Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the GRP staff different?

The Green River Preserve staff is a community built on a foundation of respect and is made up of bright, curious, and creative people in all stages of adult life. The GRP staff is a family. We hold one another accountable to the high expectations of the campers and of one another. A job at Green River Preserve is not just a job; it is training for life. A position will provide life skills, character building, and an opportunity to learn an incredible amount about the natural world, how to live in a community, how to understand and motivate people, and how to seek the joy of being alive.

Read more about our philosophy here.

How far will I be from the nearest town?

Green River Preserve is located in a valley right where the mountains spring up from the flat Upstate of South Carolina. If you look at the satellite view, you'll see that we appear to be in the absolute middle of nowhere! It's true that there is a wide forest around us, but this hides the reasonably close proximity to civilization. We are about 30 minutes between two modest towns -- Hendersonville, NC to the east and Brevard, NC to the west. We're about 15 minutes from the nearest gas station and about 10 minutes from the nearest restaurant, bar, convenience store, and post office in Cedar Mountain, NC. 

We're about an hour from Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC.

The northern border of our property also rests below DuPont State Forest, a 10,000+ acre recreational forest with a cornucopia of hiking, biking, swimming, and exploring opportunities for your days off. 

Should I bring a vehicle to camp?

That is totally up to you. We have parking space, and you will definitely appreciate the ability to go your own way on your time off. Your new friends without cars will also appreciate tagging along. Our parking space is limited on the days campers arrive and depart, so if you have a car, expect to shuffle it around on those days.

If you don't bring a car, plenty of folks will. You can ask your new friends to let you join in on adventures, and they will certainly agree. Be a good friend, though, and pitch in for gas!

How do I keep in touch with the outside world?

We do not have cell service, but we do have wifi throughout camp. With so many devices connected to it, our internet is pretty slow. It's usually fast enough to make internet phone calls, sign up for classes, that sort of thing, but don't expect to be makin' all the skype calls all the time. It works fine sometimes for that, but it's less reliable.We recommend setting up wifi calling/texting on your phone before you get here. 

Feel free to bring your phone and laptop. Plan to use them only in the Staff Lounge during time off or in cases of emergencies. All digital device use should be invisible to campers. We are all about unplugging and focusing on real social interactions, but it's up to you to decide how you use your time off.

Just as we ask the campers to unplug, working at Green River is a great opportunity to
slow down and reconnect with the community and land around you. Many cabin counselors will coordinate with their co-counselor have time to visit the staff lounge in the evening after tuck-in. Each cabin must have at least one staff member in the room with campers at night. All cabin counselors are expected to be in their cabin at night by 11:00 p.m.

What if I like to go running every day?

We have many active staff members who are runners every year. Staff members may go
running in the morning prior to breakfast as long as at least one cabin counselor is in the room
with the campers. Staff members will also often run during mornings off.

Will I always be paired with a co-counselor?

Due to fluctuations in enrollment, counselors may be assigned to be the one and only
counselor for a cabin group of 5-7 campers. In this case, counselors receive one-on-one support
from the Mentor assigned to guide and support them.