Camp Fire San Diego

San Diego, United States

4.5

Open now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 619-291-8985
Website:
www.campfiresd.org
Address:
3101 Balboa Dr, San Diego, CA, 92103
b/t Quince Dr & Upas St
Balboa Park
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1 miMiddletown
1.1 miSan Diego Airport Loop Shuttle
1.4 miCounty Center/Little Italy
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Bussiness info

Parking
Street
Bike Parking
No
Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Open now
Local time (San Diego) 10:46 Monday, 2 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Adventure around every corner!

Wholesome and fun Camp experiences are what make Camp Fire SD– Camp CaHiTo one of the most popular Camps around. Activities include hiking, archery, arts and crafts, games, sports and more!

When children attend Camp CaHiTo Day Camps, they discover an amazing 7.5-acre reserve in Balboa Park. We use the Camp Fire curriculum to facilitate outdoor games, songs, skits and self-​growth skills. Camp CaHiTo has Camps running throughout the year for children ages 3 and up; with Spring Break Camp, Summer Camp, Thanksgiving Camp, and Winter Camp Programs.

Camp Fire also offers Out-​of-​School-​Time and Teen Service and Leadership Programs throughout the year.

History

Established in 1910.

Camp Fire ensures a well-​trained and caring staff teaching and mentoring youth to avoid risky behaviors, succeed in school, and embrace their unique talents. Camp Fire gives youth a voice in what activities they explore and helps them to set goals for themselves. We help youth understand they are part of a community that they can help to change and to prosper.

The Thriving Framework

Every Camp Fire program employs our framework for thriving, a research-​based, measurable approach to youth development. Our approach, created in partnership with the Thrive Foundation for Youth, enables youth to achieve their full potential by:

Identifying their sparks.

Adopting a growth mindset (the belief that you can learn new skills all the time.)

Creating the opportunity to reflect on activities and outcomes.

Building goal management skills.

This allows youth to build positive, sustained relationships and learn life skills that include self-​reflection and goal management.

Meet the Business Owner

Camp Fire SD.

Business Owner

Camp Fire SD — Camp CaHiTo has always recognized curious youth exploring their world need a secure place to grow up. And since 1910 we’ve provided that place, through camps. Camp Fire believes when youth get the chance to be outdoors, to work with others in the community, and learn to respect nature they better respect themselves. We’re proud of the role we have played – and continue to play – in guiding young lives to an appreciation of their lives and the world we all live in.

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20 reviews of Camp Fire San Diego

