Best Overnight Camps In Maine
Maine’s natural beauty attracts visitors year-round, and the summertime offers amazing opportunities for children to enjoy the outdoors. Visitors can explore Maine’s Atlantic coastline and epic hikes through the forest with any of these top-notch overnight camps in Maine.
Poland, ME
Camp North Star Maine is located in Poland Springs, and its campus includes hundreds of acres of campground with its own private lake! It offers an environment for kids ages 7-17 to have fun, make friends, and learn important values like respect, independence, and honor.
Campers stay active all week long with a long list of activities to choose from. Athletics, creative arts, water sports and activities, and wilderness survival skills are just some of the popular pastimes.
On special day trips, campers can spend a day relaxing at the beach or experience the thrill of whitewater rafting. Kids can also hike the nearby mountain ranges or cheer on the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team! The flexible schedule allows youth to decide how they want to spend their week at camp.
Camp North Star aims to help attendees develop into positive role models. Students entering 11th and 12th grade can join the Leadership Program. This sleepaway camp in Maine goes beyond the typical leadership skills they might learn and teaches other valuable skills that can be used outside of camp, like resume writing, public speaking, and internet safety.
Campers can choose from a 2 to the 7-week camp experience.
Bridgton, ME
If you’re looking for an authentic Jewish summer camp experience, look no further than Camp Kingswood in Bridgton, Maine. At Camp Kingswood, the values of community, courage, responsibility, and spirit are front and center.
The daily schedule at Camp Kingswood serves as an outline for campers but gives them free-choice activities to participate in. Children can choose from several categories: water sports, land sports, arts, wilderness, and adventure.
The sense of community kids experience is second to none. Everyone is welcome to live the best version of their Jewish identity, and attending summer camp can naturally complement this. We also included Camp Kingswood in our list of best family camps in Maine.
Camp Kingswood offers two-week, three-week, and full-season sessions, which are seven weeks in length. With lakes and mountains, the nearby areas are perfect for campers to explore and learn about the great outdoors.
Waterford, ME
Birch Rock’s historic lodge and rustic cabins reflect their long history of creating memorable camp experiences since 1926. The campground sits on the beautiful shores of Lake McWain and the surrounding forest with trails for hiking and biking. The small camper-counselor ratio allows campers and counselors to get to know one another and form lifelong friendships.
Birch Rock is an all-boys summer camp that serves those ages 7-16. At Birch Rock, boys can choose from traditional camp activities like canoeing, kayaking, swimming, archery, sports, arts, music, and games. Those looking for a more adventurous experience can join the Junior Maine Guide program or the Maine Wilderness Adventure program.
The facilities at Birch Rock are restored yet simple, allowing kids to get the authentic wilderness experience. These programs introduce boys to the skills they need to successfully explore and appreciate Maine’s deep natural beauty in the wilderness.
Freedom, ME
Hidden Valley Camp is situated on 350 acres in coastal Maine in the town of Freedom, with a private lake and heated pool. It is renowned for its visual and performing arts offerings, challenging outdoor adventures, horseback riding, and a beloved herd of llamas. HVC campers come from across the United States and five continents.
Beautiful camp facilities include 12 art studios, four dance and theater spaces, a ropes course, state-of-the-art stables, spacious playing fields, and acres of blueberries.
Professional staff provides individualized teaching and counseling designed to foster independence, community, and creativity in all dimensions of children’s summer experience. Children can enjoy great food and accommodation for allergies.
You can sign campers up for 4 to 8-week sessions. There is also a two-week session for campers 8-10, which is great for first-timers. Everything is covered as part of the tuition. Kids stay in cozy cabins, supervised by trained counselors at all times. HVC’s excellent food service and health team round out the experience.
Camp Agawam
Casco, ME
This 7-week summer camp is the perfect place for boys ages 8-15 to develop the skills they need to be confident, compassionate young men. Located on 125 acres of natural beauty and the shores of Lake Crescent, Camp Agawam has been teaching the values of sportsmanship, integrity, and caring for others for nearly one hundred years.
Sports, water activities, outdoor adventures, and creative arts are all on the schedule at camp Agawam. Outpost camping areas and nature trails give boys the chance to appreciate the beauty of nature and learn essential wilderness skills. Camp Agawam facilities include tennis courts, sailing equipment, and host tournaments for campers to demonstrate their skills!
At Camp Agawam, everyone feels like family. Over the course of almost two months, around 130 boys disconnect from technology and experience nature as it should be. For new campers who are hesitant to do the full summer camp, a 3.5-week program is available.
Camp Jordan
Ellsworth, ME
You’ll find Camp Jordan in the beautiful Eastern Maine Lake District among the shores of Branch Lake. Kids 7-15 are invited to spend a week at this sleepaway camp from late June to early August. Campers build leadership skills through challenging camp activities like nature survival, shelter building, ropes courses, and water sports.
