Camp Ockanickon for Boys - YMCA of the Pines

Reviews (2)

• Review from the 2023 Summer Camp Survey

  November 2023

  Location: Medford, NJ How old was your child when they attended camp this summer? 10 Review: This is my son’s second year at Camp Ockanickon, and he LOVES it. I found it because I was looking for an affordable sleepaway camp when the session we were trying to enroll in at Frost Valley was full. I’m glad we stumbled upon it. It’s very no frills but that actually is part of why it’s amazing imo. The cabins have no electricity, mesh windows, and bathrooms/showers are a separate building in each village. But the food is actually really good (and healthy - nothing fried is allowed). There is a gamification aspect to the camp that keeps the kids incredibly engaged. There are competitions, quests, emblems you earn, all based on core values of growing your character. There’s a ropes challenge course, a lake to swim in, and all the traditional summer camp activities. You can add on horseback riding as an activity. There is an app where they post pictures for parents throughout the session, and you can send letters back and forth with your kid. (It’s printed for the kids and the response is scanned back, no access to tech at all). I think my son will want to keep going back year after year, and we’ll probably send my daughter to the girls camp when she’s ready. Even after a class trip where he experienced the relatively luxurious Frost Valley, he chose to go back to Ockanickon this year and will again next year. What would you change about the program, if anything, and why? I would not say the program is super progressive in any way. It’s a very traditional ymca boy/girls camp setup so it may not be the right fit for everyone. But if you are looking for a relatively affordable traditional summer camp experience we’ve been very happy with it.

• summary: one week long sleep away camps

  January 2023

  Camp Okanickon in NJ at YMCA of the Pines. It was really great. They have a few one week sessions.