Camps with financial aid in Maine

Ages 9–18 · $350–$3,500/session

Acadia Mountain Guides runs rock-climbing and outdoor-adventure day and overnight camps out of Bar Harbor for ages 6-18, ranging from entry-level "Mountain Monkeys" day camps to advanced multi-day Rock Pro climbing progressions led by professional guides, including at least one IFMGA-certified guide. Programs combine climbing, hiking, paddling, and survival skills in and around Acadia National Park.

As published: Day camps from $350; overnight camps $1,500-$1,900; 14-day Rock Masters camp $3,500; multi-sport options from $1,400

Ages 7–16 · $5,500–$13,000/session

A small (capped at 90 boys), centennial (1926) wilderness-oriented boys' camp in Waterford distinguished by an unusually rigorous staff program — a 10-day full-staff orientation, resident nurse practitioner and consulting child psychiatrist, and a tight 3:1 camper-to-counselor ratio — signaling a camp that markets itself heavily on care and staff quality rather than size or amenities.

As published: 2027 Dates & Rates: Full Session "$13,000"; Cubs Camp (13 days) "$5,500"

Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department runs a municipal Summer Day Camp for children entering grades K-8, with age-specific programs (Kinder Camp, Imagination Camp for grades 1-2, and Explorers Camp for other grades) featuring arts and crafts, sports, STEM projects, and team-building activities, plus an early-bird discount and scholarship program.

As published: Not published (early-bird discount available for registrations paid in full by April 1; scholarships available)

Ages 7–17 · $5,500–$12,600/session

Camp Arcadia is an ACA-accredited sleepaway camp for girls ages 7 to 17 in Otisfield, Maine, with full-season, session and introductory programs. The camp's stated mission is to build confidence and life skills, encourage healthy challenges and deepen respect for the outdoors. Its site says it has run since 1916 and has a separate scholarship foundation.

As published: 2027: Full Season (June 26 to August 13) $12,600; First Session (June 26 to July 24) $9,600; Second Session (July 25 to August 13) $7,000; Introductory Sessions A, B and C (grades 1 to 3, about two weeks) $5,500 each

Ages 5–16 · $300–$495/week

Camp Beech Cliff is a nonprofit day camp on 50 acres bordering Acadia National Park in Mount Desert, offering one-week sessions for ages 5-15 that balance outdoor adventure (rock wall, ropes courses, archery) with creative programming. Originally a boys' camp from the 1950s to 1978, it was reborn as a coed day camp in 1991 and became an independently operated, ACA-accredited nonprofit by 2002.

As published: 2026: "$495 for everyone / $300 with resident discount" per week

Ages 6–16 · $1,271–$1,877/week

Camp Bishopswood is an Episcopal coed overnight camp on Lake Megunticook in Hope, Maine, with one-week youth camp sessions for ages 8 to 16, short mini-camps for ages 6 to 8, a counselor-in-training program and a day camp. It uses a voluntary three-tier pricing system and offers scholarships. Activities include waterfront, performing arts, camp craft, art barn, campouts and hikes.

As published: 2027 voluntary tiered pricing for one-week youth camps (ages 8 to 16): Tier 1 $1,271, Tier 2 $1,633, Tier 3 $1,877 per week; Session 1 (4 weeks) $5,084 to $7,508; Session 2 (3 weeks) $3,813 to $5,631; 7-week $8,897 to $13,139; three-day mini-camps $572 to $845

$10,950–$17,700/session

Camp Caribou is a sleepaway camp on a 200-acre peninsula in Winslow, Maine, with land sports, water sports, a ropes course, creative arts and trips. The camp states it has operated since 1922, and its site refers to its campers as boys. It offers a full season and two shorter sessions, and a separate nonprofit fund provides camperships.

As published: 2027: Full Season (June 25 to August 11) about $17,700; 1st Session (June 25 to July 18) and 2nd Session (July 19 to August 11) about $10,950 each

Grades 2 to 11 (about ages 6–16) · $2,250–$8,250/session

Camp Chewonki is a nature-based overnight camp in Wiscasset, run by the Chewonki Foundation, for children from the end of 2nd grade through 8th grade, with backcountry trips for teens. Puffins (completing grades 2 to 3) attend an 11-day session, and full-session campers (completing grades 3 to 8) attend three weeks. Camp life centers on canoeing, kayaking, backpacking and ecology and wildlife study, and older campers can join canoe and backpacking trips in Maine, Vermont and Quebec.

As published: 2027 tiered tuition on an honor system: 3-week camp sessions and 3-week trips are $8,250 (Tier 1), $7,250 (Tier 2) and $6,000 (Tier 3); 2-week trips and the Puffin program are $4,500, $3,500 and $2,250. Tier 4 is a scholarship that requires a financial aid application. The camp says it provides more than $400,000 in need-based aid each year.

