Carpool is a disorganized mess that backs up into the road. No pickup system, no letters or numbers assigned. Sometimes the kids aren't at the pickup location on time. Sometimes they lose a kid and the entire car line sits for 15 minutes while they search the property. Only one counselor works the pickup line for some reason. Instead of apologizing for being late and losing kids the staff is rude, abusive, incompetent, and endangers the children. read more

Valley Mill is the BEST. I was an "original camper" when it first opened and operated out of the the family home on the property...we were picked up and dropped off in "borrowed" Landon school buses! and had the best time ever. Over the years "graduates" of Valley Mill came back to be Counselors. Truly, no child was left behind and there were counselors that fostered creativity, positivity, and helped campers actually have fun and learn skills they never knew they had. I couldn't swim and was afraid to even try...but...long story short I went on to be on a college swim team. It wasn't about being competitive, but just for the sense of knowing I could do it...that is the success of Valley Mill. About positivity! read more

This the most welcoming summer camp and the supervisors are amazingly flexible. Kids can enjoy lots of fun activities. I highly recommend it! read more

This camp has an amazing team. kids have a blast. Admin are terrific about making things work out for transportation, fit us in with our weird schedule and buddy needs. Thank you for an amazing time for the kids. read more

This camp has been around for generations. I was a camp counselor here many years ago, and I love that it's still here, largely unchanged, for me to be able to give my kids this fantastic experience. As summer day camp, you can't do any better - they provide convenient transportation, and it is a full day of activities. The property is beautiful, with woods, multiple swimming pools, and lots of shaded shelters for the various activities. The counselors and staff are great, very responsive to any questions/needs we may have. Highly Recommend! read more

3 generations of Valley Millers in our family. We love it. The camp is an institution in the DC area. I know it's not right for everyone, but some of the absolute best times of my life have been at VMC and with friends from VMC. The friends you make at camp are for life. read more

My 6-year-old spent 3 weeks at Valley Mill last summer but won't be going back this year. The positives: they have the kids outdoors most of the time and provide a bus service to and from various points in DC. The negatives: I wasn't happy that the crafts that my son brought home consisted solely of weaponry like a bow, arrows, and spear. I know kids love such things, but it seemed odd that we saw no stick figure drawings, popsicle-stick sculptures, paper airplanes, or anything that isn't designed to kill or maim. Still, I might have set aside the pictures in my head of Lord of the Flies, but then. . . Our son came home one day wearing a "native" headband and feather. My husband, who's Native American (as in, he's actually an enrolled member of a recognized tribe, not "oh, my great-great-great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess") immediately emailed the camp, letting them know that dressing kids up in any "native" regalia is offensive to Native Americans and recommending that the camp consult with Native persons or communities before choosing such an activity. The response from the Vice President, 5 days later, was that they "meant no offense in having headbands as part of our crafts, and apologize IF it was taken that way" (emphasis added). He cited a web site by a non-Native "poet and linguist" that encourages "making a beaded headband, since headbands do not have the same cultural meaning of many other Native American Indian headdresses and do not require you to understand complex cultural traditions to create one properly." IOW, this person of European descent (who, as with others who share her cultural heritage, should really be the last person to speak on this topic) says it's okay to make headbands even if you don't understand their cultural significance. Therefore, the VP wrote, he intended to "add as part of our lesson the difference between headdresses and headbands, to emphasis [sic] the importance and respecting the significance of sacred Native American cultural crafts, as is our hope in introducing these crafts to our youth." My husband responded that the practice, regardless of what this non-Native non-expert thinks, is offensive to Native Americans, but we never did hear back. TL; DR: "too bad if you're offended by our using little kids to perpetuate racist stereotypes and caricatures, but this white lady says it's okay, so we don't plan on doing anything different." read more

A fantastic camp. My 6 year old loves it - has the experiences of a sleep over camp in the woods with lake, canoeing, climbing and hiking with a day camp timetable. Great for working parents as the buses pick up from all over DC. read more

