The Badger State is teeming with wilderness adventures for kids and teens, and much of it is happening at the best summer camps in Wisconsin. This midwestern state with coastlines set against the grandeur of the Great Lakes offers plenty of opportunities for unforgettable summer camp, backpacking, and canoeing adventures.
Wisconsin is the 4th biggest State for summer camps in the country, and we have over 90 exciting camps in our exclusive Summer Camp Search.
Open inclusion, camp activities, financial aid availability, the values of each camp, and cost were all important considerations in helping us to determine the top 10 summer camps in Wisconsin.
As we always recommend, take time to include your kids and teens in the search for their outdoor adventures this summer. If they feel included in the entire process, then it’ll help them to transition more easily to camp life.
Take a look at our Summer Camp Search to see all of the possible options! In no particular ranking order, these are our selections for the Best Summer Camps in Wisconsin.
Summary of the Best
Summer Camps in Wisconsin
| Camp Name | # of Activities* | Gender & Ages | Financial Aid |
| Beber Camp Jewish Camp | 17 | Coed 7 to 17 | YES |
| Birch Trail Camp Traditional Camp | 22 | Girls Only 7 to 15 | NO |
| Camp Agawak Traditional Camp | 16 | Girls Only 7 to 16 | NO |
| Camp Anokijig Traditional Camp | 12 | Coed 7 to 16 | YES |
| Camp Chi Jewish Camp | 19 | Coed 8 to 17 | YES |
| Camp Menominee Traditional Camp | 21 | Boys Only 7 to 16 | YES |
| Camp Nicolet Traditional Camp | 14 | Girls Only 7 to 17 | NO |
| Towering Pines Camp Traditional Camp | 18 | Boys Only 7 to 16 | NO |
| UM Lake Lucerne & Pine Lake Camps Christian Camps | 15 | Coed 7 to 18 | YES |
| YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho Traditional Camp | 11 | Coed 5 to 17 | YES |
| Wisconsin Badger Camp Special Needs Camp | 7 | Coed 3 to 21+ | YES |
| UW-Eau Claire Blugold Sports Camp Sports Camps | 14 | Coed 6 to 18 | YES |
The Best Summer Camps in Wisconsin for 2023
Nestled on 340 beautiful wooded acres of Wisconsin wilderness, Beber Camp aims to “create a community that challenges and nurtures fun, individual and community based growth, and Jewish identity in a safe, positive and diverse environment with exceptional professional leadership.”
Founded in 1976, Camp Beber is a Jewish summer camp that offers 2 to 8 week sessions for 7 to 17 year olds. Just 90 minutes from Chicago and 35 minutes from Milwaukee, Camp Beber is a summer camp for “All Summer, All Year and All Life!”
Campers are broken up into age-based divisions with bigger and more empowering adventures for the teens. We love how the remote camping adventures are structured in a way that offers every camper, regardless of age, the opportunity to get back to nature and experience outdoor living.
In every program, Beber encourages campers to develop their personal relationship to nature and promotes an important message of preservation and conservation.
Pics courtesy of Beber Camp.
The most popular areas of camp can be found within the Hobby Program at Camp Beber. Kids and teens will have their choice of a range of fun and exciting activities that include Aquatics, Arts & Crafts, Athletics, Outdoor Adventure, Performing Media & Culinary Arts, Music, Challenge & Ropes Course, and Waterfront.
Beber’s location along the shores of Lake Beulah create a diverse range of different water sports such as sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, paddle boarding, fishing, and waterskiing. If that’s not enough, they also have their own Aqua Park close to the shore for endless fun.
Keep in mind that the Teen Leadership Program is a two-year commitment that empowers teens to build new skills that can provide positive impact both for camp and within their own communities.
Beber Camp also features an inclusion program that offers campers with learning, emotional, and development disabilities the chance to join their peers for summer camp. These kids and teens will receive one on one staff support, and will live in the same cabins as the other campers in their age group. The inclusion with the other kids is a valuable opportunity for both disabled and non-disabled campers alike to learn from and appreciate each other.
