them to good use!

Take advantage of our affordable rental program! We rent backpacks and sleeping pads for BRX, LIT, and WXP trips.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions (828) 698-8828

• Body Conditioning and Care: It’s fun to plan out your gear for your trip, but gear is only half the preparation. The other half is you! Your enjoyment of the trip will depend on several factors.
• Fitness: Any reasonably fit and active teen will be able to handle one of our trips.
• Motivation: It will not always be easy – you must be motivated!
• Community & Teamwork: Our trips require compromise, patience, and selflessness. If you support your leaders and your teammate, you will have a great experience.
• Expeditions will be significantly more enjoyable if you have a basic level of fitness. The training guidelines below are designed to help you develop a solid fitness basis.

Well broken-in boots are essential for all hiking Expeditions. There have been Expeditioners who have had to leave their trips because of blisters from boots that were not broken in.

• Four weeks before your departure day: Wear your boots for 15-30 minutes a day to walk around your house or neighborhood so your boots will begin to conform to your feet.
• Three weeks before your departure day: Take three half-hour hikes or walks in your boots.
• Two weeks before your departure day: Take three 45-minute hikes or walks in your boots.
• One week before your departure day: Take three hour-long hikes or walks in your boots.

All of our Expedition leaders are either Wilderness First Responders (majority) or certified in Wilderness First Aid. This is a nationally recognized standard in wilderness medicine education that teaches how to safely manage medical situations when hospital care is hours, sometimes days away. In addition, every Expedition Leader participates in staff training at the beginning of the summer. During this time, we cover policies, procedures, and protocol for every GRP program. Safety practices are thoroughly discussed and reviewed. When we are involved in more technical activities such as rock climbing or white water canoeing we bring in extra leaders and or subcontractors to provide the best instruction possible. Though we pride ourselves on the superior quality of our itineraries and leaders, Expeditioners must recognize their personal responsibility in regards to the success of their trip. It is up to each individual student to ensure the quality of their adventure simply by respecting and following the rules discussed.

“Not only was the food amazing, but I also learned to cook a lot of good food.” – 10th grader, Blue Ridge Expeditions

“The food was filling and almost always tasty. I’m a vegetarian and the group leaders always made sure that I had a suitable substitute for the meat dishes” – 12th grader, Outer Banks Expeditions

Cooking is a central part of GRP Expeditions. Expeditioners will be placed in a cook crew with a leader and help prepare meals for one another. From planning, to shopping, to preparing and cooking, Expeditioners will experience it all.

Similar to base camp, a vegetarian entree is available at all meals and reasonable accommodations may be made for campers with food allergies. Campers who have dietary restrictions or allergies are encouraged to bring any preferred snacks or meal supplements. The “Expeditioner Page,” a form we ask your camper to fill out themselves, asks questions about food choices they prefer, especially for folks with dietart restrictions. Due to the number of children with severe nut allergies, Green River Preserve strives to be a nut-free community. Please call the camp office at 828-698-8828 if you have questions about meals, allergies, or dietary restrictions.

Parents are responsible for all camper medical fees. Any medical bills incurred during the program will be billed, whenever possible, directly to the parent’s insurance carrier. A medical form and proof of health and accident insurance coverage are required for admission. One of the directors or trip leaders will communicate with parents by phone in the event of a significant illness or injury.

LIT Expeditioners will have an opportunity to visit the camp store during their Expedition. BRX Expeditioners can visit the camp store on closing day during pick-up.

Campers can “charge” purchases against their credit line. Parents set the credit line amount on their camper’s CampIn Touch Store Charge Authorization Form prior to opening day. (See the Forms section of your camper’s account.) Camp store accounts should be settled when picking up your camper.

For the most part your expeditioner can count on a glorious camping experience each night. OBX and BRX both have primitive base camps we start and end each trip. The BRX base is called Reasonover. While at Reasonover, your camper will be sleeping on a raised wooden platform with canvas walls. On the trail, they will be sleeping under tarps. OBX sleeps in tents throughout their sessions. LIT participants will be at the GRP base camp sleeping in wall tents with cots. They will also participate in two different camping trips and will sleep under tarps. First, they will go on their own backpacking trip as an LIT group. Later in the session, they will assist our counselors on a Campout trip, helping to lead the summer campers.