No registration required
Place rating: 1
San Diego, CA
Totally agree with the other review about nickel and dime policies. Don’t bother scheduling anything camp sessions in advance (unless you’re 125% sure that 90 days from now no schedule changes will occur) — they entice you with promos to schedule early, but guess what?!? Should you use that promotion and your plans change — not only will they no longer offer the promo rate you booked (even if it’s still running), they’ll charge you additional fees to transfer, etc. I can appreciate last minute change requests may cause some havoc, but two months in advance? Come on! Oh, and good luck finding these policies as they’re certainly not posted under «session selection» as you’re signing up. In comparison to the San Diego zoo camp/​staff, I find the «fee happy» nature of Cahito to be tedious and very short-​sighted.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Camp Cahito is the TOPS! My children have fun, get dirty, and make new friends. The counselors are great, and really make a connection with each child. My youngest is in Little Stars, and LOVES that she gets to be part of the fun while her slightly older brothers are in traditional camp. The kids (and I) love the outdoor focus — lather them up in sunscreen every day in the summer — and expect to hose them off (and their clothes/​shoes) every night! The website can be finicky during registration, but the staff is always willing to help out when I send them an email or call.
Place rating: 1
San Diego, CA
BEWARE OF THEIR SKETCHY CANCELLATION POLICIES! We didn’t make it to the camp because of a broken arm, (I’m writing this review as a protest to CAMP FIRE/CAHITO’s policies). They make you enroll in «Camp Fire Membership» for $ 25.00 (non-​refundable & useless). You are also enrolled in an ACTIVE «trial» membership that will charge you $ 65.00 if you don’t cancel it on your own (one of those sneaky «free trials» that most people forget). So outside of their nickel & diming I’m sure kids would love running around in the dirt.
Place rating: 5
San Antonio, TX
All good stuff, the kids LOVE IT!!! Mine are super excited for this year!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Camp Cahito is one of the few camps where we can send our daughters and they come back happy. A good, old-​fashioned camp where kids run around and play in the dirt like when I was a kid. Counselors also seem like they really reach out to the kids. It’s become our go-​to place for the summer.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Three things my son 8 year old loved about Camp Cahito…
1) archery
2) hiking and the dirt
3) building forts
Mr. Ash is really fun too!
Place rating: 5
Poway, CA
My daughter loves going to camp at CaHiTo. The counselors are great, and Kamarra («Koa») is very friendly and helpful. It’s not cheap, but they offer extended hours, which is great for working parents, and the kids get to be outside, playing in the dirt and mud, like kids! They also take the kids on fun field trips. We try to do one week there every summer. My daughter likes the Water Daze and Muddy Buddy camps.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My 6 year old just attended Muddy Buddies and loved it. He had gone to a couple Y camps and he always had something negative to say. I was worried that he just saw the bad in things he didn’t know about. We signed him up for this after a friend of ours said their child was going and then they backed out. I was worried that my son wouldn’t know anyone. I didn’t need to worry. the camp counselors were on it the first day. They immediately took him and got him involved and he left that day we great friends. As others said they come home filthy but happy and can’t wait to go back. Everyday he couldn’t wait to tell me what he had done. He had nothing but good things. We will be going back.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Both of my boys just enjoyed a week of camp over Spring Break and they LOVED it! Everyday they hopped in the car excited to tell me what they had done throughout the morning. They are 4 and 5 years old and I thought the half day would suffice but they begged me to stay longer. The staff was friendly and had things to keep the kids busy! They have only been home for two hours and they are bugging me to sign them up for summer camp :) I’m very pleased to say the least! Shout out to Birdman, Badger, Sky, and StarG (their group counselors) and Kamarra who was helpful before and during camp making sure my kids special needs were met.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My very active 5 year old grandson thoroughly enjoyed camp cahito! This was his first camp and we really wanted this to be a good experience. I was quite impressed with the staff– very friendly yet competent and concerned. Each day I had to pry him away, he was just having too much fun (and that included the pm aftercare)! Brace yourself: it is really true about the dirt :) We look forward to making this a summer tradition.
Place rating: 2
San Diego, CA
My daughter has just finished 1 week of the circus-​themed camp. She enjoyed it for the most part, although complained that she didn’t have enough time to finish her lunch, and that some counselors were too loud and used their whistles too much. I liked best that she spent all days outdoors, got to try archery and «hiked» around a little bit.
However, I expected much more from this camp.
First, the camp must be sponsored by McDonald’s because every day at the assembly ceremony, they sang a song about it («Ronald McDonald, BIG MAC, yeah» or something like that). I don’t think it’s appropriate to advertise junk food at the kids camp. My daughter likes healthy food and is a vegetarian, so she was surprised and I was disgusted.
