Temple Ambler Campout 2026
Saturday, September 26 to
Sunday, September 27
Join us under the stars for a family-friendly night of camping, tours, s’mores and more!
The Temple Ambler Campout is returning to campus this fall! The Campout is a celebration of camping as a way to connect with nature and wildlife. The benefits from outdoor play for mind, body and spirit are well-documented and foster lasting bonds that promote happiness and good health.
We invite you to spend the evening on nature walks, taking part in camping workshops, stargazing, make s'mores at the campfire and sleeping in the great outdoors!
Support the Temple Ambler Campout
The Temple Ambler Campout celebrates camping as a way to connect with nature and wildlife in a space that is accessible to everyone! If you feel inspired to support this annual outdoor community program and help it grow, we invite you to make a contribution.
To support the Campout, please visit here. Your gift, in any amount, ensures that outdoor educational experiences and citizen science opportunities continue to thrive!
Event Information
Campsite Fee — General Public: $40 (Limit to 6 people, 1 tent limit per site)
Campsite Fee — Temple Students: $15 (Limit to 6 people, 1 tent limit per site)
Campers will need to bring their own tent.
Registration fee includes:
- Tent site – 15’x15’ (bring your own tent)
- BioBlitz
- Guided Walks
- Workshops
- Campfire
- Stargazing
- Games
- S’mores and more!
The campout is an all-weather event and will be held rain or shine. Pets, alcohol and smoking are prohibited. Food will be available for purchase via food trucks or you may bring food in a cooler that doesn’t require cooking — portable grills and other cooking apparatus are prohibited.
Assumption of Risk, Waiver and Release
Please note: All campers must sign an assumption of risk, waiver and release. Please acknowledge that you have read the assumption of risk, waiver and release (available to you during registration) and agree to sign the waiver when you arrive at the Temple Ambler Campout. Each member of your party will need to sign an assumption of risk, waiver and release or have a parent/guardian sign for them.
Photography: Please be aware that photography will be taking place at the Temple Ambler Campout. If you would like to opt out of having any photos taken, please let us know at the Registration Table.
2026 Temple Ambler Campout Schedule
Please note: This schedule of events is subject to change. Several additional programs will be added between now and the dates of the event.
Saturday, September 26
2 p.m.: Registration Begins. Be sure to stop by the Registration Table in Bright Hall Circle!
2 to 3:30 p.m.: Assistance with Setting Up Your Tent — Need help setting up your tent? Just ask and we will do our best to accommodate!
2 to 9 p.m.: Corn Hole and other Outdoor Games
2 to 9 p.m.: Self-Guided Tours of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University — Feel free to stroll around the campus gardens!
2 p.m. to Sunday at 9 a.m.: BioBlitz! — Join the Ambler Arboretum and the Temple Ambler Field Station and become a Citizen Scientist! Identify and record all of the living things you find on our campus trails. BioBlitz experiences will highlight the diverse species that call the Ambler Campus home! What will you discover?
2 to 6 p.m.: Hiking Essentials - Appalachian Mountain Club Delaware Valley Chapter — Learn the important basics of hiking and camping with Scott Harney of the Appalachian Mountain Club in Bright Hall Circle! Learn the essentials of what to take with you on a hike or on a camping trip, how to pack a backpack and more!
2 to 6 p.m.: United States Geological Survey — The U.S. Geological Survey is a fact-finding federal research agency that studies the Earth's natural resources, hazards and environment. Visit the USGS table to learn specific projects and hydrologic data taking place at the Pennsylvania Water Science Center!
2:15 to 2:45 p.m.: BioBlitz — Introduction to Citizen Science — Learn what hands-on citizen science is all about with Dr. Mariana Bonfim, Managing Director of the Temple Ambler Field Station.
2:45 to 3:30 p.m.: BioBlitz Investigation — Tree Walk — Join Ambler Arboretum Assistant Director for Curation and Community Outreach for a BioBlitz investigation of trees!
3 to 5 p.m. Sky High Drone Demonstrations — Join Dr. Laura Toran, Temple College of Science and Technology, for a special exploration of drones! Demonstrations will include drone safety and use, drone follow me mode and a drone group photo!
