Est. 1974 · An overnight camp on Lake Tamarack

Ten summers from now, they'll still talk about this one.

Ages 8–15 · Two-week sessions · 90 campers, zero phones

Summer 2026

Sessions & dates

Session	Dates	Ages	Tuition	Spots
Session One	June 21 – July 3	8–11	$2,600	9 spots left
Session Two	July 6 – July 18	10–13	$2,600	3 spots left
Session Three	July 20 – August 1	12–15	$2,600	Waitlist

Tuition covers meals, gear, trips, tie-dye. No fees later. Siblings take 10 percent off. Counts are real, updated weekly.

A day at Firefly

Reveille to taps

The schedule hasn't changed much since 1974. It works, rain or shine, minus what lightning vetoes.

7:00
Reveille & flagBest light of the day.
7:45
BreakfastBlueberry pancakes on Sundays. Always.
9:00
Activity blocksTwo a day, camper's pick.
10:45
Swim block oneBuddy checks every ten minutes.
12:30
Lunch & rest hourWhen letters home get written.
3:45
Swim block twoThe dock, the raft, the rope swing.
5:00
Free choice hourThe best-rated hour of the day.
9:15
TapsLights out. The loons take it from here.

Choose your patches

Eight ways to fill an afternoon

Campers pick their blocks each morning. Finish a progression, earn the patch, sewn on at Friday campfire.

Canoeing

J-stroke by Wednesday. Stern seat, and the ego to match, by week two.

Swimming

Buddy checks, the diving raft, and a deep-water test everyone remembers passing.

Crafts

Lanyards, tie-dye, a woodshop that smells like cedar.

Archery

Recurve bows at twenty yards, and the soft thump of an arrow that listened.

Night hikes

Headlamps off for the last hundred yards. Eyes adjust. They do.

Campfire cooking

Foil dinners, dutch oven brownies, one heroic failure per session.

Stargazing

The Milky Way shows up like it's paid to. Perseids peak in Session Three.

The Polar Plunge

7 a.m. Sixty-two degrees. Bragging rights forever. Optional, technically.

Silhouettes around a campfire, sparks rising — Friday all-camp fire. Patches get sewn on tonight.

After dinner

Evenings at Firefly

The lake goes flat at seven. Then the good part begins.

CampfireEvery cabin, every dry night. Friday is all-camp, when the week's patches are sewn on.

Song circleThe same call-and-response songs since 1974. Nobody remembers learning them. Everybody knows them.

The firefly walkFirst night, new campers walk the meadow path to meet the camp's namesake. A phone would ruin it. Nobody has one.

Cabin bunks with sleeping bags in morning light

Cabins & care

Small cabins, grown-ups who notice

Eight campers, two counselors to a cabin, grouped by age. Screened windows, and an after-taps flashlight glow we officially do not see.

1:6staff to campers

24/7nurse on site

100%background-checked

52summers running

About homesickness. It's real, it's normal, it peaks on night two or three. Counselors are trained: a job to own, a front seat in the canoe. We don't put campers on the phone home, it makes the wave bigger. Most summers one camper leaves early. The rest grow an inch.

Parents' FAQ

Five questions every parent asks

What is the phone policy?

Phones stay home for the whole session. Not in a pouch, not for the bus. Home. What fills that space is the entire product. Anything urgent reaches a human any hour at (555) 555-0147.

How do we stay in touch?

Mail, daily, both directions. Or email the office; we print letters and hand them out after lunch. At least one letter will say only "camp is fine." Frame it.

Can you handle dietary needs?

Yes. Nut allergies, celiac, vegetarian, and religious diets are routine. The chef calls every flagged family before opening day; epinephrine lives in the dining hall and health lodge.

What if my kid hates it?

We ask for three nights. Night three is the low point; day four is almost always the turn. After that we call you, tell the truth, and plan together. About one camper a summer goes home early, tuition from that day credited.

What is the refund policy?

The $400 deposit is refundable through May 1, then becomes credit. Cancel more than 30 days out and everything above the deposit returns. If we cancel, every dollar comes back.

Packing