Second, I expected that all the kids will get a chance to learn and participate in different circus-​related activities, like gymnastics, juggling, etc. Not so. They were assigned their «roles» on the first day, and stayed with that for the rest of the week. My daughter got to be a clown, and she didn’t get to do anything else related to a circus except some silly «clown» routine. I would have understand if the performance on the last day was not so poor. I don’t think 5 days of practicing the same roles were required to prepare a «performance» of that level. It seemed that 1 – 2 hours for a couple of days would be more than adequate.
One «act» in the performance was particularly distasteful: a team of kids with large letters on their chests moved around for a minute, then arranged in line to spell «STINKBUGS» (which apparently was their team name), then turned around and wiggled their butts in the air for the audience, imitating stinkbugs. Two other separate «acts» involved an «animal» in a very poorly designed paper plate mask (did it take more than 5 minutes to prepare? Didn’t you promise arts and crafts?) being «beaten» by the «trainer», and then grabbing the stick and beating the «trainer». Was it such a great joke that you felt it needed to be repeated twice? Really?
Conclusion: I am glad that my daughter spent 5 days outdoors and got some new experience. However, I would not recommend the Circus camp. Hopefully, their other camps are better.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
The first day of summer camp I picked up my boys and they were filthy, covered in dirt from from head to toe. I was over the moon!
You see, my kids’ outdoor time is seriously infringed upon. They commute to and from a school that is at some distance from our home, then must contend with all sorts of supplemental afterschool programming to ensure that they can one day get into Hahvahd. And then there’s homework. Along with their peers, theirs is the first generation so profoundly stuck indoors, according to author and activist Richard Louv.
Come summer, I just want my kids to be outside, to marinate in nature, and reconnect with the feral creatures that they are. Enter Camp CaHiTo (derived from the phrase «CAmp on a HIll in TOwn»). It’s situated in the middle of the city, right next to a freeway, but you’d never know it. Instead, towering eucalyptus trees, rustic cabins, an enclosed garden and outdoor rabbit hutch make you feel like you’re a world away.
The curriculum is traditional and wholesome — gimp, archery, s’mores and camp songs are the order of the day. But there is also the transcendent unstructured time: when a group of kids decides that they want to spend 20 minutes jumping over a mud puddle or several hours building a teepee during winter camp, a counselor obliges.
The allure of Camp CaHiTo is perhaps strongest in a section of the property called «Forts.» It is a tangle of paths twisting through a thicket of jade trees that has a bewitching effect on children. Like a quantum singularity, this labyrinth slurps up any nearby kids, and soon they are running and ducking, bobbing and weaving, frolicking and giggling, and enjoying one of the funnest games of spontaneous tag of their young lives.
Camp CaHiTo is a glimpse into Thoreau’s lost world. It is a reminder of the blessing it is to be young and outdoors and ready to explore the magic that the nature holds in store for all of us.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My 7 year old son attended this camp for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He said «Mom, this was best camp ever. Sign me up again.» He especially enjoyed the ropes course.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Our family loves Campfire and Camp Cahito. My 7 year old was very happy to trek off to Camp Cahito this week during his February break. He picked it over other possible camps for the week. He said, «I love it! You get to play all day, get dirty, do archery, swing on a tree swing, and build forts.» Nuff said. (They also have low ropes, too, and lots of arts and crafts. A huge variety of activities.)
For a working parent, Cahito is a life saver. They run winter break camps, February week camps, spring break camps, and summer break camps (that run all the way up to Labor Day). They are there when a working parent needs them.
Plus, I love, love, love the fact that my kid is so eager to go – as a working parent, I feel a bit guilty about not being able to take off all of these breaks with my kid. But my kid always comes home so happy that I really shouldn’t.
The staff is terrific, they love the kids, want them to have a great time, and take good care of them. If that weren’t enough, Cahito is also very reasonably priced. The only downside is that if you’re dumb enough send your kid in white socks, you’ll have to throw them out at the end of the day, unless you just decide that they’re «brown» socks.
I also want to plug after school Campfire Clubs. A friend and I set one up at our kids’ school, and it has been a wonderful experience. We love having a co-​ed kids group, and the Campfire «curriculum» is imaginative, fun, and enriching. The kids absolutely love it, and it’s been a great alternative to Girl and Boy Scouting for those who want their kids in a coed activity.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Great summer camp! Each week is a different theme and is a full day camp! Love the options to pick and choose by the week, allowing us to take vacations etc.
