Photo Credit: Chip Chockley Photography
Saturday Hikes with the Biologist
Saturday, October 2 10 am – 2 pm
Discover the treasures of the fields and forest at Pinecrest with adjunct professor of biology at UT Martin, Richard Rucker. Meet at the Lodge. Wear hiking shoes or boots. Bring water and snacks or lunch. In the event of inclement weather, we will reschedule.
Appx 3 miles.
All ages welcome. Please, no dogs.
$5 suggested donation.
Please RSVP: Charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Trail Maintenance Days
Social-distance volunteer opportunity this fall. We are smoothing trails, creating new trails, and clearing up and restoring old trails. Some work may be done to remove invasive plants or restoring wetlands around campus. We can supply some tools, or bring your own loppers, trimmers, rake, or shovel. Bring water! Drop in and stay as long as you like.
10am-2pm
Tues. August 31
Mon. Oct. 18
Mon. Nov. 15
Mon. Dec. 13
Please register through Volunteer Odyssey by clicking this link.
Little Explorers
Stay after to play and picnic.
Tues. Oct 19 Silly Soup Scavenger Hunt
Tues. Nov 16 Overlook Hike and Campfire
Tues. Dec 14 Nature’s Decorations
$6/child, one adult helper free. Siblings welcome. $5 Additional non-participating guests.
Reservations required. Space is limited.
Call 901-878-1247 or email Charity@camppinecrest.org to RSVP
Field School for Homeschool
Students in grades 4-7 will utilize the outdoors for environmental education classes with our Program Director.
Each session will include a lesson, exploration, activities in the field, and field journaling for learning reinforcement.
Bring your own field journal and be ready for exploration.
Weds Sept 8 Dendro-Logic
Weds Oct 20 Aquatic Ecology – Come prepared to wade in water!
Weds Nov 10 Orienteering and Navigation
Weds Dec 8 Overlooking History
10 am – Noon
$6/participant. One adult helper free per up to 2 children. Additonal non-participating guests $5.
Registration required; space is limited.
Please call 901-878-1247 or e-mail charity@camppinecrest.org to RSVP.
*Prefer a customized private group option? Contact us for scheduling and pricing.
Camp Food and Cocktails
Sunday, October 24, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Shady Grove Presbyterian Church
For $59* per person, you can eat and drink with friends AND make sure Pinecrest stays a “place set apart where people of all ages can come to listen for God.”
Hang around campfires and devour fancied-up camp food.
More details here!
Fall Fun Field Trip Day
Wednesday, October 27 10-Noon
Grades K-3
Students in grades K-3 will enjoy a day-out at Pinecrest that combines learning and fun! Learn about plant parts by making a silly soup, play a game to learn tree ID, learn campfire safety and enjoy a s’more, make a fall decoration, enjoy recess on our playground, and… meet baby goats!
$8/student, $5 chaperones, teachers free.
Arrive by 9:45. Bring a picnic lunch. Cash concessions available.
Call 901-878-1247 or e-mail charity@camppinecrest.org
Bats Houses and Bonfires
Friday, October 29 6-9
Make a functional bat house with your family or scout group and celebrate the importance of bats. Learn more about what makes them special and why they need our help! Enjoy a night out at Pinecrest with a hot dog with elevated camp food sides and s’mores around the bonfire.
$100/Family up to 4 people
Includes dinner, quality bat box kit, and workshop instructor.
$8 additional guests age 4 and up.
Register online: pinecrest.campbrainregistration.com
Call 901-878-1247 for more information.
National Take a Hike Day
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Let’s go! Come on out for one of our longer hikes we offer! Approximately 3 miles around our Perimeter Trail. Catch some great scenery into Mississippi on the ridgetops and varying forest community types around the Blue trail. Bring your own lunch. Moderate.
$5/person suggested donation
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Plenty in the Pines
Thursday, November 25 11:30-1:00
Here’s to plenty of gratitude and plenty of turkey! Join us for a homemade meal, then enjoy our bonfires, hayrides, and rocking chairs.
