10 Best Sleepaway Camps In New York

From peaceful lakes like Lake Geroge to the beautiful mountains of the Adirondack Mountains and forests to vibrant communities and historical monuments, the state of New York has so much to offer.

The scenic landscape of the East Coast and the multitude of opportunities for discovery make it the perfect tableau for outdoor summer fun.

Kids can enjoy sparkling bodies of water and endless wildlife by attending one of the many summer camps in the state. Since the beautiful nature provides the perfect camp environment, there are many options you can choose from to enroll your child in.

We’ve compiled some of the best sleepaway summer camps in New York State where your child can have a time full of laughter and budding friendships.

Best New York Sleepaway Camps

Summer Camp	Location	Ages	Gender	Session Lengths
Camp Ma-He-Tu	Bear Mountain	7-15	Girls	2 weeks
Adirondack Camp	Putnam Station	7-16	Coed	2, 4, 6 weeks
Camp Kennybrook	Monticello	6-16	Coed	2, 3.5, 6 weeks
Timber Lake Camp	Shandaken	6-16	Coed	6 weeks
Camp Eagle Hill	Elizaville	5-15	Coed	2, 4 weeks
Camp Lakota	Wurtsboro	6-16	Coed	6 weeks
Pok O MacCready Camps	Willsboro	6-17	Coed	2, 3, 4 weeks
Camp Kinder Ring	Hopewell Junction	7-16	Coed	3, 4, 7 weeks
Camp Seneca Lake	Rochester	8-17	Coed	3, 4 weeks
YMCA Camp Chingachgook	Kattskill Bay	7-17	Coed	1, 2 weeks

1. Camp Ma-He-Tu

If you want your daughter to experience a memorable summer, look no further than Camp Ma-He-Tu. It was founded in 1937 and is located an hour from New York City at Harriman State Park. On the stunning Lake Kanawauke, kids can attend for two, four, or six weeks.

Camp Ma-He-Tu values inclusion and ensures they provide funding to families who may need financial support in order to attend camp. Girls ages 7 to 15 are supported with values of safety, diversity, and community in mind as they dive into a summer of learning and fun.

Campers choose five different classes to take per week in arts, aquatics, adventure, athletics, and special days & evening programs. Each week, they switch up their courses for a well-rounded, educational summer. 

The staff is mainly made up of ex-campers, who are carefully selected based on their personal skills and who go through training. The overnight camp serves as a girl’s home away from home!

2. Adirondack Camp

Located on Lake George, Adirondack Camp is unique in its ability to feature a small and simultaneously global community. With hundreds of campers each year, a large portion are international students, providing a diverse experience for all who attend. It serves kids ages 7-16, with the sessions accommodating close age groups. 

Sessions last anywhere from two weeks to the entire summer, with different starting dates in June and July. The facilities boast beautiful, traditional open-air cabins and over 30 inclusive activities that range from culinary arts to windsurfing and archery to photography. 

There are also wilderness trips for active campers who want to learn all kinds of outdoor skills. It’s primary goal is to give your kids the best summer of their childhood, where they can develop personal skills like independence and courage. Through their lessons and activities, kids also form lifelong friendships with their peers. The staff-to-camper ratio is kept low, so kids get all the attention they need.

3. Camp Kennybrook

Camp Kennybrook is located in the Catskill Mountains of New York state. This co-ed camp has over 50 activities available, offering various engaging opportunities for campers, including water skiing, dance, ropes course, rock climbing, hiking, drama, zip-lining, and much more. 

It’s surrounded by athletic facilities such as courts and fields for baseball, basketball, soccer, and other sports. Camp Kennybrook also has a heated pool with a water slide, a water park, and a lake. There is a climbing structure, a zipline, an obstacle course, studios and stages, and a robotics lab.

Camp Kennybrook is structured for kids and teenagers. A full-season program last 7 weeks, but there are also shorter 2 to 3.5-week options. A major focus of Camp Kennybrook is cultivating a child’s current interests while exposing them to opportunities to discover new aspirations. 

The slogan at Camp Kennybrook is “All for one,” and the staff works hard to achieve this. The needs and development of each child are highly emphasized while also cultivating and treasuring friendships within the community. 

4. Timber Lake Camp

Timber Lake Camp is situated along the Catskill Mountains, offering exciting outdoor landscapes along with two private lakes for the campers to explore. New York City is only a two-hour drive from this co-ed camp that focuses on building self-confidence and self-esteem in its campers.

It offers programming in athletics, electives, adventure, waterfront, special events, and a teen program. Youth can expect fun activities like wall climbing, mountain biking, fishing, and water skiing.

Timber Lake Camp aims for a friendly place for children to have fun anchored in responsibility and respect. At this camp, your child can develop interpersonal skills while getting a deeper sense of themselves and their place in the world.

Children come from all over the country and internationally for camp. You can also take a quick tour of the camp and its numerous facilities through an interactive map on their website. 

5. Camp Eagle Hill

Located north of NYC in Elizaville, Camp Eagle Hill provides many engaging opportunities for its campers. It features plenty of outdoor landscapes and extensive facilities, including tennis courts, a gymnasium, and basketball courts. The camp also has a lake, two pools, a go-kart track, high ropes course, and a cooking studio.