This camp is run by many prior campers who are the best authority on what the campers love to do. The songs have been passed down for years and they perform them every morning at role call with gusto! The spirit of the camp is very unique and more «family» than other camps where you lose contact quickly with the other campers. Here, it’s expected that you’ll be back for more fun, year after year!
The current camp director Jules, is fantastic and the staff are wonderful! I was very scared and reluctant to let my 3 year old attend the half-​day camp, especially since he has special needs and wears braces. However, he was able to keep up with the rest of the kids and had a wonderful time! He made a special buddy and they had fun buying each other popsicles and other treats from the camp store. His camp counselor «Newt» went way beyond my expectations! He has a wonderful talent for bonding with the little ones! His other counselor «Dragonfly» was also fantastic and she was a comfort to him when he missed mom!
My oldest had so much fun during Pirate Camp and Superheroes Camp! All the counselors get into the themes– especially Superheroes! And dress accordingly! My son tried archery for the first time, went on great Canyon hikes and made great friends!
We will definitely be back next summer!
Place rating: 5
Temecula, CA
My review isn’t about the day camp, as most of these 5-​star reviews are. It’s about the staff and the different programs they run. I am on the verge of starting a Camp Fire USA Club in Temecula. I should probably be going through Riverside County’s Council, but I wasn’t having any success at getting responses. So I sent out a Hail Mary to San Diego. I figured at the least maybe they could help me contact Riverside. Instead I got an immediate response with the information I needed and an offer to help us set up the club under the San Diego & Imperial County Council. I went down to Camp CaHiTo to meet with the Clubs Director. She was super friendly, had a lot of great information, and provided me with lots of materials and curriculum to help me get a quicker understanding of how the clubs function and to start us out.
I really like the fact that Camp Fire USA is co-​ed and accepts all kids regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, national origin, economic status, and sexual orientation. They have also been screening and doing background checks on their volunteers for decades.
I also briefly saw the grounds there at Camp CaHiTo. Being in Balboa Park, it’s got that great outdoorsy feel while still being really convenient to the city. The entire area is fenced and the Clubs Director had to come open the gate for me to come in to talk to her (campers were on site for winter break day camps) so the area is also super secure. I wasn’t surprised at all to read the other reviews about how active all the kids are while they’re at camp. I believe I saw a scavenger hunt while I was there. They were all having a great time.
I’m really happy to have connected with the San Diego Council. Their staff is great, the grounds are really nice and very convenient, and the programs are super. I hope more people learn about Camp Fire USA and that it grows a lot in the coming years.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
This traditional outdoor day camp was a hit with the girls in our house. Both the 4.5 (not typically outdoorsy) and the 7 (VERY outdoorsy/​adventure seeking) year old loved it and they enjoyed being in a group with their friends (the camp was very accommodating of that) and the counselors were so friendly and wonderful to the kids. Check in and pick up was very secure and professional and easy. The first day of the week for drop off was super simple and parking was easier than I expected.
They did archery, water play, songs, crafts, fort building and hiking. Both girls were covered head to toe (literally) every pick up but never once complained. It was awesome! My only recommendation would be to dress them in really grubby clothes — especially the shoes — . I also slathered them with sunscreen in the morning and after 6 hours outdoors no one came home with a sunburn/​tan so I am especially happy about that.
We will be back again next summer!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My son went to Camp for the first time he had so much fun !! I have one dirty tired kid that will sleep good tonight !
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My son went to camp this week. It was his first camp and his first time away from his family (he’s not in daycare – he’s 3) for several hours (6 hours – he went for the full day). He absolutely LOVED camp. He had fun every day. He went during Art week and they did some little art projects – mostly painting and scribbling (nothing major – maybe they do better ones when the kids get older). Yesterday they did some archery and had a water fight. He is excited every morning to go to camp. The counselors are very nice. This is one of the few places that will take 3 year olds and he already said he wants to go back next year! I can also say that he’s had some GOOD long naps after camp which is a sign about how much fun he had!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Do you want to send your kid to a great, true, get dirty summer camp? If you do, then Camp Cahito in Balboa Park is a great place! This isn’t Y camp, this is the real outdoor camping deal. They learn how to build campfires and cook on them, archery, hiking, water games and in some weeks a sleep under the stars overnight. Every week has a these, and you can be assured that your cild will come home very tire and very dirty!
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