Family Outdoor Programs in Jersey City: Frequently Asked Questions

Wilderness Ramblers is a co-ed family outdoor and civic organization in Jersey City, New Jersey. We get girls and boys into nature, build outdoor skills over time, and camp together as families. We are a chartered group of Outdoor Service Guides, an outdoor education nonprofit, and a member club of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

We work to create a welcoming place where people of all ages build outdoor skills, connect across generations, and serve their community. We believe the outdoors is for everybody. We welcome families as they are, and we do our best to make the program accessible to every girl and boy who wants to apply, whether they have camped for years or have never tried it before.

Wilderness Ramblers was founded in 2022 by parents who wanted an inclusive, camping-focused outdoor activity to share with their children. We set out to build a group in Jersey City around a few shared values: getting outside, learning by doing, serving the community, and welcoming every family.

Wilderness Ramblers operates through two related entities. Our youth program runs the meetings, activities, and leadership. Wilderness Ramblers, LLC is a New Jersey limited liability company that handles operational matters such as registration, dues, equipment, insurance, and contracts with venues. Together, we refer to both as “Wilderness Ramblers.”

Our regular meetings are near Van Vorst Park in Jersey City; the exact location is shared with members. We meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 6pm and hike on the third Sunday of the month at 11am. Family camps run in the fall, winter, and spring, including a potential winter camp at Frost Valley in the Catskills, to be confirmed. We draw families from across Jersey City and nearby, including Downtown, Hamilton Park, Paulus Hook, and Hoboken.

Our hikes, field days, and camps take us across New Jersey and the region, from county and state parks to nature centers and our Family Camp at Cheesequake State Park. The map below shows where we have been and where we are headed.

Each year we organize around a core age group so kids have a group of peers. For the 2026-2027 program year, our core program centers on children born between July 2016 and June 2018 (about ages 8 to 10). We have flexibility for children at the edges of that range, so if your child is a bit older or younger, talk to us. Siblings are welcome to tag along to activities. Over the year, youth build outdoor and life skills in areas including first aid, cycling, fishing, and nature study.

Our core program is for about ages 8 to 10. We can open a group for younger or older children when a parent is ready to step up and lead it. If you have a younger or older child who wants to take part, tell us on the interest form and we will talk about starting the right group.

Dues are $500 per family for new families and $400 for returning families. Insurance is $55 per family member. Dues cover shared camping gear, uniforms and handbooks, park and space fees, and liability insurance. No-questions-asked financial aid is available, so cost is never a barrier to applying. See the full breakdown by household size on our cost page.

No. Families do not need to buy camping gear, and you do not need camping experience. We lend tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags, and we support families who have never camped. For what to buy if you want your own, see our camping gear guide.

Our group runs on parent and guardian volunteers, which ensures it is a parent-led program. Volunteering takes a few forms:

• All parents are expected to volunteer a little at Family Camp.
• Some parents are asked to help with an activity at a meeting.
• Some parents serve as trained volunteer leaders, which requires a background check through Sterling Volunteers.

Families can also take on a specialty lead role for the year, owning one part of the program and helping shape what the children do. Current roles include:

• First Aider Lead. Runs the year's first aid deep dives and the year-end capstone.
• Cyclist Lead. Leads the bike programming: a scooter-to-bike skills day, a fall clinic, and a spring clinic.
• Angler Lead. Leads fishing: a prep meeting, a fall class, and a spring activity at Family Camp.
• Songs Lead. Leads songs at meetings and runs the year-end song showcase.
• Tree Planting Lead. Organizes a neighborhood tree planting for the conservation project.
• Knot Lead. Runs a short knot-of-the-week moment at meetings.
• ASL Lead. Runs a short American Sign Language moment at meetings.
• Regional Camp Coordinator. Helps coordinate a regional campout that gathers families from across the Northeast.

No previous experience is needed.

Every leader is an unpaid parent volunteer, so dues go straight to the program. Our leaders complete a yearly background check through Sterling Volunteers, and all five are Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certified.

Fill out the interest form on our home page. A group leader will reply by email with next steps and how to apply for membership. Families of all backgrounds are welcome.