The summer camps last between two to four weeks and are broken into different categories based on a camper’s age. There is also a counselor-in-training program for teenagers. Campers can choose from an extensive list of electives ranging from traditional sports like baseball, soccer, and golf.

There are also camp focuses like theater, dance, photography, woodworking, painting, guitar/keyboard lessons, and outdoor adventures like zip lining, water sports, fishing, and nature exploration. Special evening activities include talent shows, karaoke, ice cream parlors, a basketball tournament, and more. 

The overall goal of the camp is to provide children with a special and memorable summer. Camp Eagle Hill places a significant focus on the advancement and self-improvement of children, and the camp staff values and promises high-level care.

6. Camp Lakota

Camp Lakota has diverse offerings for children that include creative arts, dance, outdoor adventure, land sports, aquatics, and theater. Located in upstate New York, these sleepaway summer camps in the majestic Catskill Mountains of Wurtsburo are approximately an hour and a half drive from NYC.

With the beautiful Masten Lake on its campus, there are plenty of water activities for kids to enjoy. The camp offers a safe environment where kids are held to strong values of respect and friendliness. The staff is trained to be responsive to situations and help guide children during their time at Camp Lakota.

The highlight of Camp Lakota is its diverse programming options that are sure to give every camper a unique and customized camp experience that brings them joy and laughter.

Parents can choose from four-week to seven-week sessions that include everything from transportation to camp, field trips, meals, and activities. The staff and camp counselors go through an orientation to help them prepare for camp and ensure a welcoming environment for everyone.  

7. Pok-O-MacCready Camps

Pok-O-MaCready summer camp is one of the oldest running camps in the state, as it was first founded in 1905. You can sign up children for their 2-, 3-, and 4-week options. They also have a day camp that lasts 3 weeks for local residents. The sleepaway camp features a lake and is surrounded by immense and breathtaking acres of wilderness in the Adirondack mountains. 

Pok-O-MacCready combines the importance of developing strong friendships and taking pride in personal growth. Campers work together to understand the values of teamwork and leadership while creating personal skills that bring value to their lives outside of camp. It features activities like horseback riding, ceramics, hiking, soccer, sailing, and more.

Apart from camps, they also offer outdoor education classes for schools. 

8. Camp Kinder Ring

Camp Kinder Ring is located on beautiful landscapes near Sylvan Lake in Hopewell Junction.  The summer camp offers 3-, 4- and up to 7-week-long sessions to cover the entire summer. Younger campers can also enjoy a fun weekend to prepare them for long stretches. 

Their facilities include tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, basketball courts, a dance studio, high and low ropes courses, climbing walls, a fitness center, and much more. Camp Kinder Ring is full of activities that include several athletics programs, creative arts, adventure, and water activities.

Camp Kinder Ring also has many unique events, such as the camp luau, July 4th carnival, Olympic Games, and much more. These diverse activities provide campers with endless options for their self-discovery.

Camp Kinder Ring is accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) and was founded by The Workers Circle in 1927. It focuses on the entirety of a child’s development and highly values Jewish culture and identity. The overall goal is for children to feel cared for while also enjoying individual success.

9. Camp Seneca Lake

Camp Seneca Lake is located near the Finger Lakes in Rochester. The overnight summer camp is offered to students in grades 3rd to 12th, and campers are dispersed into various villages throughout the campus. The villages are divided into three categories based on their grade levels to help establish a strong sense of community within them. 

Camp sessions can last anywhere between one week to three weeks and up to 6.5 weeks, depending on age. There is also a counselor-in-training program to build leadership skills and a family camp so kids and parents can spend fun and quality time together.

Camp Seneca Lake offers many thrilling activities for its campers, such as archery, art/crafts, athletics, canoeing, a climbing tower, outdoor cooking, paddle boarding, ropes course, sailing, swimming, tennis, waterskiing, and wakeboarding. 

Since its founding nearly a century ago, they have provided engaging and exciting camps for its visitors. It’s focused on strengthening a child’s Jewish identity and sense of community, as well as personal discovery and an affinity for nature. By the end of it, your child will have a stronger sense of self, a deeper appreciation for their Jewish heritage and values, and wonderful memories to last a lifetime. 

10. YMCA Camp Chingachgook

YMCA Camp Chingachgook, also called Lake George Camp, is located in Kattskill Bay on Lake George. YMCA Camp Chingachgook offers many classes to teach children ages 7-15 new skills, as well as a lake, indoor and outdoor facilities, comfortable accommodations, and more.

Parents can choose between 1 and 2-week summer camps for their kids, but they can stay for more than one session if desired. There are 8-10 campers per cabin, including two counselors and one counselor in training. They also offer adventure trips for older students.

Their skill courses include sports, archery, sailing, water activities, and many more! Each camp session is built around a particular theme which makes the whole experience even more exciting for campers.

Themes range from Disney stories to time travel/mystery and anywhere in between. There are also many special events like canoe races, scavenger hunts, and a camp-wide dance throughout their time there.

YMCA Camp Chingachgook is focused on the magic and value of summer camp in a child’s life. The programs offered work to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and foster independence and resiliency.