Life At Camp

Giving campers a time and space each summer when they can disconnect from phones, social media, and other technology, and connect in-person, is foundational to the Camp Granite Lake Experience.  

In fact, while many campers initially express nervousness about not having their phones, the feedback we often hear a few days into camp is that they are ‘relieved’ and ‘more relaxed’ with the constant access to games and stress of social media.  

Campers and families are allowed to exchange as much mail as they like during the camp session, and campers are allowed to receive one care package (in Traditional Sessions only – please no care packages during Mini-Camp).  We also have a system where parents can log in to their Portal and send e-letters twice per week, that are delivered same day to their campers.

While a low-tech experience for campers, it’s a high-tech experience for families at home.  We upload photos for you to view every day, and have a private  system with facial-recognition software to make it easy to find the photos of your camper. Adults always welcome to send an e-mail or give us a call to get an update on your camper, and, we are very proactive with contacting families if something comes up regarding their camper (injury, illness, excessive homesickness, social struggles etc).

Camp Granite Lake offers over twenty different activity areas taught by our well-trained staff, and best of all, campers in our 20-day sessions get to choose all their own activities while they are at camp (learn more about Mini-Camp activities here!).

Activities are selected three during the camp session and are done by Village (Eagles: rising 3rd-5th graders, Bobcats: rising 6th-7th graders and Rainbow Trout: rising 8th-10th grades). Campers in our Traditional sessions can choose from over 16 different activities while they’re at camp, while Mini-Campers are assigned a schedule that allows them to try the majority of our activities once while they are at CGL. Our activities are a great time for campers to explore interests, build skills, and connect with peers outside of their cabinmates.  

Activity sign ups are led by our Villages Directors, and we see them as an important exercise in teamwork and cooperation amongst the village to make sure each camper is taken care of, and in an activity that works for them.  We don’t start signing up anyone until everyone in the village has a spot in an activity, and, while we don’t discourage campers from signing up for activities with groups of friends, we do encourage them to make an individual choice.  

We offer enough slots of our most popular activities so that each camper can try them out at least once during the session (though they are often able to do them multiple times).

At Camp Granite Lake, we eat 3-meals per day family style. Family-style means we share platters of food with the people we are sat with, and campers can sit with anyone from their village during meals. 

We offer campers a well balanced diet at camp, making sure there are fruit and veggie options, and serve a mix of classic kid foods (think chicken fingers, spaghetti, grilled cheese, waffles), with a few things that may be new (stir fry, curry, etc.). We always serve each component of the meal separately so campers can choose the parts they like, and we always try to encourage campers to try new foods while at camp.

We accommodate for lots of special diets, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, and work closely with families and our Kitchen Team ahead of camp beginning to ensure that we keep campers safe from allergies and intolerances. We also have a breakfast/salad bar with lots of healthy options for campers to choose from in addition to the main meal. 

In addition to the three meals, we have snack time every afternoon, and fresh fruit is always available throughout the day in our Town Center.

CGL takes a proactive approach to camper health and wellness at camp. From our immunization policy, to how we train our counselors (encouraging campers to drink a lot of water, always wear sunscreen, wash hands, and get enough rest!), to our health care teams review of campers health and medication needs prior to their session.

If a camper feels sick, gets injured, or needs to take medication, our health care team is ready to help. We have a dedicated health care person available at all times (RN’s and EMT’s), and a health care center stocked with common OTC medications and equipment. All medications are kept securely in our health centre, and we have designated ward rooms for campers to rest if they become ill at camp.

The majority of our staff are certified in First Aid and CPR, and all are trained to administer emergency medications such as epi-pens and inhalers.

Want to know exactly how your camper will be spending their summer at Camp Granite Lake? This video follows two campers around for an entire day, to give you a better idea of how life at CGL looks!