Birch Trail Camp is a summer camp for girls that resides on 430 acres of majestic woodlands teeming with birch and pine in NW Wisconsin. The mission of Birch Trail is in “cultivating meaningful friendships, loving the wilderness experience, and creating memories that will last forever.”
Founded in 1959, Birch Trail Camp offers 4 to 8 week sessions for 7 to 15 year olds.
Located just over 2 hours from Minneapolis, the community at Birch Trail is designed to make their “campers and staff feel accepted, safe, and valued.”
I especially appreciate how Birch Trail Camp prepares their campers for the rigors of a life beyond camp. Underpinning all of the choices presented to the girls is a strong focus on Social Emotional Learning. Campers will gain emotional, interpersonal, and cognitive regulation skills within the responsibilities found in everyday camp life. The best part is that they’ll have a caring cabin to cheer them every step of the way!
The activities at Birch Trail Camp are full of incredible ways for girls to unleash their creative and physical potential. On the water, the campers can have their fill of windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, canoeing, swimming, fishing, and paddle boarding.
Within the arts, there are tons of ways to develop on the stage or in the studio with dance, photography, drama, radio broadcasting, creative writing, ceramics, and much more.
And there are always the ever-popular camp favorites with horseback riding, field sports, and outdoor cooking.
What is really impressive about Birch Trail is their Wilderness Trip program that offers girls just about every possible way to backpack, paddle, climb or cycle through their outdoor adventures. The trips start small for the younger campers and progress to much grander ones for the teens.
Amongst the rolling hills of southeastern Wisconsin is a camp that has embraced its heritage and has become “synonymous with new friends, positive values, personal growth, great adventures, and outrageous fun” – Camp Anokijig. Anokijig is a Native American word that means “We Serve,” and represents the core spirit of this camp’s mission.
The camp culture is one of acceptance, love, and nurturing support – all culminating in a special feeling that they refer to as “catching the Anokijig spirit.”
Founded in 1926, Camp Anokijig offers multiple 1 week sessions for 7 to 16 year olds. Campers can sign up for additional weeks, though keep in mind that the camp does close for a day between each session.
Camp Anokijig is conveniently located outside the town of Plymouth, just under 1 hour from Milwaukee and 2 1/2 hours from Chicago.
With their beautiful woodlands surrounding 3/4 of Little Elkhart Lake, the activities at Anokijig are a vibrant mix of traditional, water sports, and local favorites (such as their own version of Quidditch).
The daily free period choices for campers include horseback riding, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, trailcrafts, woodworking, yoga, nature exploration, sports, arts and much more.
Camp Anokijig also offers a range of specialty camps with Ranch, Circle-A Riders, Adventure Challenge, Fishing Expeditions, and Youth Shooting Sports.
Camp Agawak invites girls to become a part of and contribute to their old tradition dating back more than a hundred years. Agawak is a camp culture rich in programming, passion, spirit and traditions. Camp Agawak is “an experience that enhances self confidence, leadership and promotes teamwork.”
Founded in 1921, Camp Agawak is a summer camp for girls that offer 1 to 7 week sessions for 7 to 16 year olds. The camp is located in the northwoods of Wisconsin; around 4 hours from both Milwaukee, WI and Minneapolis, MN.
Agawak borders a beautiful private lake with clear water, sandy beaches, and considered one of the purest lakes in the state, Blue Lake. In addition to daily swimming and waterskiing, Agawak maintains their own fleet of canoes, sailboats, rowboats, funyaks, paddle boats, paddle boards and even a pontoon boat.
If that’s not enough, there is also the famous Blob camp activity for a fast, high and thrilling way for campers to bounce their way into the water.
Campers can also experience the thrills of the 55 ft challenge tower with a zipline. This gives the girls plenty of opportunities to unleash their strength and enjoy their own hero moment at the top.
Other activity areas include Land Activities, Drama, Arts & Crafts, and Tripping. Agawak takes great pride in their shows that gives everyone the opportunity to freely express their creativity. There’s also the ever-favorite of trampball that takes place on trampolines.
Every girl can join their cabin mates for a special night out under the stars at the camps on-site teepee with a roaring fire to bring them all together. For those girls seeking bigger adventures, the Agawak Wilderness Trips Program offers a numerous range of challenging backpacking and paddling excursions around Wisconsin.
