For those of you that know the area, we are about 15 minutes north of Lake George Village, just off of Route 9. For the rest of you, we are at the southern end of the Adirondack Park, located on 400 private acres of pristine park. We are:
- 1 hour from Albany, NY
- 2 ¾ hours from Montreal, Canada
- 3 hours from Hartford, CT
- 4 hours from NYC
- 4 hours from Boston, MA
- 5 hours from Philadelphia, PA
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Our campers come from all over the United States, and all over the world. The majority of our campers come from the greater NYC, northern NJ area. We have a growing population from eastern Massachusetts, as well as southern Connecticut. Additionally, we have international representing France, Spain, China, Germany, Venezuela, and Denmark among others. How do we have campers from all over the world? Alumni grow older and move abroad, and word of mouth simply travels!
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Many of our staff bring formal certifications to camp in their specialty areas. In addition, some areas of camp require formal training in health & safety, including the waterfront, where there are certified lifeguards on duty at all times when campers are in the water. At the beginning of the summer, all staff participate in over a full week of orientation training. We begin on a Friday two weeks prior to the campers' arrival, and go straight through till the campers arrive on Sunday. There are a variety of methods we use during orientation to reach all types of learning abilities, including lectures, role-playing, team building, reading, videos, and hearing experiential stories. We also provide our staff with the handbook well in advance of their summer arrivals. We do this so they can prepare ahead of time for any policy changes, and for new staff to have a sense of our practices ahead of time. Additionally, we start a forum about 1 1/2 to 2 months prior to the summer to provide an opportunity for us to get important messages to our staff, and for any questions to be answered ahead of time.
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Our program is choice based. Our campers, twice a week, choose what activities they will do for the following three days. This allows our campers to both change their preferences with reasonable frequency and see consistent improvement within their chosen activity.
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While we do not require (we do encourage!) our campers to sign up for an overnight camping trip off camp, we do have two other requirements. One is that all of our campers go on an “Overnight” with their cabin to one of our Camp’s outpost lean-to locations. Another is that all our campers are required to go on at least one hiking trip: whether that is a day hike or an overnight camping trip depends solely on the camper’s preference.
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No, we do not allow campers to have electronics at camp as we feel it detracts from the Forest Lake Camp experience. We have, in most recent years, been lenient on allowing mp3 players for music listening only. Any other electronic devices found are confiscated from the campers and kept in the Camp safe until the camper’s departure, when the piece is returned.
In allowing mp3 players, we need to be very specific. The only devices allowed are those that play music only. All other multimedia devices are not allowed and will be confiscated.
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Yes. Campers are required, daily, to make their bed, keep their locker in order, and generally keep their individual space clean and free of clutter. Additionally, every day each camper is given a cabin chore to complete. This can vary from sweeping the cabin, taking out the trash, or cleaning the toilet areas.
Also, in the Mess Hall, the campers take turns being the cabin waiter or ‘hopper’. At each meal the waiter/hopper is required to set and bring food to the cabin’s table and to clear away all the dishes once everyone is finished.
We feel it is important to teach our campers both individual responsibility, as well as a responsibility to their cabin community.
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We do not allow any phone calls for campers during their first week of stay as it is in the best interest of the camper to fully immerse themselves in the camp experience. Beginning the second week, we allow campers staying for 4 weeks or longer a single phone call. While we know speaking to your child is very important and can provide a sense of relief, we have a responsibility to provide a fluid, uninterrupted experience. In order to provide a growing experience for your child, we limit those phone calls caringly.
You are allowed to “speak” to your child daily through email. We have a system where parents can log in and send their child an email. Emails are printed daily and delivered to the campers just like regular mail. Campers are then able to write back (the same day) to their parents as we will scan and email their letter. This allows regular communication, and adds to our campers growing abilities with the written word.
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Our most popular option is our 4-week session. Historically, either the first 4-week session or our last 4-week session is usually chosen. That said, we do have plenty of other options for all our campers and their needs: we have 2, 4, 6, and 8 week sessions. We also inform all our families that if there is room, all our campers are welcome to extend their stay at FLC – so do not make plans after camp as it is likely you will get a call from your son or daughter asking to stay!
