Staff FAQs

Camp Walden is in central Maine in a small town called Denmark. Camp is set in a beautiful pine grove on Walden Pond. We are one hour north from Portland, Maine, and 2.5 hours north of Boston.

Some staff will drive to camp, and staff are welcome to have a car at camp for the summer. Many staff, including all international staff, will fly to Boston, MA or Portland, ME. From Boston, staff will take the Concord Coach Lines bus that departs directly from the airport to the Portland Transportation Center where we will pick you up and bring you back to camp. If flying to Portland, Maine, a staff member will meet you at baggage claim and bring you back to camp. Another option is to take a train or bus from other metropolitan areas to the Portland Transportation Center where you will be met by a Walden staff member.

Less is more when packing for a summer at camp! Our staff adhere to a dress code while on duty at camp. The dress code includes tan, khaki or brown shorts and white t-shirts, as well as warm layers in any of those colors. Jeans are also included in the dress code. Camp provides five Walden t-shirts to all staff. It can be chilly in Maine in the evenings and at the start of the summer, so don’t forget a warm layer or two! Bed linens, pillows and towels are provided for anyone flying to camp.

Each day at camp is unique, but there is a great deal of consistency to our daily schedule.

Weekday schedule:

• Following breakfast in the dining room at 8:00 am, campers and staff check their daily schedules and return to bunks for a quick clean-up.
• We lead three 45-minute activity periods in the morning, with 15 minutes between each period.
• Lunch is served at 12:30pm and is either in the Dining Room or served as a buffet and outdoor picnic. Following lunch, campers return to bunks for Rest Hour. The bunk counselor who is on duty will be in the bunk supervising campers during Rest Hour, while those off-duty can relax, spend time with friends, or play sports.
• Following Rest Hour, we lead two hour-long activities with 15 minutes passing time. Shower Hour is from 5:00 – 6:00pm and one counselor from each cabin will be on-duty at that time.
• Dinner is served in the Dining Room at 6:00pm and is followed by an all-camp evening activity which is led by our oldest campers. On-duty counselors participate with campers in the activities that range from Skit Nights and Lip Syncs to outdoor games and campfires.
• Evening activity ends with Milk Line, where campers and counselors grab a freshly-baked cookie and milk before heading back to the bunks for the bedtime routine.
• Taps closes each day at 9:00pm, and campers (and counselors) are soon fast asleep from such a fun and busy day at camp!

Weekend Schedule:

• Weekend mornings begin later, with an 8:30am breakfast or a Sleep Late buffet style breakfast.
• On Saturday mornings, bunk groups meet for a weekly Bunk Circle
• On Sunday mornings the entire camp gathers for Sunday Morning Meetings, led by a Bunk 12 camper.
• Over the weekend, campers and counselors participate in fewer regularly scheduled activities and instead compete in all-camp Teamsports for the Brown and Tan teams.
• Saturday dinner is always pizza and chocolate milk and is followed by a Bunk Show, or musical play performed in the theater by an age group in camp.
• Sunday dinners are a cookout barbeque at the Landsports fields, followed by a visit from the ice cream truck and a campfire at Peace Circle.

Summers in Maine are the best! You can expect crisp mornings and evenings and warm days at camp. Although it is summer, there will be some cooler days, especially in June.

Our wooden cabins are simple, airy, comfortable and cozy. We have single beds and bunk beds. Each cabin has two bathrooms and sinks and showers are in two central shower houses. Our cabins do not have electricity to enhance the feeling of unplugging in nature, and campers and counselors enjoy the fun of flashlights in the evenings.

The food at Walden is healthy, plentiful and delicious! We serve most meals family-style in the Dining Room. At breakfast, we have a toast and bagel station, hot oatmeal and a yogurt, granola and fruit bar in addition to the hot meal served. A well-stocked salad bar accompanies the hot meal at lunch and dinner. Our kitchen provides meals to meet the dietary restrictions of campers and counselors. Fresh fruit is available all day and snacks are put out each afternoon.

Our Trips program is a highlight for many! We lead over 40 overnight camping trips (hiking and canoeing) each summer for all campers. Any interested counselors will have opportunities to get out on trips as well. The trips progress each summer in challenge and duration, beginning with our youngest campers paddling our home lake and camping in a Walden lean-to, to our Bunk 11 campers paddling the St. Croix River on a four-day adventure.

Yes. While we greatly value the importance of unplugging while at camp, we recognize the importance of remaining connected with those back home. Counselors can charge and store phones and devices in Counselor House where lockers, WiFi, computers and a TV are available. Time off is a great time to reconnect with family and friends back home.

Counselors will have one day off each week and two nights off (6:00pm-12:00am) each week. During this time, staff can leave camp to explore the area, enjoy a meal out or spend the day at a beautiful beach. We have vans available for staff to take out. In addition to this structured time off, each counselor will have breaks in their schedule each day, whether it be a Rest Hour or Shower Hour off or a free activity period.