Wilderness Program

The Adirondack region is the largest protected natural area in the Lower 48 of the United States – with more than six million acres, there are endless adventures to be had here. Forest Lake Camp is the perfect place to explore the mountains, forests, rivers and lakes of the northeast.

Since 1926, Forest Lake Camp has made wilderness activities a core part of the summer experience. Fishing, hiking, canoeing and kayaking trips bring our campers to Saranac and Tupper lakes, up nearby Mt Marcy and to the high peaks of the Lake Placid region, and all around our own 823 acres of camp land.

For summer 2019, we’ll be introducing a new structure for our Wilderness Program, which campers of all ages participate in. The program will be divided between the Junior and Senior age groups, and will focus on skill-building and land stewardship. Our hope is that as campers progress through their years at FLC, their knowledge and appreciation of the natural splendor around us will grow, and stay with them in for the rest of their lives.

Junior campers will gain basic wilderness skills such as building shelters with natural materials, how to pack and carry food, lighting fires, and pitching tents. Senior campers will build on these skills by learning about orienteering, understanding maps, water purification, trail cooking, emergency first-aid and rescues, and advanced canoe skills.

In every session, each cabin will take a day trip together into the Adirondack Park to learn hiking and team-building skills. The youngest Juniors will participate in the Table to Stable program, learning how we repurpose our kitchen scraps within the local community. On a trip to the local fish hatchery, Juniors will see how the populations of Trout are sustained and managed by the Parks, Recreation and Railroad Division of Warren County. The oldest juniors will have opportunities to hike Mt Jo and Mt Phelps.

Senior campers will begin taking trips to Chimney Mountain, Giants Nubble and Cascade with our oldest seniors embarking on a 2 night, 3 day canoe trip to the Saranac Lakes. In 2019, 15-year-old campers will have the opportunity to earn their “Solo” hiking patch: after a test of all the core skills they will spend the night on their own at one of the campsites across FLC grounds. Finally, those campers who are accepted into our LIT program at 16 will hike Mt. Marcy, the highest peak in the Adirondacks.

We’re so excited for these new opportunities to experience the wilderness first-hand!

You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!
  – Dr. Seuss

Feature Picture: Counselor with Camper pointing towards Giant Mountain taken by Jim Miller

Shared memory from Jim Miller: “We were on Weston Mountain at the foot of the high peaks. The hill office sent me with like, 20 pounds of photographic equipment. The top of the peak was just 1/2 mile from our campsite (tough climb for intermediates). Took a sunset hike and snapped a couple photos, which were OK. The weather was perfect! Then asked the counselor if he knew where Giant Mt was. He looked and me and said I was being corny, but humored me and pointed anyway. It bought an ovation from the campers at the end of the year slide show. Indeed a great memory.”