RSVP by November 18 amanda@camppinecrest.org or 901.878.1247
#OptOutside Guided Hike with the Biologist
Friday, November 26, 2021
#OptOutside this Black Friday! Our Guided Hike with the Biologist will take you first up to the Overlook for a view over the Wolf River valley and into the Holly Springs National Forest, then down along the lagoons of the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area, along an abandoned wagon trail past massive American Beech trees, and to a huge old oak that was left standing after years of forestry in what is now a protected area.
This hike is approximately 4 miles and can be strenuous at times with elevation changes of 100 feet or more, muddy swamps, briars, and low clearances.
This is one of the most fun and exciting hikes we offer. Our guide, UT Biologist Richard Rucker, is passionate about keeping the history alive and has extensive knowledge about the flora and fauna of the area.
BYO water, snacks. Wear long pants and sturdy hiking boots. Small water crossings and very muddy areas are guaranteed.
$5 per person suggested donation.
All ages welcome. Please, no dogs.
You’ve Got to See this Tree
Monday, November 29, 2021 *This is the same hike as #OptOutside on Nov. 26.
Continue your Thanksgiving celebration with a hike in the swamp to see a wonderful mother oak tree. It is old enough to have watched Civil War troops pass along the abandoned wagon trail we’ll follow through the lowlands. We’ll begin by heading to the Overlook with views over the Wolf River Valley and into Mississippi’s Holly Springs National Forest, before descending down into the adjacent Wildlife Management Area to explore Baugh Bridge Trail (an abandoned wagon trail), the lagoon-like banks of the upper Wolf, and the immense beech and oak trees that dot this protected area. Learn more about the geology, history, and flora/fauna of this special area.
This is a moderate-strenuous hike and is appx 4 miles. We will encounter multiple elevation changes of 100 feet or more, possible small water crossings, mud, off-trail travel, briars, and occasional low-clearances.
$5 per person
Bring lunch, water, bug spray. Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes or boots.
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Christmas Camp
December TBD 3:00pm-3:00pm
24 magical hours at Pinecrest! We’ll sing, dance, play, make stuff, go hiking, have a bonfire and s’mores, drink hot chocolate… all the things AND your favorite summer camp counselors will be here, too! Bring a friend! It’s $110 which also gets you a pair of limited edition PINECREST PJ PANTS!
Register by December 10 to guarantee your size.
Registration opens in November.
Presbyterian Youth Connection Retreat
Feb. 2022 Dates TBD for Middle and High Schoolers $120/person
ARE YOU READY FOR A REVOLUTION?!
Jesus was not a pushover! Jesus did some REVOLUTIONARY things like eating with 'sinners' and 'unworthy' folks in a time when where and with whom you ate and visited was so important. Jesus called the whole social order into question and called us to turn the world up-side down (or, really, right-side up!). Let's talk about it. And play about it. And hang out about it....
Your youth group is welcome. Bring an adult chaperone, and you're in!
Email Lucy@camppinecrest.org to register.
Play in the Pines
TBD, 2022 6:00pm - 10:30am
Kids bring their favorite adults and spend the night at camp!
Find out about summer camp or just hang out. Night hike, s'mores over the campfire, arts/crafts, and hunts. Supper and breakfast as well as lodging and program are included.
$40/adult and $30/kid
Firefly Drive-In
The lightning bug display at Pinecrest is spectacular! Our chemical-free fields and forest edges host thousands of fireflies and a variety of species, each with their own flash pattern. Take a hayride and hop off out in the fields to frolic with the fireflies!
Families can also learn about how they can help encourage fireflies at their own home, visit with a local entomologist to discover the many species in our area, do a little stargazing with our astronomer friends, and enjoy a s’more around the campfire.
BYO: Lawn chairs, picnic, bug spray. We strongly suggest wearing long sleeves, pants, and a mosquito head net.
Keep fireflies safe by washing hands after applying bug spray and always release fireflies soon after you catch them.
$10 per car, truck, minivan.
Register online at https://pinecrest.campbrainregistration.com or pay cash at the gate.
Cabin rentals available! Call 901-878-1247 to make a reservation.
Greeks in the Pines:
Rush and Sisterhood Retreats
Three meals, one night lodging, and swim time. Make your reservation today!
$50 per person/$45 for additional nights | Download Flyer
Special rate available for July and August
