Forest Lake Camp

What Forest Lake Camp does

Forest Lake Camp is a privately held, family-owned traditional overnight summer camp founded in 1926, operating on an 823-acre property with a 25-acre private spring-fed lake in the Southern Adirondack Mountains of Chestertown, New York. The camp runs a brother-sister model with separate boys and girls programs for grades 3-10, each following an elective activity curriculum organized around five pillars (Team Sports, Adventure Sports, Waterfront, Creative Arts, and Wilderness and Nature), plus a Leader in Training (LIT) program for 16-year-olds. The property supports roughly 200+ campers per summer session at a 1:3 staff-to-camper ratio, with summer tuition ranging from $5,995 for a two-week June session to $11,995 for the full seven-week session.

The business has no proprietary technology product; the operating stack consists of third-party tools including CampInTouch for enrollment, Stripe for scholarship donations, Eventbrite for reunion and retreat registration, Waldo Photos for parent photo delivery, and WeddingWire for venue listings. Beyond summer camp tuition, the company generates revenue from add-on activities (horseback riding, white water rafting, English immersion, tutoring, transportation), a year-round rentals business (weddings up to 300 guests, corporate retreats 20-200, school groups, family reunions), the Camp Grown-Up adult retreat series, a Camp Store selling branded merchandise, and the Ollie Van Cise Scholarship Fund for financial assistance.

Forest Lake Camp is owned by the Blanck and Kelly families, who acquired it from the founding Confer family in 2008. The company has no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no public valuation signals. Its 100th anniversary in 2026 is being leveraged through a dedicated reunion event, a limited-time referral program paying $100/week credit per enrolled referral, and expanded Rookie Day trial experiences to drive new family acquisition. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Northeast US (Greater NYC, Northern NJ, Eastern Massachusetts, Southern Connecticut) with a small but growing international draw from France, Spain, China, Germany, Venezuela, and Denmark.

Name

Forest Lake Camp

Legal name

Forest Lake Camp

Website

https://forestlakecamp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forest Lake Camp is a privately held, family-owned traditional overnight summer camp founded in 1926 in the Adirondack Mountains, serving roughly 200+ children ages 8-16 across separate boys and girls programs, with supplementary year-round venue rentals and adult retreats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Summer Camps and Outdoor Recreation

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ), Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA)

Keywords

• Summer camp programs
• Overnight sleepaway camp
• Youth outdoor recreation
• Wedding venue rentals
• Corporate retreat venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Chestertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Camp Tuition: Session-based tuition for overnight sleepaway camp programs ranging from 2-7 weeks. Multiple session options with varying prices based on duration. Primary revenue driver.
2. Add-on Activities: Additional fee activities including horseback riding lessons ($100/lesson), Lake George boating adventures ($140), white water rafting ($155/trip), English immersion program ($75/lesson), tutoring, camp photos ($45), linens ($20/week), health insurance ($50/week).
3. Camp Grown-Up Adult Retreat: All-inclusive adult weekend retreat at $2000 cabin fee (up to 14 people) plus $250 per person, featuring activities, meals, and lodging. BYOB format.
4. Event Rentals: Wedding, corporate retreat, school group, and reunion venue rentals. Pricing varies by event type, guest count, and services required. Venue rental fees plus food services fees.
5. Camp Store: Merchandise sales including sweatshirts, hats, pants, t-shirts, shorts, and other gear. Operated by Shalagh Blanck.
6. Donations and Scholarships: Tax-deductible donations to Ollie Van Cise Campership Fund providing scholarships to families. Also accepts non-tax-deductible gifts for capital improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forest Lake Camp operates a traditional overnight sleepaway summer camp on an 823-acre private Adirondack property, offering separate boys and girls programs for grades 3-10 with elective activity scheduling across five pillars (Team Sports, Adventure Sports, Waterfront, Creative Arts, Wilderness and Nature). The portfolio also includes a Leadership in Training (LIT) program for 16-year-olds, Family Camp for multi-generational guests, Rookie Day trial experiences, Camp Grown-Up adult retreats, and year-round venue rentals for weddings, corporate retreats, school groups, and reunions. Tuition for the 2026 summer sessions ranges from $5,995 for a 2-week session to $11,995 for the full 7-week season.

