Sleepaway Camp
Campers spend their days on the pond and their evenings around the fire, then sleep in cabins grouped by age and gender, two counselors in every one.
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4.9 from 380 camp families
Family-run since 1962
1 counselor to 4 campers
Sixty-five summers, one pond
A hundred and forty acres of pines around a spring-fed pond in the Adirondacks: fourteen cabins, a waterfront, a dining hall with a stone fireplace, and the fire circle where every Friday ends.
Walt and June Vreeland opened the camp in 1962 with four cabins and a canoe. Their granddaughter Hannah was a camper here for nine summers, and since 2011 she and her husband, Sam, have run it as camp directors.
140 acres of woods around our own pond
Ten minutes from the village of Lake Placid
Three generations of one family at the fire
Summer 2027
Tuition covers everything: the cabin, every meal, every activity, laundry once a week and the camp T-shirt. Nothing extra at the camp store, because there isn't one.
June 27–August 7, ages 9–16
Full Summer
All three sessions, six weeks, one cabin. The summer most of our oldest campers ask for.
$9,200
June 20–26
First Summer
One week for first-time campers, ages 7–10
$1,650
June 27–July 10
Session One
Two weeks, ages 8–16
$3,450
July 11–24
Session Two
Two weeks, ages 8–16
$3,450
July 25–August 7
Session Three
Two weeks, ages 8–16
$3,450
February 12–15
Winter Weekend
Presidents' Day weekend, ages 9–15: skating, snowshoes, wood stoves
$595
Save $250
Enroll by January 15 and save $250 a camper.
Siblings save 10%
For every brother or sister in the same summer.
Payment plans
Up to eight monthly installments, no fee.
Sliding-scale tuition
One camper in five comes on reduced tuition, and we never say who.
A day at camp
From reveille to lights out
Every day has the same shape, so even the youngest campers know what comes next, and the four activity periods are theirs to choose.
7:15am
Reveille
The bugle, the lake mist, and a cabin of sleepy faces.
7:45am
Flagpole and breakfast
All camp in the dining hall, pancakes on Sundays.
8:30am
Cabin cleanup
Beds made, cubbies tidy, the cleanest cabin wins the broom.
9:15am
Activity periods one and two
Four periods a day, and campers choose their own each week.
12:00pm
Lunch and mail call
Letters and printed emails from home, handed out at the table.
1:00pm
Rest hour
Bunks, books and letters home.
2:15pm
Activity periods three and four
Sailing, climbing, archery, pottery, tennis and more.
4:30pm
General swim
The whole camp in the pond, lifeguards on every dock.
6:00pm
Dinner
Cabin tables, camp songs, and seconds for anyone.
7:15pm
Evening program
Campfire, capture the flag, Cabin Night, stargazing.
9:30pm
Cabin chat and lights out
Ten o'clock for the oldest campers.
Evening program, 7:15pm
When the sun goes down
Ask any camper what they remember and it is the evenings. A different program every night, the whole camp together, then cabin chat by flashlight before lights out.
Campfire Fridays
Capture the flag
Cabin Night skits
Stargazing from the dock
The lantern walk
All-camp talent show
Ghost stories, gently
The closing banquet
Every Friday: the campfire
Songs, skits and a story from Sam, at the fire circle above the pond.
Clear nights: the dock
Blankets on the boards and the whole Milky Way over the water.
Last night: the banquet
Awards for every cabin, a slideshow of the summer, and not many dry eyes.
Days on the pond and the peaks
Campers pick four activity periods each week. Every camper climbs at least one Adirondack peak, and the oldest go out on a three-day canoe trip.
Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, sailing
The waterfront
Our spring-fed pond, three docks, a fleet of canoes and sailboats, and lifeguard-certified staff whenever anyone is in the water.
Climbing wall and ropes
A 32-foot wall and a low ropes course, belayed by trained staff.
Archery
Our range in the pines, with a bullseye pin for every camper who earns it.
Arts, pottery and woodworking
A pottery wheel and kiln, a woodshop, and a porch full of paint.
Hiking and campcraft
Fire building, knots and maps, then a summit in the High Peaks.
Also on the schedule
Tennis
Sailing races
Fishing
Nature lab
Drama
Guitar by the fire
Gaga ball
Overnights on the island
Fourteen cabins
Grouped by age, with two counselors in every cabin
All cabins are separated by both age and gender, eight to ten campers in each, with two counselors who sleep in the cabin. Bunk beds, cubbies, screened windows, and a bathhouse with hot showers a short walk away.
Pines
Ages 7–9
Birches
Ages 10–12
Ridge
Ages 13–15
Leaders in Training
Age 16
Why they come back
65
summers on the pond since 1962
82%
of campers come back the next summer
140
acres of woods, water and trails
4.9
stars from 380 camp families
Looked after, day and night
A director calls every new camper's family after the first three nights, to tell you how it is really going.
One counselor for every four campers
Two counselors sleep in every cabin, and every staff member trains for a week before campers arrive.
A nurse on site all summer
A registered nurse lives at camp, and the hospital in Lake Placid is twelve minutes away.
Background-checked staff
Every counselor, cook and driver, every summer, before they start.
Lifeguards on every dock
Lifeguard-certified staff on the waterfront whenever anyone is in the water.
A nut-free kitchen
Our cooks make gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian plates at every meal.
Phones stay home
Photos in the parent portal every evening, and emails to your camper printed at lunch.
What parents write back
4.9 from 380 camp families
“Our son cried the first night, then wrote us a letter that said ‘please don't make me leave.’ He's going back for his fourth summer.”
Dana, Park Slope
“Hannah called us after night three to tell us exactly how she was doing. That call is why we trust this place.”
Marcus, Saratoga Springs
“She came home taller, browner, and able to sail a boat and sing forty songs.”
Elena, Burlington
Questions parents ask
Anything else? Call or text the camp office at (518) 555-0162. Hannah or Sam answers.
Call or text us
What if my child gets homesick?
Most first-timers do, for a night or two. Counselors are trained for it, campers write home at rest hour, and a director calls every new camper's family after night three to tell you how it is going.
Can campers bring phones?
No. Phones stay home so campers can be at camp. You'll see photos in the parent portal every evening, and you can email your camper any day: we print the emails and hand them out at lunch.
Which session is right for a first-timer?
First Summer, one week for ages 7 to 10, was made for it. Older first-timers do well in any two-week session, and most come back for longer.
How do campers get to camp?
Drop off at camp on opening day, or ride the camp bus from Albany or Saratoga Springs for $95 each way. Counselors ride along.
Is there help with tuition?
Yes. Sliding-scale tuition, payment plans of up to eight months, $250 off by January 15, and 10% off for siblings. Call or text and we'll work it out together.
Can you handle allergies and diets?
Our kitchen is nut-free and cooks gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian plates at every meal. Our nurse keeps every camper's medications and plan.
Enrollment for summer 2027 is open
Save a bunk for summer
Tell us about your camper and we'll send the enrollment packet and a time to talk. Enroll by January 15 and save $250. Tours every Sunday in May and June, and by appointment year-round.
Call or text (518) 555-0162
hello@camphearthstone.com
412 Bear Cub Ln, Lake Placid, NY 12946
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