Spanning over 600 acres and with over 100 years of history, Camp Chi is a Jewish summer camp whose vision is to “build a strong, inclusive, tradition-rich camp community that teaches life lessons and celebrates individual growth.”
Founded in 1921, Camp Chi offers 1 to 8 week sessions for 8 to 17 year olds. It is located just 2 hours from Milwaukee and 3 hours from Chicago near the Wisconsin Dells.
Camp Chi uses an age-specific “village model” to structure the majority of their programming. What this means is that each age group will operate “like a small camp within a camp.” Each village serves as a close-knit home-base for the campers with their own staff, daily schedule, evening programs, and traditions.
Camp Chi features an incredible number of activities that are broken up into Athletics, Aquatics, Fine Arts, Outdoor Adventure, Media, Performing Arts, and Volunteering.
Lynn Renee Photography
Focal Flame Photography
Focal Flame Photography
All Pics courtesy of Camp Chi.
With their shoreline gracing the waters of Lake Blass, the Aquatics program offers kids and teens a bunch of fun ways to fly across the water from funyaking to knee boarding to sailing (and everything in-between).
Out on the fields, the Athletics program offers an exciting mix of traditional sports mixed with popular camp favorites such as archery, pickleball, and gaga. For those seeking outdoor adventure, they’ll find their thrills with the Aerial Adventure Park, horseback riding, rock climbing, the ropes course, and more.
On the more creative side of things, the Media program features its own recording studio for music and radio production. As well as everything needed for the kids to let their imaginations run wild with their own short films, animations, and songs.
One of the most unique programs at Camp Chi is their Outpost Village where campers are encouraged to connect to the natural world and realize how it relates to their own lives. With activities rooted in outdoor education and wilderness survival, campers will work together to explore and maintain this remote wilderness.
Camp Menominee is a summer camp for boys whose mission “is to help unlock the potential of our campers so they can be the best version of themselves.” For over 90 years, “The Menominee Way” has fostered a nurturing and supportive community based on its core values of Attitude, Heart, Spirit, Determination, Leadership, and Sportsmanship.
The individual goals of each camper are an important focus at Menominee with a dedicated staff that works with each family before the start of each session to identify and develop the best goals for their campers. This summer camp is a place where success is not about the wins and losses, but by each camper’s personal journey of courage and growth.
Founded in 1928, Camp Menominee offers 2 to 8 week sessions for 7 to 16 year olds. The camp is located by the shores of beautiful Sand Lake near the town of Eagle River, and is about 4 hours away from Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
Pics courtesy of Camp Menominee.
The activities at Camp Menominee are broken up into Athletics, Waterfront, Climbing and Target Sports, Creative Arts & Media, Outdoor Adventure, and Evening Activities.
With 600 acres of water on Sand Lake, it provides the ideal setting for the campers to swim, ski, board, tube, and bounce their way across the water. A fleet of speed boats, kayaks, sail boats, canoes, stand up paddle boards, and more await the campers for boundless fun under the sun. They even have popular camp favorites like the blob and the water trampoline.
An atmosphere of unconditional acceptance is fostered with all competitive sports and performance arts – Whether it’s on the fields with their traditional sports, at the riflery range, on the challenge course (with their 400 ft zipline), or in the studio with their media activities.
Every boy has an almost limitless range of possibilities to unleash themselves at Camp Menominee with enough activities to cater to everyone.
Camp Nicolet is a summer camp for girls where every camper is a winner. The camp motto for Nicolet is “Learning To Live Together” and creates the underlying focus for all of the wonderful impact at this summer camp.
Founded in 1944, Camp Nicolet offers 1 to 7 week sessions for 7 to 17 year olds. The summer camp is located outside of the town of Eagle River, Wisconsin; about 4 1/2 hours from both Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
A limited enrollment of just 95 girls for each session ensures a close-knit camp experience with an emphasis on personal attention and high quality instruction.
Pics courtesy of Camp Nicolet.