Product overview

Forest Lake Camp is a traditional brother-sister sleepaway summer camp founded in 1926, offering a unified portfolio of camp experiences across its 823-acre Adirondack property. The core offerings consist of separate Boys Camp and Girls Camp programs (grades 3-10) featuring elective daily activities across five pillars: Team Sports, Adventure Sports, Waterfront, Creative Arts, and Wilderness and Nature. Supporting programs include the Leader in Training (LIT) leadership program, Family Camp for multi-generational experiences, Rookie Day trial sessions, and Camp Grown-Up adult retreats. The camp also operates a year-round rental business offering Wedding Venue, Corporate Retreat, and School Groups programs that leverage the property facilities outside the summer season. Additional revenue streams include the Camp Store merchandise shop and the Ollie Van Cise Scholarship Fund for financial assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boys Camp Traditional overnight sleepaway camp for boys in grades 3-10, offering elective activity programs across five pillars (Team Sports, Adventure Sports, Waterfront, Creative Arts, and Wilderness and Nature) on an 823-acre Adirondack property with a 25-acre spring-fed private lake.
• Girls Camp Traditional overnight sleepaway camp for girls in grades 3-10, offering elective activity programs across five pillars with emphasis on building confidence and independence in a single-gender environment. A new Girls Cabin opened in 2019 making girls camp equal in size to boys camp.
• Leader in Training (LIT) Program

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ivy Oaks AnalyticscoreOthersPublic health company based in Pennsylvania specializing in tick, mosquito, and poison ivy control for large campuses, parks, and summer camps. Works with over 175 top summer camps nationally. Provides ongoing tick population measurements, landscape modification, natural control methods, and public health standards certification. Forest Lake Camp is among the few camps nationally with this advanced public health standards certification.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Camp Lakota: Family-owned coed sleepaway camp in Wurtsboro, NY (Catskills). Comparable traditional programming model with elective activities across sports, water, arts, and adventure, serving similar Northeast demographic with multi-session pricing.
• Camp Towanda: Traditional brother-sister overnight sleepaway camp in Honesdale, PA. Similar multi-activity elective programming, premium tuition structure, multi-generational family ownership, and full 7-week summer model targeting Northeast families.
• Camp Lohikan: Family-owned traditional sleepaway camp in Honesdale, PA operating since 1957. Comparable premium-tier tuition, multi-activity elective structure, and Northeast US family demographic with strong alumni networks.
• Camp Cedar: Family-owned traditional sleepaway camp in Casco, Maine with comparable multi-activity programming, premium tuition, and sibling programming structure similar to Forest Lake's brother-sister model.
• Camp Wah-Nee: Traditional coed sleepaway camp in Torrington, CT with multi-activity programming and similar premium tuition tier. Comparable Northeast market and family demographic.
• Camp Somerset: Girls' traditional sleepaway camp in Smithfield, Maine with 90+ year history. Mirrors Forest Lake Girls Camp program with elective activities, single-gender environment, and multi-generational camper base.
• Camp Pinecliffe: Girls' traditional sleepaway camp in Harrison, Maine with elective activities and lakeside setting. Mirrors Forest Lake Girls Camp structure with similar fee structure and multi-generational camper base.
• Camp Kenwood-Evergreen: Brother-sister traditional sleepaway camp in Harrison, Maine with separate-gender daily programming and joint special events. Closely mirrors Forest Lake's structure, family-owned heritage, and elective activity pillars.
• Camp Pontiac: Traditional coed sleepaway camp in Copake, NY with similar elective programming model, premium pricing, and family-owned heritage serving Northeast families.

Broad incumbents

• American Camp Association: National industry body and accreditation organization for the US summer camp industry. Not a competitor but the dominant trade association governing camp standards, safety, and best practices across the broader industry in which Forest Lake operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/forestlakecamp
• Instagraminstagram.com/forestlakesummercamp
• Xx.com/forestlakecamp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-lake-camp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest Lake Camp