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We do. We provide transportation from both JFK and Albany airports. We also provide transportation from Paramus, NJ as well as White Plains, NY. All transportation is provided for a fee and is available on specific session dates only. Please contact the office for a schedule of pickup dates.
If your child is arriving at a different airport or on an alternative date we will schedule a private pick up for you if possible (providing a camp vehicle is available to make the trip.) Since it will be a private pick up, please understand the fees will be higher.
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In essence, it means that we have two camps sitting on the same property. The living areas are separate, as are almost all the daily activities (an exception being drama). It’s as if one were to draw an imaginary line down the center of our camp, the girls are on one side and the boys on the other. Only our special events are (typically) co-ed.
Our senior campers have a slightly different experience. Once each week our senior campers have a “social” event together. These events range from dances, to co-ed volleyball, to a beach luau.
For those brothers and sisters that attend FLC, we have special time set aside each week for them to see one another. They will have time to "check-in", see how each other is doing, and what activities they are participating in. Having both camps on the same property allows us to run separate programs that are geared appropriately to each gender, however siblings need not go to different camps. Families find it is a nice option for siblings of opposite genders.
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We are a general activities, traditional summer sleep away camp. This means we offer numerous activities for our campers to experience. We want our campers to be able to try different things so they can learn about themselves, what they enjoy, and how to extend themselves and do something they might otherwise not have the opportunity.
If you would like additional information on the benefits of a traditional summer camp, we encourage you to read the American Camp Association article titled "The Values of the Traditional Camp Experience".
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Our focus is not on competitive sports but we have the option for campers who are looking for a competitive experience. The daily program activities involve all campers with an emphasis on individual instruction. Everyone has an opportunity to improve individually and even when scrimmages take place, sportsmanship is the primary lesson. For the more competitive athletes, there is the opportunity to join the FLC team that competes against teams from other local camps. Therefore, all campers have the opportunity to participate at a level that appeals to them.
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The minimum living ratio we have in the cabins is 1:6, and many of the cabins would also have a Junior Counselor in the cabin as well (if not another full counselor). The overall staff to camper ratio is somewhere in between 1:3 and 1:4 in any given summer.
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It’s great! Our weather is very pleasant during the summer months. We average mid to high 80’s during the day and the evenings are generally cooler. During the day shorts are very appropriate, and many evenings find campers donning sweatshirts or pants.
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Of course! Just inquire to the camp office and we can provide you with a list of references in your area. Parents love to talk about FLC!
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Our campers are placed in cabins based on age. We also have a camper profile that we ask parents to fill out once enrolled. Thus, if there are special requests, or unique circumstances that lie outside of age that we need to consider, then we have the information to do so.
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From 1926 to 2008 the Confer family owned Forest Lake Camp. Please read about the Confer Legacy. The Blanck and Kelly families now own FLC. Geoff Blanck was a camper in the 70’s and 80’s with his brother Rob and his dad Bob was an FLC camper, CIT, and counselor in the 50’s and 60’s. His daughters will be third generation campers starting this year. Tobin Kelly was a long time camper himself at Camp Tohkomeupog in NH as well as a counselor, Head Counselor and Alumni Director. Tobin’s daughter also now attends Forest Lake Camp.
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Clothing:
Required FLC Ringer T-shirt
7 other t-shirts*
a few tank tops
4-5 shorts
3-4 jeans/pants
10 underwear/bras
10-12 socks
2 sweatshirts*
1 jacket/fleece
2 pajamas*
1 rain jacket
2 swimsuits (girls need to be 1-piece)
2 sneakers
1 sandals (closed toe)
Toiletry Kit:
Brush/Comb & hairbands
Shampoo/Conditioner
Soap
Toothbrush & paste
Deodorant
Feminine Products
Sunblock
Bugspray
Shaving supplies
Lip Balm
Suggested, but not necessary accessories:
Two bath towels
One beach towel
Flashlight & batteries
Writing paper, self addressed envelopes, stamps
Water bottle*
Camera
Mouth guard
Sunglasses
Baseball Cap
Books/Magazines
Bedding (is optional to bring; we do provide)
Own sports equipment (optional to bring, we do provide)
Do Not Pack:
Cell phones (they will be confiscated)
Laptops
Gaming systems
Knives
Expensive Jewelry
Lighters, matches
Cash
Be sure to label all packed items - it makes cases of lost and found a whole lot easier.
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