Little do people know, but the Potomac river is much more than the smelly bit of water which passes by downtown DC. As Jim Buley, the head honcho in charge and fearless leader says, "The Potomac has everything a kayaker could ask for - from class 1 to class 5 rapids in a two mile section of river, from Great Falls to Anglers Inn. It is the best river to learn on because of it's diversity, easy access, and year 'round paddling season." And he's right, of course. This is a school dedicated to teaching whitewater kayaking to the worker bees of DC. They offer three levels of introductory classes, which teach you everything from the eskimo roll, paddling technique, river running concepts, and reading the water. Plus, they offer a variety of more advanced courses as well. Instructor to student ratio is never more than 5 to 1 which ensures lots of one-on-one instruction. The four hour classes cost $105, or a discount if you purchase all three. We all have gone to Great Falls/Carderock to hike the Billy Goat Trail. We go to the lookout points and every so often watch kayakers brave the bubbly and dangerous looking rapids. Well, these are the guys that are running those rapids. The great thing is that the meeting points are just minutes off the Beltway for those with cars, or a beautiful hour long bike ride along the C&O Canal towpath for those (like me) without a car. Its a gorgeous bike ride and half the fun of going kayaking is biking along this trail. The instructors are top notch. You can tell that all of these guys and gals loooove kayaking. They are just happy to be in the water and they have infinite patience. These are the guys who will keep flipping you back over when you don't get your eskimo roll six times in a row. And they are the ones who will keep breaking down the movements for you in as many ways as possible to ensure you will understand all the concepts properly. Twice a week, they have social kayaking sessions, which is a mixed group, from enthusiastic beginners to seasoned whitewater kayakers who gather to just enjoy the water. Its a wonderful way to get input from others, have a chance to paddle upstream, or work on whatever it is you want to work on. These sessions cost $20 for 2 hours and the school provides all the kayaking gear. Sometimes, everyone will head out for beers afterwards and the school itself hosts BBQs every so often at the Valley Mill Boat Shop. For me, this has become a new addiction which I discovered almost too late in the season this year. For those who may get into kayaking late in the season, never fear. They also do clinics in an indoor pool during the wintertime so you can hit the ground running, so to speak. read more

I tried white water Kayaking with Valley Mill for the first time, and it was so much fun. A beautiful day spent out on the water with 3 helpful and effective instructors. The instructors were awesome to Kayakers of every level...no one got left behind, and they showed off some cool little spins and tricks to wet our palette for what was to come and motivate us to keep trying...even after the especially unpleasant yet unavoidable flips. I can't wait to go back. read more

Standup paddleboard lessons were so much fun! Instructor was great and makes it easy.

Valley Mill was the greatest 6 summers of my life! They offer a range of activities, from arts and crafts, to rock climbing, to air rifle/archery. Campers are outside all day learning about nature, but more importantly they are developing lifelong friendships in a warm and exciting camp culture. The three weeks there will transform your child's attitude and it's just overall a good time. We sing camp songs all day long and play games - and campers are picked up directly from their homes! read more

Thank goodness for the very kind woman who manages Jim Buley, as I explained my horrible over the top experience I had on the phone with Jim and she was not only shocked but promised to speak with him and not only that but she offered to refund my monies as I was not going to step foot near Valley Mill. I received a reimbursement less than a week later for my Groupon. read more

Two daughters and a son. All had the best experience at Valley Mill. All became counselors after being campers. My children also went to other local camps and sleep away camps. Nothing compared to the professionalism at Valley Mill. Staff is trained well. Staff wants to be there so campers are happy and well taken care of. The day is spent building memories and having fun. read more

I have 2 kids that have attended Valley Mill Camp for 3 summers, and we've just signed up for a 4th. As summer day camp, you can't do any better - they provide convenient transportation, and it is a full day of activities. My kids come home exhausted and full of stories about the days adventures. The counselors and staff are great, very responsive to any questions/needs we may have. Highly Recommended! read more

