Canoe Camp (for Grownups!)

Come to the Gowanus Dredgers' Canoe Camp for two weekends of on-water adventure, skill-building, and summer camp vibes! Gain skills for feeling more confident on the water! Get ready to volunteer, lead trips, and make your own events. Plus earn badges for new skills! We’ll learn practical skills for exploring our urban waterways: paddling, radio communication, knots & line work, trip planning, chart reading, tides & currents, weather, water safety, and making events.

We'll learn practical skills for exploring our urban waterways: paddling, radio communication, knots & line work, trip planning, chart reading, tides & currents, weather, water safety, and event planning.

Dates: May 30-31 and June 6-7

Time: 10am–2pm Saturday & Sunday both weekends

This is a two-weekend camp that builds on skills as we go, so campers must attend both weekends.

Registration (sliding scale):

• Regular: $200 — full cost of the program
• Supported: $100 — for those unable to pay the full cost
• Pay-It-Forward: $300 — for those able to help support the program

Sign up now! New members (at any level) who complete the full program are also eligible for a free, one-season upgrade to Steward-level membership.

If you'd like to attend and even the reduced cost is a hardship, or if you'd like to sponsor an (adult) canoe camper, email us.

About the Instructor

Danielle Butler is an avid water and summer camp enthusiast. She has sailed across the Atlantic, run a creative residency on a historic tugboat in Alaska, and spent over a decade creating on-water events and boating in New York Harbor. Danielle teaches design at Fordham University and creates elaborate experiences, both celebratory and educational.

18+ only

A basic annual membership ($35) is added to the ticket price. Read more about the Gowanus Dredgers membership levels here. If you're already a member, use the annual discount code included in your membership email to deduct the $35 fee.

Not to set expectations too high -- but I can confidently say that Canoe Camp 2025 changed my life! Two weekends of skills education, canal observation, paddling, laughing, and so much nerding out on everything from barges to bacteria counts, with some of the coolest, smartest, quirkiest, most fun people you'll have the pleasure to meet in this city. And then getting to hang out with them for the rest of the summer, on sunrise, sunset, and full moon paddles, helping New Yorkers get on the water for the first time, and so much more. Having a home you can go to all summer on the water with great folks really improves life in this city, even if it is part of a Superfund site. :)

"I loved the playful camp spirit along with all the amazing skill sharing and diving (not literally!) into the historical and present-day stories of the Gowanus Canal. Making drizzly morning observations of the canal (herons! fish! mussels! condoms!) and watching the tides (we are a coastal town!) made me feel connected in a way I never experienced before. Danielle built a lovely community and inspired us to keep canoeing all season long!"

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Host or Publisher Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club