Camp Treetops
4382 Cascade Rd., Lake Placid
518-523-9329; www.camptreetops.org
Set on a 200-acre property, Camp Treetops boasts a working farm with barnyard animals and organic gardens. Along with fun events like bonfires, square dances, and scavenger hunts, campers go boating, horseback riding, and learn how to weave and make stationery from recycled paper pulp. To instill a strong work ethic, chores are an instrumental part of the daily schedule.
Schedule: Mon.-Sun., July-August
Session length: Four or seven weeks per session
Ages: 8-14
Cost: $7,200 for four weeks; $9,800 for seven weeks
Fresh Air Fund
350 Van Wyck Lake Rd., Fishkill
800-367-0003; ​www.freshair.org
Every summer, 3,000 New York City children from low-income communities thrive at one of five camps on Fishkill’s Sharpe Reservation. Urban kids get a jolt of the great outdoors on the 2,000-acre campus, which encompasses lakes, ponds, streams, and hiking trails.
Schedule: Mon.-Sun.
Session length: One week per session
Drop-off/Pick-up: Varies by camp
Ages: 9-15
Cost: Free
Frost Valley YMCA’s Bear Grylls Survival Academy Summer Camp
2000 Frost Valley Rd., Claryville
845-985-7925; www.frostvalley.org
campregistration@frostvalley.org
During this extreme course, teenagers take to the Catskill Mountains where specialists safely guide them through survival and endurance scenarios that include foraging for food, building shelter, and navigating rough terrain.
Schedule: Depends on program, June-August
Session length: One, two, or four weeks per session
Ages: 12-17
Cost: Varies depending on program
Rock Hill Resident Camp
300 Wixon Pond Rd., Mahopac​
www.girlscoutshh.org
camp@girlscoutshh.org
At this 190-acre campus, some Girl Scouts “rough it” by sleeping in platform tents. While the days are filled with hiking, boating, archery, and high ropes courses, evenings are more subdued affairs, reserved for the likes of stargazing and twilight sing-a-longs by the fire.
Schedule: Sun.-Fri., June-August
Session length: One week per session
Drop-off/Pick-up: Varies depending on session
Ages: 8-17
Cost: Varies depending on session