Ages 8–17 · $4,950–$11,475/session

Camp Encore/Coda is a music-focused camp in Sweden, Maine, for campers finishing grades 3 through 11, with overnight sessions of two, three or six weeks and a day camp. Campers take part in ensembles, musical theater, jazz, rock, orchestra and vocal programs alongside a waterfront and recreation. The camp describes a non-competitive community of around 100 campers.

As published: 2027 overnight full rate: Session I or II (3 weeks) $6,980 each; Full Session (6 weeks) $11,475; Staccato 2-week sessions $4,950 each. A lower community rate (honor system) is offered: $6,575 for 3 weeks and $10,800 for 6 weeks. Day camp pricing not published

Ages 4–16 · $345–$407/week

Camp Ketcha, operated by the nonprofit Ketcha Outdoors on 107 acres in Scarborough, has run traditional outdoor day camp since 1964, with programs spanning swimming, archery, farm and gardening, drama, arts and crafts, and a ropes course for ages 4-14, alongside specialty camps like Rope & Rock and Animal Camp.

As published: Weekly tuition generally under $500 (e.g., Cottontails $347/week, Bobcats $345/week, Animal Camp $390-$407/week for 2026); $50 weekly deposit plus $25 annual registration fee

Ages 8–17 · $4,850–$9,250/session

Camp Kieve is a boys' overnight camp founded in 1926 on Damariscotta Lake in Nobleboro (near Damariscotta), serving ages 8-17 across two 26-day main sessions and two 10-day Junior Kieve sessions for grades 2-4, with noncompetitive programming plus wilderness tripping.

As published: Main sessions (26 days) $9,250; Junior sessions (10 days) $4,850

Camp Mechuwana is a United Methodist, ACA-accredited camp on more than 200 acres bordering Lower Narrows Pond and Lake Annabessacook in Winthrop, operating for more than 75 years with overnight programs for campers from grade 2 through high school seniors and a day camp for ages 5-12, covering music theater, soccer, outpost camping, swimming, science, and Native American studies.

As published: Not published

Ages 10–14 · $750/session

Camp North Woods is a week-long residential outdoor skills camp run by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and hosted at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Maine Game Wardens and department staff teach riflery, archery, map and compass, wilderness survival, canoeing or kayaking, ATV operation, fishing and a hunter safety course. Campers are chosen by lottery, with 96 spots split evenly between girls and boys, and are grouped by younger and older age ranges.

As published: 2026: $750 registration fee for Maine residents and non-residents, including meals, lodging and instruction. Selected Maine resident campers who have not previously received a conservation scholarship get $400 off, lowering the fee to $350.

Ages 7–16 · $5,300–$11,700/session

Camp O-AT-KA is a nonprofit, ACA-accredited traditional boys' camp founded in 1906 on Sebago Lake, serving ages 8-16 with two-to-seven-week sessions covering archery, sailing, tennis, riflery, waterskiing, campcraft, and arts programming. The camp is affiliated with Maine Summer Camps and Green Camps and draws boys from around the world.

As published: Summer 2027: 2-Week Starter $5,300 to Full Season (June 27 - August 13) $11,700; sessions are 2 to 7 weeks

Ages 6–15 · $4,850–$15,300/session

A girls-only, choice-based sleepaway camp tucked on a mile of shoreline on Great Pond in the Belgrade Lakes — one of the older girls' camps in the country (roughly 120 years running), with a broad activity list (sailing, horseback riding, wilderness trips, farm/garden) but relatively little published detail on staffing ratios or size, suggesting a smaller, low-key operation rather than a marketing-heavy one.

As published: Half Summer (3.5 wks): $9,650; Full Summer (6.5 wks): $15,300; Harmony 10-day programs: $4,850; CIT (3 wks): $5,000; Sea to Sky Adventure (8 days): $2,300 — all per-session, published for Summer 2027

Ages 3–14

Cape Elizabeth Community Services runs the town's municipal summer camp programs — Little Cubs (ages 3.8 to kindergarten), Adventure Camp (grades 1-6), and Teen Extreme (grades 7-8) — plus roughly 40 specialty camps, serving over 200 campers per week across seven weeks each summer on the town's school campuses and community center.

As published: Not published

Ages 6–15 · $1,700/session

Center Day Camp, run by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine on the shores of Sebago Lake in North Windham, has offered coed day camp since the late 1940s for campers roughly ages 3-15, with programming in archery, art, athletics, boating, sailing, performing arts, swimming, and mountain biking.

As published: Session 1 and Session 2 each $1,700; Art Adventures $475; transportation $375; $150 deposit per session; JCA family membership required ($216/family, $120 single parent)

Ages 4–13

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay runs themed weekly day camps in the Gardens for children from about age 4 to 13. Half-day nature camps for younger children explore fields, forests, ponds and wetlands, while longer art and STEAM camps for ages 8 or 9 to 13 cover topics such as botanical drawing and graphic novels, and pastel painting. Aftercare called Extended Explorations is available on some camps.

