Overnight Camp Schedule & Activities

Arrival & Departure | Daily Activities | Waterfront Activities | Overnight Camping Trips

Arrival & Departure

About two weeks before your session, watch for a reminder e-mail for detailed Check-In and Check-Out schedules. 

Arrival

You may arrive at camp no earlier than 2:00 p.m. for Check-In on the first day of your camper’s session.

The opening ceremony is at 3:30 p.m., and families depart by 4:30 p.m.

Departure

You may arrive at camp for Check-Out no earlier than 9:30 a.m. on the last day of your camper’s session.

You will reunite with your camper at the closing ceremony at 10:00 a.m., and families depart immediately after.

Teen trip and Family Camp participants will have a slightly different schedule for Check-In and Check-Out days.

Remember to check for lost and found items, pick up leftover medications, and check your camper’s balance in the camp store before you leave camp.

Transportation

Wildwood does not provide transportation to and from camp, but you are welcome to arrange carpools with other families. Get driving directions.

Pets

For the health and safety of everyone in our community, pets or other animals may not be brought to camp, even on check-in/check-out days!

Daily Activities

Shortly after camp begins, campers learn about the activities that will be offered during their session and make their activity requests. So that they are prepared for all camp activities and changing weather, each camper should always carry a backpack containing a rain jacket and water bottle and should wear or carry closed-toe shoes with socks.

Learn more about daily activities >

Waterfront Activities

girl with swim goggles on

Wildwood offers a variety of water activities including kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle-boarding, sailing, and swimming, for recreation and to explore the habitats around Hubbard Pond. We may limit waterfront use at any time, based on weather or other factors. For everyone’s safety, we use a check-in/check-out “buddy board” system.

Wildwood has several floating play structures on our waterfront. These may be used by a small number of campers at a time, and PFDs (lifejackets) must be worn.

Swim Checks

All campers take part in a waterfront safety orientation and swim check on the first full day of the session. The swim check determines how they can participate in waterfront activities. Campers can ask waterfront staff to recheck their skills during OATs anytime during the session. While Wildwood does not offer swimming lessons, beginning swimmers or non-swimmers who want to develop their skills may arrange to work on skills with staff members.

Depending on what skills a swimmer demonstrates during the swim check, they will be placed in one of three categories of swimmer.

Fish/Green (Strong Swimmers) 

  • Swim four lengths between the east and west docks without stopping, using a stroke of the camper’s choice.
  • Tread water for five minutes with one hand out of the water for the final minute.
  • Duck underwater and retrieve sand/stone from the bottom of the pond in the Fish Swim Area (about 6’ deep).
  • Fish/green swim area stretches from the cross dock out to the floating raft.
  • Fish may swim in fish/green, amphibian/yellow, or reptile/red areas during OATS.
  • Fish may paddle a kayak or canoe with another Fish, an Amphibian, or a staff member during OATS.
  • Fish may sign up for any boating IGs and DGs. 

Amphibian/Yellow (Beginning Swimmers) 

  • Swim two lengths between east and west docks without stopping, using a stroke of the camper’s choice.
  • Amphibian/yellow swim area is between the first buoy line and cross dock.
  • Amphibians may swim in amphibian/yellow or reptile/red areas during OATs.
  • Amphibians may paddle a kayak or canoe with a Fish or staff member during OATs.
  • Amphibians may sign up for canoeing or kayaking IGs and DGs.

Reptile/Red (Non-Swimmers) 

  • Those not taking a swim check or not completing Amphibian skills.
  • Reptile/red water area is from the water’s edge to the first buoy line.
  • Reptiles can be in the reptile/red water area during OATs.
  • Reptiles may use a boat with a staff member during OATs.
  • Reptiles may sign up for canoeing or kayaking IGs and DGs but must paddle with a staff member

Boating

kayaking at Wildwood Camp

Campers who want to participate in boating activities will complete a “tippy-test” as part of the waterfront orientation. This includes learning how to safely overturn a canoe or double kayak with a partner and exit the overturned boat, and demonstrating these important safety skills. More advanced instruction in self-rescue techniques is learned and practiced in boating IGs.

Everyone wears a PFD (lifejacket) during all boating activities.

While we do our best to make sure that every camper who wants to has an opportunity to participate in boating activities, we cannot guarantee your camper’s participation in a particular boating activity. The number of campers who can participate in boating IGs is limited by equipment and available staff. However, we will offer recreational boating during DGs and OATs whenever possible. Because sailing is particularly popular but requires a greater level of instruction and time, sailing is usually not offered during OATs. We encourage campers and their families to remember that waterfront activities are only one part of camp’s variety!

Overnight Camping Trip for Two-week session Overnight Campers and LITs

Two-week session campers and LITs participate in overnight camping trips. Wildwood provides foam tent pads to use on unit trips.

Carson, Fossey, Leopold, and Thoreau campers spend one night at campsites on Wildwood’s property on Hubbard Pond.

Dillard and Abbey campers are transported in camp vans or school buses to campsites for two nights at nearby Mt. Monadnock.

Campers sleep in tents with other same-gender campers, help to prepare meals over a camp stove or campfire, make S’mores, hike, play games, and learn about unique natural features of their location.

LITs plan a longer trip, including travel farther from Wildwood and special activities like canoeing.