Upcoming Events
Little Explorers
10-11:30 am
Stay after to play and picnic.
Weds. June 8: Creekin’ and Clay Makin’ – Explore the shallow, sandy creek! Look for tracks, experience the cycle of water, and enjoy the sensory play of various soils. Be ready for water and messy play!
Weds. July 20: Wonderful Watermelons – Make refreshing melon treats, plant a melon seed, and play watermelon games like watermelon bowling! Be ready to cool off in the water and get messy!
$8/child, one adult helper free. Ages 2 and under, free. $5 Additional non-participating guests.
Reservations required. Space is limited.
Call 901-878-1247 or email Charity@camppinecrest.org to RSVP
Play in the Pines
Fri. May 13-Sat. May 14, 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
Stargazers U-Night!
Sat. April 2 7-9:30 pm
Learn about the night sky before heading out to the Dark Sky fields, hang out with the Memphis Astronomical Society to observe celestial objects through high-powered telescopes, and try a night hike to engage the senses! BYO binoculars for added fun.
Pay what you can, $5 per person suggested donation. Proceeds support our Dark Sky Project.
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901—878-1247
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.
Bats Houses and Bonfires
2022 TBD
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
Thursday, November 17, 2022
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 snacks and water. Moderate.
$5/person suggested donation
RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-878-1247
Christmas Camp
December 2022 TBD 2:00pm-5:00pm
27 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!
Open to Grades 3-8.
Presbyterian Youth Connection Retreat
2023 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.
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
Guided Hikes with the Biologist – Ghost River Trace
Sat. April 30 10am-2pm
You’ve got to see this place! This 4.5 mile hike moderate hike explores long-abandoned pre-Civil War roads, or “traces”, to the Ghost River section of the Wolf River. Take a journey through time and you’ll encounter a wide variety of habitats, plant communities, huge old beeches and oaks, culminating with a view of the pristine upper Wolf River, at the now mostly obscure site of Baugh Bridge, once a major crossing that connected West Tennessee and North Mississippi. Imagine the indigenous peoples, wagons, troops, and now mostly animals that have utilized this area through years past.
Footwear must cover toes and should at least cover ankles. Be prepared for mud.
Bring plenty of water and your own snacks.
Pay what you can, $5 per person suggested donation.
RSVP: Charity@camppinecrest.org or 901-878-1247
Hootenanny
TBD 2022
Plenty in the Pines
Canceled for 2021. We hope to see you in 2022!
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
Tennessee Naturalist Program
Spring 2022 Session FULL
The mission of the Tennessee Naturalist Program is to teach Tennesseans about our natural world, inspire the desire to learn more, instill an appreciation of responsible environmental stewardship, and channel volunteer efforts toward education of the general public and conservation of Tennessee’s natural resources. Become a Certified Tennessee Naturalist through 40 hours of instruction and 40 hours of volunteer service. Limited space available.
Learn more and register at www.tnnaturalist.org
Call 901-878-1247 or email charity@camppinecrest.org for details.
#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.
Hunt for the Blue Ghost Firefly
Fri. May 6 7:30-9:30pm
Become a firefly scientist as we look for the unique Blue Ghost (Phausis reticulata). Observe this unique firefly, only recently noted to occur at Pinecrest. Wander through the fields and watch their ghostly blue lights hover in the tree-line. Experience the magic of all of the various fireflies that make Pinecrest their home.
Please Note:
- Indoor info session will begin at 7.
- Please do not apply bug spray. Wear long pants, sleeves, and (if available) a mosquito head net.
- If you have a bug net, please bring it! A headlamp is also recommended.
- Catch and release only. Fireflies populations are declining, and it is no longer acceptable to keep them in a jar through the night.
$5 suggested donation.
Please RSVP: Charity@camppinecrest.org or call 901-847-1247
Summer Camp Preview Day!
Sun. April 10 2-5 pm
Visit Pinecrest to see what summer camp is all about! Meet the staff, check out the cabins, play on the playground, try a camp craft, explore a trail, and roast a marshmallow. Our camps serve rising 1st – 12th graders. Been to camp before? Come say hi and enjoy a fun day at your favorite getaway. We’ll even open canteen for merch and treats.
Door Prize: Complete the Scavenger Hunt and you’ll be entered to win Play in the Pines admission for one adult and one child (K-8th grade)! See Play in the Pines event for more details.
Free and open to anyone interested in camp.
Just show up, or RSVP: charity@camppinecrest.org
Spring Celebration Field Trip Day (FULL)
Thurs. April 14 10-Noon
Baby goats are back! K-5 learners are invited to spend the morning learning in the fresh outdoor classroom at Pinecrest! Explore the source of our drinking water, learn about plant parts while making silly soup, meet very special forest younglings, and hug the baby goats! Stay to enjoy lunch around the campfire and enjoy a s’more for dessert!
$8/students or sibs, $5 chaperones. No charge for teachers and children under 3.
Arrive by 9:45. Bring a picnic lunch. Concessions available.
Register early. Call 901-878-1247 or e-mail charity@camppinecrest.org
Rain date: April 21.
You’ve Got to See this Tree – Cancelled
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
Open-Gate Days
TBD
