Whether a child will be heading off to Chestnut Lake Camp for the very first time or they are returning after many summers spent with us in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, preparation and planning are a big part of a successful summer. Our camp leaders spend over 300 days getting their staff team, programming, facilities, and every detail ready for a spectacular season of fun and friendship, but the support from and partnership with our camp families all along the way can make such a difference, too. Throughout the off-season, we tour families on-site, spend countless hours on Zoom and phone calls, and introduce and gather our campers and families together. We also share updates and resources, require forms and registration to be completed for various camp services, and continuously look for ways to help campers get excited and prepped for a terrific experience.

One key element of camp prep and support for families is our comprehensive, Camp Handbook. This resource is a significantly expanded version of our form Portfolio document, as we have tried to amass many aspects of camp preparations, policies, and answers to important questions in one place.

The Handbook does not provide everything under the sun, but it does cover a great many elements of the summer program and many critical considerations for parents and campers to consider before the summer. We are asking all parents to take some time to review the Handbook as soon as possible. We will also add more information to the Handbook prior to the summer, and when we do, we will notify families and will use some very obvious notations in the Handbook to indicate any new material.

Click Here to View/Download/Print the Handbook

If you are the parent of a Discovery Camp participant (our 5-day “taste of camp” program), please click here to view/download the Discovery Camp Handbook.

Enjoy the use of this document on your camp journey, and please contact Aaron or Ann if you have any additional questions or suggestions.