Life at Summer Camp
Your daughter’s camp experience will be personal — and personalized.
With a maximum of 230 girls, Chippewa is small enough for everyone to know, well, everyone! With an average of 1 counselor for every 2 campers, the camp experience is carefully tailored to each child.
Living In Community
It’s Summer Camp
There are lots of great food options, girls choose their own activities, and we offer many other day-to-day experiences so campers get to personalize their summer. In the same day there are group activities, shared meals and amazing cabin bonding.
Cabin Life Is Special
We know it’s cliché — everyone talks about the life-long friendships that start at summer camp, but there is something special about a bunch of girls living together under one roof. They share the stories of the day together, victories and defeat, “I can’t believe I…” and “Did you see me…?”, then there are the quiet moments, time spent braiding each other’s hair (yes, it happens all the time, and it’s really sweet), the silly times, lots of laughter… it’s camp.
At Chippewa we make this special experience even more meaningful by aiming to pair counselors with the same cabin of girls year after year. This allows the counselors to get to know your daughter so well — after a few years they’ll feel like sisters.
Counselors Are Role Models
Chippewa counselors know they are role models; we talk quite a bit about this during staff training. It’s their job to encourage and lead the girls as they instill the values of the Chippewa Compass: Kindness, Integrity, Fortitude, and Confidence. Of course your daughter will never tell you this, because as far as she’s concerned, she’s just having fun with the most amazing people she knows!
A Window Into Camp
You want to know that your child is safe, that the people in her life are watching out for her, and that she remembers to brush her teeth. We get it. There are lots of things you might want to tell your daughter’s counselors so each summer before camp you’ll have an opportunity. We call it a “window video” and it’s your chance to share whatever’s on your mind. Sometimes it’s “our daughter had a stressful year at school”; other times it’s “remind her to use detangler” or “she has fair skin and needs lots of sunscreen.”
Your daughter is very special to you. Window videos allow us to make her time at camp even better by giving her some of the same personal attention she gets at home!
The North Woods
Chippewa Ranch Camp is located in Eagle River, WI. You can easily find us on the map, but the map won’t tell you about the special qualities that make this the heart of northern Wisconsin.
We enjoy a mix of warm and hot days, and every day is just a little different. Camp looks out over a clear, sparkling lake that invites you to touch your toes on the sandy bottom. Bald eagles circle high overhead as the fresh pine scent drifts along on the summer breeze. Fields and forests are nature-made for hiking or horseback riding. Cool nights are perfect for roasting marshmallows around the campfire.
Just mention “Eagle River” to any of our campers — the stars in her eyes will shine almost as brightly as the stars in the sky.
Roughing it, Comfortably
We want our girls to play outside and get their hands dirty, but at the end of the day we like for them to return to comfortable cabins fully equipped with private showers, sinks, and toilets. The cabins are equipped with commercial fans that pull the warm air out and the cool air in. Great for those hot days! There are bunk beds in most of the cabins and every girl gets her own special shelving unit.
Eat Well, Be Well
Food is a big part of life. We want it to be fun, nutritious, and it has got to taste good! We know there are picky eaters out there, people with food allergies, vegetarians, and we want everyone to find something they like at every meal. We offer a yogurt parfait bar in the mornings, a fresh salad bar at lunch and dinner, and a yummy pasta bar at dinner. If all else fails we offer a creamy soynut butter and jelly backup that is sure to please! At Chippewa we are peanut and tree nut free.
Most of the time we eat family-style in the Lodge. Sometimes we’re outside at the barbecue patio, or enjoying a picnic out on the lawn. Fresh fruit is available all day long and we offer an afternoon snack, which provides our campers with the perfect boost of energy to keep them playing hard throughout the day.