Dare to Adventure is a four-day fun, outdoor educational experience for youth entering grades 7 and 8 who are new to summer camp. The AYF covers all other costs, including bus transportation and meals. Assistance with camp gear is available upon request.
This year, Session A Wayfinders will embark on a 4-day backpacking trip, a 4-day sea kayaking trip, and participate in service projects at Merrowvista and in the local community. Session B Wayfinders will embark on a 4-day backpacking adventure, then work together to build a permanent onsite legacy project, developing new practical skills. Both sessions will develop leadership skills at …
Odyssey spend their first days at camp preparing for their adventure and gaining confidence before leaving for the trail. Groups journey the last 120 miles of the storied Appalachian Trail, traversing boulder fields, old growth forests, and alpine terrain. This epic trip culminates in the summit of Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Trailblazers enjoy the balance of self-selected interest groups, cabin bonding, and all-camp fun. Merrowvista also introduces them to offsite backpacking and multiday canoeing experiences. As the oldest members of the in-camp community, Trailblazers refine their leadership skills and learn what it means to be a role model.
Wayfinder is the next step in our Avail program, a four-year progression of in-camp programming for our oldest campers. Wayfinder prepares these teens for the next chapter in their lives as empowered young adults. They exercise leadership in our camp community, experience adventures on and off site, and leave their unique mark on Miniwanca. The entire community celebrates Wayfinders’ contributions …
Our oldest campers embark on Odyssey, the culmination of our Four Trails wilderness adventure program and their most challenging outcamping experience yet. Odyssey treks more than 100 miles during this 3-week backpacking adventure, which challenges all four folds and forms lasting community bonds. Campers return to Miniwanca with great fanfare steeped in camp traditions.
Voyageurs adventure boldly into the pristine waterways of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. This 3-week sea kayak adventure rewards these intrepid campers with glorious island camping, where they can reflect on their values, sense of self, and relationship to others and the natural world. Campers return to the Miniwanca community with great fanfare steeped in camp traditions.
Adventurers navigate the Au Sable River on a 10-day canoe adventure that concludes in Lake Huron. Campers work as a team to overcome challenges on the water and make camp beneath the stars. Before and after their trip, they fully participate in the Miniwanca camp community.
Explorers stretch themselves physically and mentally while taking on a 9-day backpacking adventure on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along Lake Superior. Their mobile community deepens connections with each other as they work together in camp and on trail. Before and after their trip, they fully participate in the Miniwanca camp community.
Seekers take full advantage of all activities at Miniwanca. Small cabin groups form meaningful relationships with new friends, and the camp-wide quad competition allows them to make connections throughout camp. The days include an age-appropriate balance of structured personal choice and free time, and nights bring joyful community gatherings and celebrations.
Explorers learn to be supportive team members as their cabins tackle two challenging and beautiful backcountry experiences: a 5-day backpacking trip on the Mahoosuc Mountains stretch of the Appalachian Trail and a 5-day canoe trip navigating the boundary waters of New Hampshire and Maine. They return to camp between these experiences, joining in all-camp activities and service-learning projects.
SESSIONS: 1, 2, or 3 weeks
SESSIONS: 3 weeks
Girls & Boys Camp
