Youth Camps

Bangor YMCA for children is only one of the large numbers of summer programs offered in Maine through a variety of youth camps. At the YMCA, children can live an exciting experience getting involved in a number of sports activities and fun activities in the frame of a non-competitive environment, activities for kids, young adults, and adults alike.

Bangor YMCA’s mission is it strengthens the values of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility through family programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. This way, memberships for all the family include health, fitness and martial arts, arts and humanities, aquatics, sports, special events, youth camps and childcare or after school programs.

In Maine, we can easily say that there is almost a youth camp per every different activity you can name, whether it be swimming, camping, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, skating, climbing, learning crafts or even just making friends as part of those memories that young people keep for a lifetime.

Many different institution, organizations and services across Maine, offer diverse activities in the relaxed environment of a youth camp, ranging from the Boy Scouts to the Young at Heart, providing an encompassed setting to develop all the necessary life skills your sons should develop.

Maine High Adventure Program offers a challenging outdoor summer experience offered under the guidance of the Boy Scouts of America. Literally hundreds of Scouts, Explorers, and Varsity Scouts enjoy exciting wilderness experiences throughout northern Maine.

Traditionally for over 20 years, Hidden Valley Camps in the woods of coastal Maine are synonymous of excitement, self-expression, peace, acceptance, and happiness. Children ages 8-13 from around the world come here for fun and challenges.

Hidden Valley Camps programs and course include Arts and Crafts, Waterfront and Pool, Riding, Ropes Course, Performing Arts, Sports, Outdoor Adventures, Music, Llama and Animal Care, Communication Arts, Programs For Teens, and many others.

In fact, not only children but also many adults go for the employment opportunities at the camps, becoming a member of the actual one hundred instructional staff and member counseling in charge of offering a rounded community experience for children.

Closer to the amazing Baxter State Park, the Katahdin Area Council BSA, youth camps are lead from the sea’s crashing surf along the rocky coast to the high elevation of Mount Katahdin, the point where the Appalachian Trail begins for the visitor or ends for hikers coming from Georgia. Katahdin Area Council is comprised in these six northern counties.

Another popular youth camp is located at Northeastern Sports and Union River Guide Service, offering fishing, hunting, and overall outdoor education. All of their plans include lodging, guiding, and summer outdoor education programs, with over 20 years of wilderness and guiding experience.

During 1998, the Maine Department of Marine Resources acquired the Light Station in Burnt Island, as part of the Maine Lights Program. Today, the Living Lighthouse Program focuses on Maine’s maritime heritage with topics such as marine fisheries, coastal environment, and conservation in an exceptional outdoor school for both students and teachers.

From spring to fall, children discover the different life species found around the sand beach, meadow, rocky shore, and maritime forest as they explore the area participating in learning activities. A typical program for children from the middle school level, which includes 3 days and 2 nights tenting out.

There are a few directories with broadening information about Youth Camps, Boys Camps, Girls Camps, Co-Ed Camps and Sports Camps. The Maine Department of Human Services, Division of Health Engineering, inspects every camp before their services can be authorized to receive a license, in order to ensure that substantial safety and health regulations are met.