August 29th-31st, 2025
(Registration Closed – 2026 dates coming soon)
At DYF, we believe that type I diabetes shouldn’t hold us back from anything! Our adventure programs are the perfect example of that philosophy. All of our Adventure Programs are led by fantastic medical and program staff with lots of experience with T1D in the backcountry. Adventure Programs are designed to pose a challenge for participants and with that challenge comes the opportunities for accomplishment and growth.
Testimonials:
“Do it. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, I made lifelong friends and I gained a better knowledge of diabetes care and management.” – Adventure Program Participant
“We knew it would be wonderful, but I don’t think we fully anticipated the impact. My son is a different kid since he returned. Since we picked him up, he has been in constant texts with the kids from the trip, and is consistently excited to tell us all about his experiences. [We] feel very strongly that the DYF program was not just therapeutic, but life-changing and the catalyst he needed to help him to remember who he is. Thank you for bringing my sons smile back. One of the first things he said to me even before getting in the car was, “I had no idea how cool it would be to be with a group of other diabetics and how annoying and reassuring it was to have alarms going off in the middle of the night that weren’t just mine.” Thank you for everything that we are seeing in my son right now that has been dormant for quite a while: his newfound confidence, his better understanding of who he is and what he is capable of, his motivation that was not there before he left, his gentleness and patience, this new found group of friends who he seems to have a spiritual connection with. There are not enough words to express our gratitude for DYF, what an honor to now be a part of the DYF family. Thank you for giving my son this opportunity and giving us our son back — not just to us but (most importantly) to himself.” -Adventure Program Participant Parent
All members of the DYF community ages 10 and up are invited to join us for a fun and thrilling weekend of whitewater rafting down the South Fork of the American River over Labor Day weekend. This program is in partnership with Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC), who will provide the river guides and basecamp. Bring your camping gear or borrow some from ETC and we’ll take care of the food, rafting equipment, and activities. Plus, our camp staff and medical team will be there to help with diabetes care and provide support on and off the water. We’ll start on Friday afternoon with an afternoon swim, dinner, and evening activity. We’ll then get some rest before our first full day of rafting on Saturday to Salmon Falls. On Sunday, we’ll hit the rapids as we navigate the faster waters of Chili Bar before heading home around 4pm. Youth ages 10-17 are required to attend with the supervision of a participating adult. This adult is responsible for youth supervision throughout the weekend, as this is not a drop off program. The cost for the full weekend includes two full days of rafting, camping at the ETC basecamp, food, staff, and transportation back to basecamp after each day of rafting.
Tier 1 – Full Fee: $595 per person
This fee represents a majority of the per camper cost including food, staff, lodging, insurance, and program supplies. The full fee has been partially subsidized by DYF in order to bring costs down for participants and make programs more accessible.
Tier 2 – Subsidized Fee: $450 per person
Available to all families regardless of income level.
Scholarship Options:
Our full- and partial- scholarship options are funded through generous donations from community organizations, families, donors, and fundraisers to make camp accessible and affordable for everyone.
During the registration process, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know the amount of support you need to make camp a reality. Click here to see our criteria for scholarships.
Payment Plans:
DYF offers monthly in-house, interest free financing options, no credit check needed!
You may finance any portion of your fees, including your deposit, and may select a 6- or 12- month financing term during the registration process.
Crowdfund Your Fee:
Even with our fees priced as low as possible, we know that diabetes camp can feel expensive. To help ease the burden, we’re happy to offer a Crowdfund your Fee option! We’ll lend you our support to get you started.
How it works – create a Crowdfund Your Fee page, set your goal to the fee amount you would like to raise, and share it with your friends and family. Any contributions to your page will apply directly to your program fees.
Your crowdfunding page will close on August 31, 2025. If you did not raise enough to cover your program fees by this date, you will automatically be placed on a 6-month payment plan for the remainder due.
Please note: Contributions to your page are not tax-deductible, as they benefit the participant directly. You are not fundraising for DYF when you select to Crowdfund your Fee, but rather opting to crowdfund your own fees.
If you have any questions about these programs, please reach out to the DYF Team at info@dyf.org or (925) 680-4994.
For year round diabetes support, check out our community programs page!