Camp Hidden Meadows?

[Anonymous]

I am thinking of sending my nine year old son to Camp Hidden Meadows in West Virginia this summer. Has anyone send his/her child to this camp? I would be very interested to hear your feedback. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Me too! Looking the an overnight camp for two nine-year-olds for their first "away" experience.

[Anonymous]

Camp Hidden Meadows is really wonderful. A great experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Camp Hidden Meadows is really wonderful. A great experience!

Thanks! Could you elaborate? What makes it great?

[Anonymous]

Hey,

I've never been to Camp Hidden Meadows, but I am a college student who has been hired to be a counselor this summer. I'm not speaking from total experience, because I haven't spent a summer there, but I have had a great experience with everyone in preparation to work for them this summer. I work as an outdoor leader at my college, and it seems to me like CHM is a great place with great people. The activities are great and well suited for kids of all ages.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

We sent our son here and he LOVED it. First question out of his mouth was "can I come for two weeks next year?"

[Anonymous]

DD went for one week last summer and had a great experience. It's a perfect camp for nature loving kids who want lots of choices for outdoor activities. The beauty of the location can't be beat.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any additional information on this camp? Pros, cons? Good or bad experiences? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I personally went to the camp for four years in a row (from ages 10-14) and now, three years later, all my best summer memories are still from camp. I've kept in touch with several of the foriegn consulors over the years and it's been really wonderful. As for the camp experience, your son could not have anything better. It's a very organized but, relaxed enviroment where everyone is having fun and consistently happy. It's small too, which is very nice because you become very close with everyone and make life long friendships. The atmosphere is so postive and your always encouraged to try new things. All the activites from hiking to rock climbing to tie-dying and ultamate frisbee, theres always something going on to keep everyone engaged and moving. Its the perfect summer camp.

[Anonymous]

My kids are headed there later this summer and it is a relief to me to see this thread.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My kids (7 and 9) are there right now. It looked fantastic when we went there to drop them off. There were all kinds of activities, the counselors all seemed really upbeat and happy to be there, and the cabins seemed cozy and well maintained. The staff at check in were really organized. One of my children has Celiac and can not eat any gluten. The camp personnel seemed to be well versed in her condition and were more than happy to accommodate her needs. I'll try to remember to post here again after they return on Saturday.

[Anonymous]

My daughter just returned from two weeks at Camp Hidden Meadows. She was originally scheduled to stay for one week, but called and asked to stay another week. To make the arrangements, I communicated with several counselors and the director. I couldn't be happier with the entire experience. My daughter said it was more fun than she could ever imagine. I liked that it was more "rustic" than other camps I researched.
I liked that I could send her emails and she could return them. Also, she wanted to call home one night and they arranged this without issue.
My daughter said she was outside most of the time and even had deer sleeping under her cabin. She did come home dirty, but happy. (I'm not complaining about the dirty part, I'm thrilled that she was outside.)
She also said that she liked that age didn't really matter. The older kids were kind and played with the younger ones. She felt welcomed by everyone.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to add to the postive reports here. My 9 yr daughter is at CHM now. It's her second summer there - two weeks last summer and then three weeks this summer. She'd stay longer if I'd let her! It has been a really positive experience for her and her letters home are absolutely wonderful this year. CHM is small enough that she feels safe and the atmosphere is very friendly and positive. But for such a small camp, they have a zillion great activities - from farming to canoeing to horseback riding to climbing to caving. She has written to me about catching frogs and doing a ropes course and playing capture the flag. The cabins and facilities are nice but the camp is quite outdoosy and rustic, which I think is so positive for my urban daughter to experience. It's not the upscale new england camp that some people are seeking, but it's been a really welcome, warm, dirty, fun, safe, empowering, great camp for my child.

[Anonymous]

I love this camp, and so do my kids (ages 13 and 10). They went for two weeks this year after having gone for one week last year, and came home raving all over again about it. At pickup, I was happy to see that their clothing was filthy and their exuberance was palpable. They could not rave enough about it and called it the "best part of the year."

One of my kids is not all that athletic, and is intimidated by sports (especially group/competitive sports). At CHM, he thoroughly enjoys the outdoors and physical activity. There is plenty for him to do there, without pressure - mountain-biking; capture the flag; sailing; kayaking; zipline, ropes. I love that he can be physical there, on his own terms, yet be challenged.

Five stars!

[Anonymous]

A hidden gem- I hate to say much in case it draws too many families... DD went a few summers ago, is dying to go back and wants to stay for 2 weeks next time. It has a nice int'l feel with kids and counselors from all over.

That said, it's a laid back place - don't expect your kid to come back an expert in anything other than having had a great, relaxed and old fashioned camp experience. Some of DDs friends' parents seemed to want more "skills building" for their kids. This is not the camp for that.