With activities for every age and personality, programs are broken up into Horseback Riding, Swimming, Sailing & Paddling, Waterskiing, Wakeboarding, Sports, Tennis, Arts & Crafts, Theatre Arts, All-Camp activities, and Elective activities.
Franklin Lake provides the ideal setting for a whole range of water sports that includes waterskiing on a slalom course, a sandy beach for swimming, a boathouse full of sailing and paddling equipment, water slides, a water trampoline, and more.
The Elective activities are a unique blend that adds a creative or challenging spin to their core activities. Campers can engage in yoga, barefoot waterskiing, SCUBA, gardening, stable management, podcasting, and much more.
Camp Nicolet also operates their own wilderness tripping program called “Northpoint Adventures.” At most summer camps, the tripping programs are only available to teens. Whereas the backpacking and paddling adventures at Nicolet offers girls as young as 10 years old the chance to experience a grand adventure on the trail.
Nestled on 450 forested acres and between the shores of two spring-fed lakes is a summer camp for boys “where everyone knows your name” – Towering Pines Camp. A summer camp where they “believe the journey to manhood is an adventure of individual discovery and ever expanding independence.”
Founded in 1946, Towering Pines Camp offers 2 to 6 week sessions for 7 to 16 year olds. The camp is located near Eagle River, Wisconsin; about 4 hours from both Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
I love the importance that Towering Pines places on their food. The cooking team, staff nutritionist, and registered dietician all work together to ensure that healthy and delicious meals are always served to the campers. This means that they only use the freshest ingredients available and cook everything from scratch.
An incredible number of exciting activities awaits the campers at Towering Pines. These activities are broken up into Creative Arts, Horseback Riding, Marksmanship, Outdoor Adventure, Performing Arts, Sailing, Soccer & Other Team Sports, Swimming, Tennis, Tutoring, and Water Sports.
Towering Pines has many opportunities for progression in every activity with quality instruction and coaching provided at all levels. The self-selected programs are designed to be balanced towards recreation, skill development, and leadership training.
I especially love the Outdoor Adventure activities where campers are immersed in the abundant beauty of the vast Wisconsin Northwoods. Overnight camping trips are open to everyone, and give campers tons of ways to explore the local wilderness. Back at camp, the Ecology / Zoo program features a variety of local wildlife to interact with and care for with rabbits, ducks, frogs, fish, snakes, salamanders, and turtles.
Towering Pines Camp also offers a Leadership Program for its oldest teen campers. This program challenges the teens to develop their confidence by actively contributing to the running of the camp. The teens will plan and organize many of the all-camp activities, and learn what it takes to be a leader in the cabin.
UM Lake Lucerne & Pine Lake Camps are Christian summer camps that provide “life-changing experiences of spiritual growth.” Amongst the grand wooded pines of Central Wisconsin, these summer camps are considered a second home by many campers looking to develop their faith in the beautiful outdoors.
Founded in 1947, UM Lake Lucerne and Pine Lake Camps offer 1 week sessions for 7 to 18 year olds. Both camps are just under 40 minutes away from each other. They are also around 2 hours from Milwaukee and 3 1/2 hours from Chicago.
Each camp session at Lake Lucerne and Pine Lake are based around specific themes and activities. This gives each camper a chance to explore and develop their own adventures with backpacking, leadership, biking, STEM, videogame creation, and much more.
For the traditional summer camp experience, the “Classic” sessions offer campers the chance to immerse themselves within all of the camp activities with all-camp events and daily bible study.
Both camps feature tons of exciting and thrilling ways for the campers to challenge themselves with ropes courses, water sports, hiking trails, archery, and much more. The activities at Lake Lucerne are a bit more wide-ranging with pedal karts, a high ropes course with a zip-line, and biking.
Although the Nature Program at Pine Lake is an incredible place for campers to learn and engage with the great outdoors. In particular, the wet-lab area with live resident animals and the rehabilitated prairie area / butterfly garden show campers the true beauty and fragility of our wilderness areas.
YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho can be found in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and along the shorelines of Waubee Lake. Operated by the YMCA of the Fox Cities, Nan A Bo Sho “offers programs to develop self-esteem, a healthy mind, body, and spirit, acceptance of all people, and appreciation of our environment.”