3 to 3:45 p.m. BioBlitz Investigation — Butterflies and Other Pollinators — Join Clayton Traylor, a postdoctoral fellow in the Sewall Lab and a researcher with the Temple Ambler Field Station, as he leads a BioBlitz Butterfly Walk!
3 to 6 p.m.: Temple Formula Racing Car — Did you know Temple students have built and raced their own Formula 1 race car? Join Temple Formula Racing at the Campout and learn about their car in person in Bright Hall Circle!
3 to 6 p.m.: Take Flight with the College of Engineering! Ever wonder what it’s like to fly an airplane? Join the Temple University College of Engineering in the Ambler Research + Collaboration Building and try out their flight simulator firsthand!
3:30 to 4:15 p.m. BioBlitz Investigation — Building a Bog Garden — Join Landscape Architecture senior Lindsay Slusser and Landscape Architecture junior Ryan Frazier for a journey into the Ambler Arboretum’s new bog garden!
3:45 to 5:30 p.m.: Explore Creepy Crawlies with Dr. Chris Agard — Learn about reptiles, amphibians and insects and see some animal ambassadors up close with Temple University Biology professor Dr. Chris Agard and his students in Bright Hall Circle.
4 p.m.: Don’t Be Scared of Navigation — Delaware Valley Orienteering Association. Learn all about orienteering with the DVOA! Visit their table for more information in Bright Hall Circle!
4:30 to 5:15 p.m. BioBlitz Investigation — Herbaceous Plants — Join Ben Snyder, Manager of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex and explore herbaceous plants on campus.
5 to 7 p.m.: Food Trucks — Enjoy delicious options from the food trucks at the Campout! Additional information will be shared soon!
5:15 to 6 p.m.: BioBlitz Investigation — Amphibians — Join Temple University Biology professor Dr. Chris Agard as we learn about and search for amphibians on campus.
6 p.m.: A Walk on the Weird Side of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex — Join Benjamin Snyder, Manager of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex for an exploration of the interesting, wonderfully weird plants the call the Greenhouse home!
6 p.m.: Camping Stories for Little Listeners — Join Holly Lynn, Assistant Director of Campus and Student Engagement, for a special storytime for our younger campers!
6:30 p.m.: Get Your S’mores Kits on the Bright Hall Lawn!
6:45 p.m.: Campfire Safety — Holly Lynn guides campers through the essentials of campfire safety.
7:00 p.m.: Stories and Songs by the Campfire — It’s not a campfire without some stories and a sing-along! Family-friendly music and songs! Join Temple senior Music Education student Andrew Malick as he leads campers through some classic summer camp favorites!
7:30 p.m.: Don’t Be Scared of Navigation — Now it’s time for a night orienteering challenge with the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association. Visit their table for more information in Bright Hall Circle!
8:00 p.m.: Space Exploration — Keep Looking Up! Join John Helferty, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering for a special exploration of the research Temple University students are doing in the NASA funded Student Space Exploration and Embedded Systems Laboratory! John will talk about high altitude balloon experiments conducted for the 2017 and 2024 solar eclipses that viewed the incredible events from 100,000 up! He will also share insight into students’ suborbital payload experiments that went 100 miles up and the NASA robotic mining competition at Kennedy Space Center!
8:45 to 10 p.m.: Stargazing with the Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers and the Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association. (Please note: Stargazing is weather dependent. If there is heavy cloud cover, stargazing will not be possible.)
Sunday, September 27
7 to 8:30 a.m.: Coffee, Juice and Cereal Bars (with gluten-free option)
7:30 a.m.: Yoga/Stretching In the Gardens— After a night sleeping under the stars, awaken with a slow, flowing yoga/stretching class targeting all the joints.
8 a.m.: BioBlitz Investigation — Morning Bird Walk — Capping off the Temple Ambler Campout is a special bird walk with Dr. Mariana Bonfim, Managing Director of the Temple Ambler Field Station.
Thank You for Joining Us!