As published: Not published on the 2026 camp pages (prices appear only at ticket selection, and members save 20%). Nature Adventure Camp runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with aftercare 1:30 to 4 p.m. Scholarships are available for families with financial need.

Ages 4–15 · $335–$500/week

Farm Camp is a day camp on the 626-acre Wolfe's Neck Center farm in Freeport, with age-based groups from age 4 through 15. Campers do farm chores, care for livestock, tend gardens and explore the forest, salt marsh and coast. Older groups include a cooking and farm-to-table program called C.H.E.F. and an optional overnight on the farm for Farmward Bound campers.

As published: 2026 weekly tuition, standard rate $335 to $410 and "Sustaining Tuition" rate $425 to $500 depending on age group. Counselor-in-training sessions are $200 to $290. Before care is $85 per week and after care is $68 per week. There is a $10 registration fee. Camp runs 9am to 4pm.

Ages 6–18 · $350–$850/week

A non-denominational Christian camp in Raymond blending traditional camp activities (softball, capture the flag, carnival days) with faith programming and devotionals; its publicly stated staff-training regimen (10 days onsite, Red Cross lifeguard/CPR certification, background checks and reference verification for every staff member) is unusually detailed for a camp of its size and price point.

As published: 2026 season: overnight week "$550 / $650 / $850" tiered; day camp week "$350 / $450 / $550"

Ages 12–18 · $1,750–$2,500/session

The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership runs overnight science programs of 6 to 11 days on Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay, for middle and high school students. The 2027 programs include terrestrial and marine ecology, oceanography, snorkeling for science, art and marine science, and an Advanced Ocean Lab. Tuition covers boat transportation between Rockland and the island, housing, meals and programming.

As published: 2027: $1,750 per program for the 6-day middle school and high school programs, and $2,500 for the Advanced Ocean Lab, all inclusive of transportation between Rockland and Hurricane Island, housing, meals, snacks and programming.

Ages 8–16 · $2,600–$11,275/session

An ACA-accredited, coed traditional camp on Panther Lake in Raymond built around unusually small cabin groupings (as tight as 1 counselor per 3 campers in younger units) and flexible 1-to-5-week session lengths, with an explicit international-camper draw — a mid-sized camp oriented around personal attention rather than scale.

As published: Session 1 (2 wks): $5,450; Session 2 (3 wks): $7,100; Session 3 (2 wks): $5,450; Combined 5-week sessions: $10,750; Explorer (1 wk): $2,600; Teen Leadership (3 wks): $7,950 — per-session, Summer 2027

Ages 3–12

A nature- and conservation-themed day camp run on Maine Audubon's Falmouth campus, using teen "Environmental Education Assistants" alongside professional educators and citing low camper-to-staff ratios (one example group at 5:1); it benefits from being part of a well-known statewide nonprofit brand rather than needing to build camp-specific name recognition from scratch.

As published: Not published for Summer 2026 on pages reviewed (camp's own 2026 news post says detailed program/pricing info was still forthcoming)

Ages 7–14 · $310–$375/week

The Maine Maritime Museum runs two weekday day camps on its Kennebec River campus in Bath. Kennebec Explorers is for rising 2nd to 5th graders and focuses on the Merrymeeting Bay ecosystem, with field trips, river boat cruises, science experiments and crafts. Mariners Adventure is for rising 6th to 8th graders and teaches traditional maritime skills such as carpentry, blacksmithing, sailmaking and navigation, with a day sailing a traditionally rigged schooner. The museum's page lists Kennebec Explorers as wait list only for 2026.

As published: 2026: Kennebec Explorers $310 per week, Mariners Adventure $375 per week. Museum members get 10% off. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required per camper, and early drop-off and late pick-up (8:00 am to 5:00 pm) cost an extra $40. Camp runs 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Ages 8–15

The Maine Youth Fish and Game Association runs a one-week outdoor day camp at its Pickerel Pond facility for ages 8 to 15, with age-separated weeks for ages 8 to 11 and 12 to 15. Activities include fishing, archery, canoeing and kayaking, wilderness survival, range safety and marksmanship, and wildlife lessons from biologists and other experts. Youths aged 12 to 15 have one overnight, and daily buses run from a school in Milford.

As published: Not published (the site says cost "remains affordable thanks to generous donations" and scholarships are available for those with financial needs)

Ages 6–10 · $325/week

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and Brightfield School educators run a weekday nature day camp for ages 6 to 10, with drop-off at Brightfield School in Bath. Campers hike at places such as Thorne Head and Morse Mountain, learn to paddleboard, learn to clam and make clam chowder over a fire, and spend a beach day at Fort Popham. Registration is handled through Brightfield School.