Founded in 1964, Camp Nan A Bo Sho offers 1 to 2 week sessions for 5 to 17 year olds. The camp is located just 3 hours from Milwaukee, WI and 4 1/2 hours from Chicago, IL.
The Y is famous for attracting some of the most compassionate and dedicated camp staff. YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho is no different with over 75% of the camp staff having being past campers themselves.
The YMCA is also well known for how it structures and themes it’s camp sessions to be both age-appropriate and fun. At Nan A Bo Sho, kids and teens can experience the thrills of the “Passport to Adventure” session, fun under the sun with the “Water Otters” session, high adventure with the “Ultimate Adventure” session, and much more.
The activities at YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho are a thrilling and relaxing mix of the most popular and traditional activities found at summer camp. There are also plenty of off-site field trips, backpacking adventures, and canoe trips.
With shorelines along the beautiful Waubee Lake, campers can enjoy swimming, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and sailing. For some thrills, campers can always find challenges on the climbing wall, zip-line, sling shot, riflery range, and high ropes course.
And for a bit more of a relaxing time, campers can go fishing, learn new recipes with outdoor cooking, or learn more about their surroundings in Nature Studies.
Teens can also find and unleash new confidence with the Leadership Programs. These programs are focused towards guiding teens in role-modeling, public speaking, behavior management, and team building. These skills are designed to take the teens well beyond camp to create positive, future impact in their local communities.
Honorable Mentions
We also wanted to include some camps that are creating incredibly unique experiences for their particular communities.
Tucked away on 680 acres of majestic woodlands overlooking the Wisconsin Mississippi River valleys is a special needs camp for developmental disabilities – Wisconsin Badger Camp. The mission of this special needs camp is to “provide a positive natural environment where individuals with developmental disabilities can learn about their surroundings and realize their full potential.”
Founded in 1966, Wisconsin Badger Camp offers 1 to 2 week sessions for 3 to 21 year olds.
Located south of the city of Prairie du Chien, the camp is around 3 hours from Milwaukee, WI and 4 hours away from Chicago, IL. A current physical and physician’s approval to participate is required of all campers.
Wisconsin Badger Camp has an exciting range of adaptable activities that includes horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, arts & crafts, animal farm, dances, cookouts, campfires, and so much more.
They even offer a smaller Travel Camp program with a variety of fun overnight trips to beautiful locations around Wisconsin and the surrounding states.
The staff at Wisconsin Badger Camp fosters a welcoming environment of passion, patience, and understanding. To the campers, the staff is just as important to them as any of the activities. They serve as their biggest fans, mentors and cheerleaders throughout the week.
I really love the inclusivity that is created at Wisconsin Badger Camp where every camper is welcome regardless of the severity of their disability, race, religion, creed, geographic location, sex, age, or national origin.
The University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire offers a series of sports camps for both kids and teens that are designed to develop and unleash their athletic potential. Blugold Sports Camps maintains a long and proud tradition of student-athlete success on and off the field.
Based on the popular college campus, UW-Eau Claire Blugold Sports Camps offer both day camps and overnight camps for 6 to 17 year olds.
The college is located in the city of Eau Claire, just 1 1/2 hours from Minneapolis, MN, 3 1/2 hours from Milwaukee, WI, and 5 hours from Chicago, IL.
UW-Eau Claire Blugold Sports Camps are committed to providing a safe and fun camp environment with expert instruction and measurable results. With their college campus location, they are able to provide modern and comfortable facilities within the city of Eau Claire.
Blugold Sports Camps offers a range of expert camps and clinics in baseball, boys basketball, boys soccer, football, girls basketball, girls soccer, gymnastics, running, softball, swimming & diving, volleyball, and wrestling.
That’s A Wrap!
Thank you for joining us as we explored the Best Summer Camps in Wisconsin. We know it’s a tough time for parents to prepare the kiddoes, and we are here to help. There are many other Wisconsin summer camps in our exclusive Summer Camp Search. Explore more summer camps in Wisconsin right HERE!
And feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need any help reaching out to these camps. Have a great time preparing your young camper for their unforgettable camp adventures!
