Camp Counselor
Camp Granite Lake
Golden, Colorado
Play a positive role in a child's life this summer in the Colorado mountains!
Seasonal
Job Starts: Jun 01, 2025
Spend next summer in the mountains of Colorado and play a positive role in a child's life!
Camp Granite Lake is a summer camp for children ranging in ages from 1st-10th grades. We are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive community where campers can build close connections with their peers, counselors, and the natural world around them. Our staff are the 'heartbeat' of camp!
We are located at 9,000 feet in the foothills of Colorado's Rocky Mountains and are less than an hour from Denver, Boulder, and Rocky Mountain National Park. We have a beautiful, privately owned, 135 acre property with a lake!
Jobs in the Spotlight
About Camp Granite Lake
December 18, 2024 Update:
We are currently hiring applicants who are U.S. citizens. Positions we are currently hiring:
- Cabin Counselor - We are looking for male-identifying applicants at this time, as we have nearly hired cabin counselors who are female-identifying.
- Photographer/Cabin Counselor
- Weekday Nurse
Dear Potential Staff Members,
We are very excited that you are interested in working at Camp Granite Lake for summer 2025! In our hiring packet (click here to view), we have a detailed letter that delves into our values and what Camp Granite Lake is all about. Here are the key points of that letter, to begin to get an idea if CGL is a good fit for you:
Diversity and Inclusion: While we are aware that summer camp is not the most diverse place, we are committed to building a diverse community and actively work to make camp more accessible and supportive for staff and campers from a variety of backgrounds. We welcome individuals from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and ensure that everyone is respected. Campers and staff bunk with the gender in which they identify or feel most comfortable with. Cabins are the one space that we separate by gender, and the rest of the camp experience is co-ed.
Caring Deeply: Words have a lot of power, and in building a community of kindness, we emphasize the importance of respectful language and recognizing people's chosen names and pronouns. Additionally, we do not tolerate speech that disrespects the humanity of another person.
Having Grace for One Another: We encourage open, non-judgmental discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mistakes are part of the learning process, and we support and give one another grace when a mistake is made.
Health and Safety: We follow science and prioritize community health, requiring staff to have at least one series of a Covid vaccine and to be fully immunized per Colorado guidelines for schools.
By applying, you're committing to fostering a kinder, more inclusive world through working with children. We will be doing this work together, with good intentions and great care for one another, and we hope you will join us.
Thank you,
Abbie, Ellie, Barry & Tommy (CGL Directors)
About Camp Granite Lake
Camp Granite Lake offers 20-day sessions for campers entering 3rd-10th grades, a Counselor In Training program for 11th graders, and 5-night Mini Camps for first-time campers entering 2nd-5th grades, where they make lifelong memories and friends while enjoying the magic of summer camp in the mountains. We offer over 20 activities, including sailing, rock climbing, ceramics, ecology, culinary, DnD, stand-up paddleboarding, woodworking, and more!
We are looking for staff members who are interested in helping us build a supportive community, who are willing to work hard, and who want to create an environment where the decisions we make while at camp and on time off are made with our responsibility to the campers in mind.
The Employee Experience
Our staff members play an integral role in providing a fun, enriching and memorable experience for our campers. We value staff members who are willing to commit themselves to a summer of living in a supportive, tech-free community, who are focused on building positive relationships with campers and peers, and enjoy creating a connection with the natural world around them. We train and empower our staff with skills and memories they can take with them to their lives outside of camp.
Ideal Candidate
Staff play the ultimate role in supporting CGL’s philosophy and program. They are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and ‘un-plugged’ environment, where campers and staff live and work collaboratively, and create connections with each other, and the natural world around them. They are willing to work hard and to create a ‘kid first’ environment, where the decisions we make day to day, in and out of camp reflect the commitment we've made to working with children.
Our staff’s education and experience are very diverse; everything from staff who went to or have worked at camp, to those who are studying to be teachers in either a community college or university, to people taking a gap year, to people studying in a field completely unrelated to education, to folks who are working. More important than any previous job experience or education, is the desire to be a great role model for children and the willingness to learn and work really hard.
There are some ‘technical’ activities at camp that demand ‘hard skills’, but we look at personality traits first. Here are qualities that we look for in potential candidates:
- good at building one on one relationships
- able to manage stress and conflict
- willing to work hard
- problem solving
- caring and empathetic
- flexible and able to adapt to different environments
Room and Board
We provide room and board to all staff (valued at $2,000). Counselors live in a cabin with 6-12 campers, and 1-2 fellow cabin staff. Cabins are comfortable and rustic; some have adjacent bathrooms and others utilize a central bathhouse.
We provide 3 meals a day, as well as some snacks for staff. Meals are eaten with campers in our dining hall. We are able to accommodate a range of special diets, such as:
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
There is more information about special diet accommodations and limitations in the staff application.
Employee Perks
- Be a member of an inclusive, supportive camp community!
- Access to mental health support provided by CGL
- Gain valuable experience - we love writing recommendations for great staff members!
- Explore Colorado; all staff get time off weekly
- Access to Pro-Deal discounts (Chaco, Kavu, and more)
- Certification opportunities, such as Lifeguarding or CPR and First Aid
- Camp provided transportation during time off to local places
- Free CGL merchandise (we do not have a camp store)
- Room and Board, valued at $2,000
- Most importantly: have a positive impact on a camper's life!
Getting Here and Getting Around
Camp Granite Lake is located approximately 35 minutes from Boulder, and 50 minutes from Denver. Many staff drive or carpool to camp, others fly into Denver International Airport (we provide transportation to and from the airport to camp!). We factor the cost of travel to camp into your summer salary.
Camp is in a remote setting, however, is in proximity to Boulder, Denver, and the rest of the Front Range. We provide transportation to local places during certain evenings, and staff carpool together on evenings and days off.
For Fun
We are located in close proximity to the fun mountain town of Nederland, as well as Boulder. Both have wonderful restaurants, shops, rock climbing, campsites, and hiking trails to explore.
About 50 minutes away is downtown Denver with everything that a major city has to offer: awesome dining, museums, Meow Wolf, amusement park, shopping, and professional sports teams!
Additionally, within an hour of camp is Rocky Mountain National Park and one of the most popular concert venues in the country, Red Rocks Amphitheater!
How to Apply
1. Read through our Hiring Packet here, to learn more about Camp Granite Lake.
2. Apply online here. (allow 30 minutes to apply)
3. After submitting your application, we will reach out in 2-3 business days. We reach out to all applicants whether we decide to move forward with your application or not.
December 18th, 2024 update:
We are currently hiring applicants who are U.S. citizens. Positions we are currently hiring:
- Cabin Counselor - We are looking for male-identifying applicants at this time as we are nearly hired for cabin counselors who are female-identifying.
- Photographer/Cabin Counselor
- Weekday Nurse
2025 Dates: June 1st - August 9th
You must be available for the entire duration of the summer!
Staff Training: June 1st - June 9th 2025
Camp Dates: June 9th - August 9th 2025
Contact Info
- Abbie Carlson
- directors@campgranitelake.com
- +1(720) 408-1191
- www.campgranitelake.com
