YMCA Camp Watia
YMCA Camp Watia

About Camp Watia

We’re not your average summer camp.

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Welcome to YMCA Camp Watia! 

Our overnight summer camp community is a tight-knit family committed to strengthening the YMCA's core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility in every camper and staff member. 

Every summer is filled with friends new and old, adventures big and small, and connections that will last a lifetime. We help every camper: 

  • Dare to try new things and learn new skills
  • Make new friends and build relationships
  • Discover to be their true and best self
  • Gain independence and self-reliance
  • Dream of what's possible and gain the confidence to step out of their comfort zone

Helpful links

Get camper tips and learn more about some of our most popular programs.

One kid and one camp counselor kneel on a field doing funny faces for the camera.

CAMP DATES
Young boy smiles big for the camera, several children are in the background.

FIRST-TIMERS
Three young adults making funny faces or smiling for the camera.

TEEN PROGRAMS

Boy doing funny pose with hands and with a genuine big smile, he's also wearing face paint and you can see several other children in the background.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Fun facts about Camp Watia

  • The dream of a summer camp for local children came true in 2016 when YMCA Camp Watia opened near Bryson City.
  • The YMCA of Western North Carolina raised close to $5 million dollars in capital development for the project, with leading support from Ken and Nancy Glass and the Glass Foundation. 
  • Watia is the country’s 333rd YMCA camp, and one of the first in years to be created from scratch by an association with no existing overnight camp programs.
  • Built on the site of a former tree farm, Watia sits on 900 acres adjacent to the Nantahala National Forest and near the Appalachian Trail. 
  • It's pronounced wuh-TIE-uh!