Go West Camps

What Go West Camps does

Go West Camps LLC is a family-owned and operated youth day camp provider founded in 2015 by Andrew and Arianne VanDerWege and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company delivers structured outdoor summer day camp programs across three locations — Eagleview Middle School, Chinook Trail Middle School, and The Colorado Springs School — operating three three-week sessions during summer months (June through July) with an 8am–5pm daily schedule and a 1:6 staff-to-camper ratio. Its programming spans adventure activities (mountain biking, rock climbing, paddleboarding, hiking), a farm and garden program, nature instruction, arts, and STEM challenges, supplemented by an Out of School Time (OST) enrichment program at The Colorado Springs School during the academic year and a small online camp store selling staff-designed merchandise.

The business is a direct-to-consumer service with no proprietary technology stack. Operations are managed through third-party platforms, including Ultra Camp for online registration and camper management, Signapay for PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing, and Squarespace for the company website. Marketing is primarily organic, relying on Instagram, school partnerships, and parent word-of-mouth within the Colorado Springs market. The company is accredited by the American Camp Association against 300+ industry standards and is licensed as a school-aged childcare program by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.

Revenue is generated through session-based camp registration fees (the primary stream), the OST program revenue, and modest merchandise sales through the camp store. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled inside the Ultra Camp registration portal. The company is privately held by the founders with no institutional investment, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity on record. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, with a large seasonal component for counselors, unit leaders, and instructors.

Name

Go West Camps

Legal name

Go West Camps LLC

Website

https://gowestcamps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Go West Camps is a family-owned, ACA-accredited youth day camp operator in Colorado Springs, Colorado, offering three-week summer outdoor programs at three school-based locations plus year-round after-school enrichment for families with school-aged children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Day Camp Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMALAA

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

SECONDARYTHAGAOAG

Adventure Base Camps (Trek/Climb/Expedition Camps)

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Camping & Glamping Facilities

SECONDARYEDAMALAC

STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

SECONDARYEDAMALAO

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Youth day camp
• Summer camp programs
• Outdoor adventure activities
• After-school enrichment
• Childcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fountain

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Summer Day Camp Registration: Go West Camps generates revenue through session-based day camp registration fees. Camp operates Monday-Friday from 8am to 5pm during summer sessions. Three-week sessions provide recurring revenue cycles throughout the summer season. The camp also operates an Out of School Time (OST) program at The Colorado Springs School during the academic year.
2. Camp Store: Merchandise sales through the Go West Camp Store featuring staff-created artwork on apparel and accessories. All designs are created by staff members and printed through local partner The Printing Pig.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Go West Camps operates youth summer day camp programs and an after-school Out of School Time (OST) enrichment program for school-aged children in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company runs three-week summer sessions at three locations (Eagleview Middle School, Chinook Trail Middle School, and The Colorado Springs School) with a 1:6 staff-to-camper ratio, providing outdoor adventure, farm and garden, nature, arts, culinary, and STEM activities. Revenue is generated through session registration fees paid by parents and supplementary merchandise sales through the Camp Store.

Product overview

Go West Camps is a family-owned and operated summer day camp program for kids in Colorado Springs, Colorado, founded in 2015. The company offers three core programs: Summer Camp Programs (the primary offering with three-week sessions at multiple locations), Out of School Time (OST) enrichment programs, and a Camp Store for merchandise. Summer camp activities include adventure programs (mountain biking, rock climbing, paddle boarding), farm and garden, nature exploration, arts, and culinary activities. The company is accredited by the American Camp Association and licensed by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1:6 staff to camper ratio ensures individual attention and safety

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Camp Association (ACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGo West Camps is accredited by the American Camp Association, the nationally recognized accrediting body for the camp industry. ACA accreditation requires a thorough review of over 300 standards and involves collaboration with experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red Cross, and other youth-serving agencies.
• Colorado Department of Early ChildhoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGo West Camps is licensed as a school aged childcare program by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Division of Childcare.
• The Colorado Springs SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGo West Camps partners with The Colorado Springs School to bring their Skill Track philosophy and enrichment programs to students through out of school time programming during the academic year.
• Ultra CampcoreTechnology or IntegrationGo West Camps partners with Ultra Camp for online registration and camper management systems. Parents register and manage camper information through the Ultra Camp client portal.
• SignapaycoreTechnology or IntegrationGo West Camps partners with Signapay for payment processing services. Payment processing is PCI DSS compliant for secure credit card transactions.
• The Printing PigminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal small business partner that prints Go West Camp Store merchandise designs. Go West intentionally supports local small business for their camp store products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Galileo Learning: Multi-activity summer day camp operator running innovation-focused programming for K–8 students. Comparable in session structure, instructor-led activity tracks, and family-acquisition GTM motion via school partnerships.
• YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region: Operates day camps and youth programs in the same Colorado Springs market, serving families with school-aged children through multi-activity outdoor programming. Directly comparable in target customer, age group, and activity mix, with a substantially larger organizational footprint.
• Lavner Camps: Operates specialty day camps (sports, tech, performing arts) for school-aged children across multiple U.S. metros with a strong staff-to-camper ratio focus. Comparable in multi-discipline day-camp model and target demographic.
• Camp Galileo: Bay Area–based multi-activity summer day camp combining arts, science, and outdoor play for elementary-age children. Highly comparable in session length, multi-track curriculum model, and family-targeted positioning.
• Steve & Kate's Camp: National multi-activity day camp chain offering flexible, mixed-age programming with strong staff-to-camper ratios across multiple U.S. metros. Closest scale analog for Go West's multi-track, family-friendly positioning and serves as the primary template for regional expansion.

Regional players

• City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services: Public-sector operator of summer day camps and youth recreation programs in the same Colorado Springs geography. Serves as a price-anchored alternative for the same family demographic.

Emerging players

• Club SciKidz: National STEM-focused summer day camp franchise serving elementary and middle schoolers with hands-on science and technology tracks. Partial overlap with Go West's STEM challenge and nature programming for the same age cohort.
• iD Tech: Operates STEM-focused summer day and overnight camps across multiple U.S. markets, with overlap in the STEM/nature enrichment category Go West serves through its challenge activities and nature program. Different core focus (technology) but comparable customer base and camp format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/gowestcamps
• Facebookfacebook.com/gowestcamps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/go-west-camps

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Go West Camps