At Camp Jordan, kids can go on epic adventures on the lake and through the forest one day and then explore their interests in pottery, performance art, kayaking, sports, archery, and video-making the next. Camp Jordan offers a unique community of passionate camp counselors and campers from around the world. The diverse community is a place where kids are inspired to grow into their best selves and make meaningful connections with nature and friends.
Day camps and adventures are also available for kids ages 7 to 12th grade. Teens interested in becoming camp counselors can attend the Leader in Training and Counselor in Training camps.
Camp Crescent Cove
Raymond, ME
Kids ages 7-17 can enjoy the tranquil Crescent Lake and surrounding wilderness at Camp Crescent Cove (previously Camp Nashoba North). A wide variety of sports, adventures, and activities allow campers to explore their interests and develop character alongside close friends.
Camp Crescent Cove stands out because of its unique opportunities to learn about the culinary arts, horseback riding, outdoor rock climbing, photography, and woodworking.
In the 95 acres of pinewoods and open fields, campers can play frisbee, disc golf, lacrosse, go hiking or biking, and so much more! At the lake, campers have access to waterskiing, wakeboarding, sailing, paddle boarding, tubing, and swimming. Campers interested in a challenging adventure can check out the outdoor rock-climbing program or trips to Maine’s State Wildlife Park.
Camp Crescent Cove is a place for students to come and connect with the great outdoors while learning about the importance of wilderness safety and conservation. The camp’s Leave No Trace policy teaches them to live in harmony with nature and care about our environmental impact. The Discovery Program is for first-time campers in grades 1st – 5th grade. Day camps and Community Service programs are also available!
Camp Chewonki
Wiscasset, ME
Kids at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset, Maine, are encouraged to unplug from modern life and connect with nature. This is especially easy to do given the surrounding landscapes and the 400-acre saltwater peninsula that comprises Camp Chewonki.
Major highlights include multi-day off-campus expeditions, participation on a working farm, including feeding and caring for animals, and an 18-element challenge course for the adventurous. Expert instruction is provided for outdoor activities, including canoeing, swimming, sailing, backpacking, and archery.
Children who attend can expect to gain valuable life experience. They learn how to become more independent and resilient and develop a spirit of cooperation with nature. Boys and girls ages 8 to 18 can sign up for ten-day and three-week programs. Champ Cheonki provides a summer camp for boys and a separate camp for girls on their campus.
Camp Kippewa
Monmouth, ME
Camp Kippewa is one of the few all-girls sleepaway summer camps in Maine. Camp Kippewa offers an inclusive and supportive environment where girls can gain essential life skills and experience personal growth through lessons and challenges.
Sitting on the shores of Lake Cobbosseecontee, it offers several water activities like sailing, kayaking, waterskiing, fishing, and much more. Creative campers can enjoy their performing arts focus which includes dance, theatre, and music.
While their fine studio arts focus includes photography, painting, drawing, and more. Adventure trips are a strong focus and involve beach trips, hiking trails, and camping in tents. The two main camp sessions last around 3-4 weeks, with start dates in June and July. There is also a specialty camp focusing on horseback riding and a family camp for all members of the family.
YMCA Camp Of Maine
Winthrop, ME
Maine’s natural beauty is exemplified at the YMCA’s Camp of Maine on Lake Cobbossee. When campers aren’t sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, or swimming on the lake, they’re off exploring the 300 acres of camp among the pine tree forest. This natural wonder is the perfect place for children to disconnect from the busy world and energize their minds, body, and spirit.
The YMCA welcomes participants ages 8-16 to attend the one or two-week camps. Their cabin becomes their home away from home during the program, and their peers become their new close friends. Campers experience activities like acting, art, music, sports, outdoor cooking, gardening, yoga, swimming, and more. The huge selection of activities lets kids try something new and learn valuable life skills at this overnight camp.
Younger children ages 7-9 can try the Explorer’s camp for half a week.
Camp Eagle Wing
Whiting, ME
Camp Eagle Wing is located in the wood fields of Northeastern Maine. They aim to instill lessons and values like gratefulness and bravery in the campers. Children ages 8-15 can come and enjoy from one to six weeks of a fantastic time.
Their daily schedule features four different activities, with free time mixed in for their relaxation. Since they can choose what activities to do, their schedule is built right to their liking. Creative campers can choose from arts and crafts, drama, and journalism, while active kids can play team sports, windsurfing, and rock climbing.
In addition to all there is to do on the property, off-campus trips are a daily part of camp life. Campers go on field trips to places like Acadia National Park as well as to the many lakes and rivers that make Maine famous.