As published: 2026: $325 per week, 9am to 3pm. Scholarships of $100 off are available.

Ages 9–15 · $12,500–$15,600/session

A small, historic (1902) boys' wilderness and canoe-tripping camp on an island in Great Pond near Rome — capped at 85–90 campers with an unusually tight overall camper-to-counselor ratio (near 2:1), a staff pipeline drawn heavily from former campers, and a stated 90% camper return rate, all pointing to a close-knit, tradition-heavy program rather than a large commercial one.

As published: "True Cost of Camp": $15,600; Subsidized tuition: $12,500 — per single six-week summer session (2027: June 25–Aug 8)

Ages 5–18

A fully accessible, ACA-accredited camp on North Pond in Rome that has served Maine residents with developmental and physical disabilities since 1945, built around an unusually attentive 3:1 camper-to-counselor ratio and a stated policy of never turning away a camper for inability to pay — a mission-driven, nonprofit-run special-needs camp rather than a fee-maximizing commercial one.

As published: Not published as a dollar figure; site states "Full and partial tuition assistance is available. Pine Tree Camp has never turned away a camper due to inability to pay tuition"

Ages 3–11 · $200–$375/week

Portland Ballet, Maine's professional ballet company, runs weekday summer camps at its studio on Forest Avenue in Portland. Creative Movement and Young Dancer camps serve ages 3 to 7, and week-long Junior Intensives for ages 8 to 11 include ballet technique, stretching, crafts and choreography. A longer Portland Ballet Summer Intensive is offered for ages 11 and up.

As published: 2026: Creative Movement and Young Dancer camps $200 per week (Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30am), Junior Intensives $375 per week (Mon-Fri, 9:30am-12:30pm). Prices for mini camps and the Summer Intensive are not listed.

Ages 14–18 · $1,795/session

Sailing Ships Maine runs a youth overnight program for ages 14 to 18 aboard a sailing vessel out of South Freeport, Maine, with four nights and five days at sea. Students join the crew to learn navigation, sail handling, ship handling and voyage planning, and visit islands by small boat. Each group has 6 students and 2 crew, led by a licensed professional captain and a deckhand educator.

As published: 2026: $1,795 per student for the 4-night, 5-day program, all meals included; need-based scholarships available

Ages 10–15 · $750/session

The Ecology School runs a six-day, five-night Summer Ecology Adventure overnight camp on its 313-acre River Bend Farm campus in Saco for rising 5th-9th graders, combining canoeing, forest hiking, art, and campfire programming; the broader Ecology School has provided over $3 million in scholarships over its 26+ years of operation.

As published: $750 per child for the 2026 six-day/five-night session; $150 non-refundable deposit, balance due May 15, with payment plans available

Ages 7–18 · Free

The Summer Camp is a nonprofit, ACA-accredited, no-cost residential camp founded in 1986 that partners with social service agencies to serve roughly 350 girls ages 7-18 each summer from low-income and foster families across New England and New York, operating out of Camp Kirkwold on Lovejoy Pond in Readfield.

As published: Free — fully funded through donor-supported camperships

Ages 5–15 · $350–$795/week

Tanglewood is a University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H camp founded in 1982 along the Ducktrap River in Lincolnville (near Camden), offering overnight sessions for ages 8-17 in STEM, archery, gardening, watershed and marine ecology, creative arts, drama, and wilderness skills, plus a Teen Leadership track for ages 14-17.

As published: $500-$1,000 per week, with financial aid available

Ages 8–17 · $4,850–$9,250/session

Wavus is a girls' overnight camp on Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson (near Damariscotta), a sister camp to Camp Kieve under Kieve-Wavus Education, serving ages 8-17 across 26-day main sessions and 10-day Junior sessions with swimming, arts and crafts, team sports, archery, riflery, sailing, and an adventure ropes course.

As published: Main sessions (26 days) $9,250; Junior sessions (10 days) $4,850

Ages 6–15

Wells Reserve Summer Camp, run by the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farm, offers one-day and week-long, ACA-accredited, science-based day camp sessions for ages 6-15 exploring forest, field, salt marsh, and beach habitats from a barn classroom and teaching laboratory, with scholarships and financial aid available.

As published: Generally under $500 per week

$8,200–$11,800/session

Winona Camps is a boys' summer camp in Bridgton, Maine, with a full season and two three-week halves. Its site lists outdoor living skills, rock climbing, kayaking and lacrosse among its activities, and says campers and staff come from over 25 states and 25 countries. The camp says it was founded in 1908.

As published: 2027: Full season (June 26 to August 8) $11,800; First half (June 26 to July 17) $8,200; Second half (July 18 to August 8) $8,200