I like many got the Groupon for the beginners lesson. I have done the "sit on top" kayaks before and enjoyed them but never done white water kayaking or learned to do the "rolling". The instructors were great - fun, patient, skillled, helpful. I really can't say enough about them. They are a great source if you want to learn and its a great thing to try out. read more

Simply put, Valley Mill Camp is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'll tell you why. My parents first signed me up when I was 6 years old, as a 'Hawk'. I came back year after year, usually attending the full 9-week summer session, progressing in my skills, friendships, and overall development. When schedules aligned, I would attend the VMC spring break camp, too. I was never into the traditional team sports offered at school, so the adventure sports offered at camp were a perfect fit. As I made my way through the ten boys' age groups, things only got better. The older I got, the more responsibility and independence was given to me, which feels great as a kid! I especially excelled in kayaking, rock climbing, gymnastics, and archery. My friendships grew outside of camp to playdates and invitations from fellow campers, in a way school friendships never did. When I turned 14, I entered the counselor-in-training program. This was a whole new world of awesome! I still got to 'play' and do all the fun activities I love, but now with the added benefit and responsibility of looking after and sharing my love for all things camp with other younger campers. For the next seven years, I worked as a Valley Mill counselor both in the roll of leading groups and instructing activities, as well as being a bus driver. Having the knowledge and skills that I built as a camper allowed me to flourish as a counselor and carry on the great traditions of camp with all those around me. Looking back now, I owe so much to Valley Mill. Along with my parents, VMC helped cultivate my love and appreciation for nature and the natural world. Kayaking has now become an integral part of my life, where I feel like a part of the DC-area kayaking community and I attend various kayaking festivals and events each year. I even paddled Great Falls for the first time two years ago after having built my skills on the Valley Mill lake. Finally, almost every close friend I have now is someone I met at or through camp. Valley Mill is a wonderfully unique place, staffed with amazing people, and I really hope others can find what I found there. read more

My son was injured at the camp site and no one notified us. We instead had to reach out to the camp after our son told us a story about bleeding from his mouth and seeing a nurse. In speaking with the lead camp counselor by e-mail she described a minor incident but it turns out that when we saw our dentist X-rays demonstrated that my son fractured both of his teeth above the gum line and these teeth will almost certainly fall out prematurely. This made more sense given the degree and duration of pain my son experienced after this supposed "minor" incident. Not a single person from management or the camp counselor has expressed concern or regret. They truly function as a business and are obviously concerned about liability. I could care less about pursuing them financially but they obviously do not value parental communication and lack the ability to express empathy or compassion for kids that are hurt at their camp site. Truly irresponsible and unacceptable behavior. He will never go back there. read more

As an old camper here, I can truly say that this is a great camp to send your children to. Unlike many other camps, Valley Mill focuses on individual children's needs in a variety of activities and sports. The kayaking program in particular makes this camp stand out, as many Valley Mill kayakers have gone on to be Olympic kayakers. Also, the many other activities allow children to have a wide range of activities throughout the day, and not just specialize in one area. One aspect that I find to be really nice is that the camp is family owned and run, and always has been. This allows for an extremely personalized experience. The camp is all outdoors, and children will learn to appreciate nature, and they will make new friendships that last a lifetime. Kids remember their great experiences at Valley Mill Camp forever. I know I will. read more

Both my children attended Valley Mill Camp and their experience there was extremely positive - I have nothing but praise for the staff, activities and overall culture. All the staff are very well-trained, focused on the children and know how to have fun!! Both my children thrived at camp and came away with excellent skills in swimming and kayaking. The group structure at Valley Mill fosters bonding, friendships and a strong sense of inclusion. Their transportation system iis superior to all other camps in the region - seeing the Valley Mill bus arrive each morning put a smile on my kids' faces! Overall Valley Mill offers a safe, fun, healthy outdoor experience - a summer 'in the woods' at Valley Mill will give your camper life-long skills, friends and memories... read more

