Camp Walden
Private
Camp Walden is a traditional overnight camp on 100 acres of old-growth forest, meadow and sandy beach along Long Lake near Cheboygan, family-run since 1959. Campers build their own schedules from about 50 activities, using eight tennis courts, two athletic fields, an English riding stable, arts, crafts and theater facilities, a radio station, darkroom, nature nook and four ski boats on the waterfront. Sessions of two, three, four and seven weeks are offered; in 2026 the seven-week full season runs June 22 to August 8 at $13,100 and the four-week first session at $8,100. The camp is ACA-accredited.
The practical details
We list only what the camp itself publishes, and programs change — dates, prices, ages and availability can all move after we check. Confirm the details on the camp’s own website and contact Camp Walden directly before you register or pay. Last checked August 2026.
Camps nearby
Accreditations & licensing
As stated by the camp or listed in the accrediting organization's directory — confirm current status with the accreditor.
Google Reviews
Powered by Google
★★Burt T WeyhingThe kids went last year for the first 4 week session. Had fun but this place is crazy expensive- $200 a day for a kid to sleep in a wood cabin with 5 others and eat Jello & Cheerios! Keep in mind this isn’t really a camp- they seem to do nothing but big pep rallies and karaoke sing-alongs in lieu of learning any actual outdoor skills. After four weeks they couldn’t pitch a tent or build a bonfire and they hadn’t slept outdoors once. The camp seemed only a big & crowded moneymaker- the Covid hysteria cut into a lot of the fun too with the masking nonsense and of course the big Mackinaw trip was canceled- just to be extra careful! Keep in mind if you’re gonna do that this that the preparation time and effort you must do for your kids is odious. After forking over a huge chunk of change you next have fmultiple medical forms, many many online registrations, and a glut of different items to purchase (many redundant and unnecessary) plus the all the clothing you must label that will probably get lost. Oh -and let’s not forget the hour and a half drive before camp starts in order to pay $20 to the “Lice Sisters” who comb your kids head for about 90 seconds & pronounce that they DON’T have lice. Thanks. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. Less than a week into camp Walden was kind enough to report me and my wife to CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES. Apparently some woke college student overheard my daughter talking some nonsense craziness to her friends and decided to report my family like the gestapo. Walden didn’t hesitate to give ALL PERSONAL IINFORMATION about me, my wife, my children, and my parents to CPS without our knowledge and without the courtesy of a phone call. My daughter was never interviewed of course - instead we were sandbagged by a very large, rude and angry social worker banging on our door demanding entry. This was followed up by multiple calls from our local police department to all our personal cells. Needless to say we have never touched or abused any of our kids- unless you count sending them to a pretentious expensive fancy summer camp as abuse. This entire experience left us embarrassed, shocked humiliated and angry. When I called the camp and confronted Liz with this outrage, she only offered that she was acting on her attorneys advice. $11,400 non refundable tuition paid for a great summer for our kids, months of tedious preparation and ONE WEEK into camp we are backstabbed by the camp director over something a woke college student allegedly overheard. This ruined our Walden experience and our children are never going back. The kids later found the Hayo-Went-Ha camps, in the same area, much better offering actual outdoor camping at HALF THE PRICE. Plus they didn’t even call the cops on us!! Utterly Overrated IMHO. ***** UPDATE August 2023****** The kids enjoyed a wonderful month-long session at the Hayo Went Ha camps both the Torch Lake and Arbutus locations. Lots of outdoor camping and hiking and beautiful scenery (Half the price of miserable over-priced Walden) and for the second summer in a row the management did not even call the police on us!!!!!!
★★★★★Maria FoxThank you for everything camp Walden, working here as international staff completely changed my life, it was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to come back. If you’re looking for a summer camp or a place to work as a counselor/staff, I highly recommend this place! I had the happiest summer of my life here.
★★★★★Esther PopoolaThis is the best experience anyone could have as a cross-cultural person. The place is filled with love, laughter, fun and best people in the world . I love Camp Walden!
★★★★★Charles CalkinsYou will not regret sending your children here. Great way to learn social skills, enjoy the summer. An extended period of time without electronics gives campers new perspective on life, technology.
★★★★★Matthew FriarWe found Camp Walden on Google and so it was a bit of a shot in the dark. My 11 and 12 year old sons went for two weeks. About a week in my 12 year old apparently sought out the camp owners to let them know he “needed” to stay an additional week. They contacted me and we agreed easily (another week of no Fortnite or iPad? Great by us!). Long story short, both of my sons absolutely loved Camp Walden. They strike a good balance between structured activities (with lots of variety) and just letting the kids play and socialize on their own. The owners are good at communicating. They are already looking forward to next summer. Thank you and strongly recommended.