Overview

Summer camp as it was meant to be.

Out in the sunshine, under the trees.

 

Important Updates Regarding the 2022 Camp Season

Camp Reily is currently at camper capacity. Please email abowes@ywcahbg.org to be added to the camper wait-list.

Exciting news! On Fridays, the State Library will still be joining us for their program called, "STEM in the Stream," where we will be exploring our onsite stream with microscopes to learn about microorgansims and microinvertabrates!

Camp Reily will be operating from 8 AM until 5 PM.

The YWCA Greater Harrisburg is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of those we serve as well as our YW team. Our essential services have continued throughout the COVID-19 shutdown. 

Please note: all campers must have transportation to and from Camp Reily in 2022. The YWCA will not be providing transportation.

Our core values of; accountability, respect and inclusiveness have served us well during this unprecedented time and will continue to influence us as we move forward in this new environment.
 
We thank you for your understanding.

 

About Camp Reily

Camp Reily is an authentic, outdoor summer day camp experience for children ages 6 through 12. The summer camp program runs Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and includes breakfast, lunch and snack. Certified child educators and camp counselors oversee all activities and ensure child safety.

Camp Reily includes many great amenities, including a pool, playing field, lodge and walking trails, all set in the rustic beauty of 28 wooded acres.

The summer camp program at Camp Reily offers structured, themed activities that promote creativity, hands-on learning, physical activity, teamwork and personal growth. From sports to slime art to boat-building, kids explore interests and build skills as they burn off steam!

To register for Camp Reily, please contact Andrea Bowes at abowes@ywcahbg.org.

Camp Location

Camp Reily is located at 300 Camp Reily Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112.

Located just off Fishing Creek Valley Road, Camp Reily is only 15 minutes north of Harrisburg and a mile off the 322 Fishing Creek Valley exit. Free transportation pick-up and drop-off will be offered at several convenient locations.

Click here for directions to camp from your location.

Camp History

Early Years 1930-1950

In 1927, YWCA Board President, Helen Boas Reily, and her husband John Reily donated a 10-acre plot of land in Fishing Creek Valley (Middle Paxton Township) to the YWCA to operate as a camp facility. Later, gifts expanded the property to encompass 28 acres.  Then, as now, it was believed that a quality outdoor summer experience was beneficial for the minds, bodies, and spirits of children and youth.  The YWCA Greater Harrisburg has operated Camp Reily since its inception in various formats, from an overnight summer camp for girls to its current use as summer day camp for girls and boys. 

By the 1930’s Camp Reily was operated as a summer camp for girls and young women. In the early years Camp Reily offered a variety of typical summer “sleepover camp” activities including sports, nature craft, swimming and hiking. 

The 1950’s and ‘60’s

It was around this time that a brochure appeared that offered Camp Reily as a facility available to the general public for group activities such as picnics, conferences or reunions.  Cabin space with accommodations for up to 50 people was available along with the lodge and swimming pool – all for a nominal fee. In the 1950’s a few weeks in August were reserved for “Family Camp.”  Each family that attended was assigned a cabin of its own and could avail itself of any and all camp activities.

The summer of 1968 marked the transformation of Camp Reily from a residential camp for girls to a coeducational day camp. Even though Camp Reily had become a day camp, there remained an option for an overnight stay at the end of each camp session.

The 1970’s to present

The YWCA’s Annual Report from 1975 notes that Camp Reily’s program was accredited by both the A.C.A. and the national YWCA.  In the summer of 1977 total enrollment was 377 campers, and the camp was rented out to 18 community groups.

In 2005, the camp’s swimming pool was in need of repair. With a very significant gift from Highmark Blue Shield, as well as the support of local foundations like the McCormick Family Foundation, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, and a handful of community members, some of whom had a direct tie to Camp Reily, raised the funding in 2010 to undertake a major renovation and safety upgrades of the pool. More recently, the YWCA received a grant from the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners to improve the road structure, level a playing field and make building improvements.

Today the camp is a summer destination for children ages 6 to 12 years old. Camp Reily provides a unique summer camp opportunity for children in the tri-county area. Days are filled with sunshine, sports, hiking, arts and crafts and swimming. On the weekends, Camp Reily hosts family and company picnics, indoor and outdoor weddings in our outdoor chapel and so much more. Please feel free to contact us to visit Camp Reily today!

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