Jim may know about Kayaking but not about business or people. His attitude is horrible. Jim became unprofessional when we had a disagreement in regards to the school showing up for a social. They trailor was not located where they had always been for the 2 classes that I took through them. When I would not concede that he was actually there he refused to let me attend further events with this school. Subsequently costing me the 2 lessons that I paid for because I will have to start again with another Kayak School. I would not recommend using this school. read more

The management is inflexible and uncooperative. Although the instruction is good - be sure not to get sick or have an emergency of any sort. I offered to pay twice to reschedule after a serious illness - I didn't request a refund - I offered to pay again - and I received a lecture unlike any professional should be giving to a customer. Go to one of the other schools. read more

I spoke with Jim on the phone and was treated very poorly. He was rude, unprofessional and unkind. I simply wanted to reserve a lesson, and he treated me with such disrespect, I almost decided against it. Since I already paid for the Groupon, I decided to book it, so I emailed him. His emails to me were just as unkind and unprofessional as his demeaner on the phone call. read more

Zero points for customer service. I booked a slot about 30 minutes before show up time due to a late cancellation. The owner would not have gotten another participant in that time anyway. I showed up at the business and no one was around except two female workers who knew nothing about it. After looking at my email, I found it was several miles away and by the time I found it, I was told I was too late. I went back to the business and the owner was now there. I explained my situation but he would not refund my money. The $60 credit is not going to do me any good because I won't be around when he offers the next class. He would not be out any money if he gave me a refund. They may be technically proficient but I will not recommend them because of their poor customer service. read more

I signed up for a beginner SUP course using a Groupon. First, the person that took my reservation, Jim I think, was perhaps the rudest person I have encountered in a customer service position. The hours that you can call to schedule a class are limited and I had to try several times to get in touch with anyone. Then Jim acted as if he had far better things to do than help me schedule a class. When I arrived for the class, Jim was LESS than friendly and helpful. Thankfully, he did not teach the class. Our instructor, Jen, was very nice and did her best to make it a good class but there was an older couple in the class (that were beyond their physical limitations) and our instructor ended up spending an inordinate amount of time assisting them rather than helping the other participants. I have been interested in trying whitewater kayaking but I don't think I would go back to Valley Mill for this. There have to be other outfitters that have nicer folks. read more

I had always wanted to try kayaking but didnt really know where to begin. I recently signed up for a beginners class at Valley Mill and figured it would be a good place to learn the basics. To my surprise, and enjoyment I learned a lot more then just the basics. I kind of figured we'd spend 4 hours paddling around in shallow, calm water, but i was proved wrong pretty quickly. The first thing they teach you is how to get out of the boat when it turns over, so be prepared to get wet early on. This is a little uncomfortable at first, but after you get comfortable flipping upside down and learn the various escape techniques it becomes pretty fun. We spent the whole lesson challenging ourselves, paddling around rocks, upstream, through currents, etc. The instructors were absolutely awesome and contributed to the whole experience. For anyone who has ever wanted to try kayaking but didnt know where or how to start, this is definitely the place. And as the previous review mentions they have social paddles quite often in the summer that make it easy to get back in the water again. I took the class this weekend and am looking forward to getting back out on the water soon! read more

The whitewater instruction was just terrific, perhpas the best I've had in activity. It ain't easy, but it's not all that hard with some instruction and practice. And it's a blast. I took the intro whitewater course and shortly thereafter the rolling course (lesson 2). The instructors were a perfect blend of clarity, patience and encouragement without pushing beyond comfort level. The way they lead you one step at a time makes it all doable I had a lot of "anxiety" with being upside down in a kayak, and worked my way slowly through it with the understanding and patient attitude of Milan and his excellent instruction - and ended up with a roll! And a lot of fun on the water. Responding to the negative comments about Jim - I have contacted him mostly by email but also by phone, and found him very accommodating when my groupon wasn't for what I expected and when I had timing difficulties, so my experience with him is quite positive. read more