Camper FAQ

FAQs

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Frequently asked questions

Camp Nicolet is located outside of Eagle River, Wisconsin within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Eagle River is approximately seven hours north of Chicago. Bus transportation is provided from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas.

Travel Directions »

Camp has a capacity of 95 campers per session. East End campers range in age from 7-10 and West End campers are ages of 11-14.  Senior, or Leadership Program, Campers are ages 15-17.

Nicolet campers come from all over the world. They represent most every area of the United States, as well as countries such as Mexico, Germany, Russia, Spain, and France.

All campers new to Camp Nicolet are assigned a “Camp Sister.” Your Camp Sister is a returning camper who helps answer any questions you may have about a summer at Nicolet. You are sent her contact information in May and she is provided with yours.

The first Monday night of your camp session, you are invited to a Camp Sister party with games, boat rides, and s’mores!

Camper cabins house 8-12 campers and 2-3 counselors each. They are fully equipped with bunkbeds, dressers/drawers, a table and chairs, a fireplace, a screen porch, and a bathroom with sink and toilet. Showers are taken in our nearby shower house facility.

Bathrooms have running cold water in the sinks and toilets, so you don’t have to leave the cabin in the middle of the night to use the restroom.

Many cabins and cabin bathrooms are recently renovated!

Check out Cabin Life »

Staff also come from all over the world! They are from places like Australia, Columbia, Denmark, England, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, and others.

Counselors and activity instructors are typically between the ages of 18 and 24, are attending or have graduated from college, and have experience and a passion for working with kids like you!

All Staff responsible for the daily care of campers are certified in First Aid/CPR/AED. Waterfront staff have an American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard certification. Water Skiing Staff are USA Water Ski Level 1 Instructor certified.

A registered Nurse lives on-site, and our Northpoint Adventures Director is certified in Wilderness First Aid.

Meet the Staff »

Your activity schedule consists of “core” and “elective” activities.  Nicolet’s core activities include Water Skiing & Wakeboarding, Horseback Riding (optional), Swimming, Smallcraft (sailing, canoeing, stand-up-paddling, windsurfing), Sports (of all kinds), Tennis, and Arts & Crafts.  Additionally, you get to go to the Canteen (camp store), and Showers are scheduled into your schedule three times each week.

Nicolet also offers a wide variety of “elective” activities – some traditional to camp, and some based on the talents and interests of the Staff specific to the summer at hand.  You attend most core activities by ability level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert) and you get to choose electives during “sign ups” once per week.

You receive a personalized schedule when you arrive, with your core activity hours.  Then you get to “fill in the blanks” with electives.  These include mountain biking, trampball, archery, podcasting, mad scientist, newsletter, creative writing, stable management, musical theatre, and many more!

Nicolet also offers a variety of wilderness trips, ranging in difficulty from beginner canoe trips to top-level alpine backpacking.  This program is called Northpoint Adventures, and you can enjoy participating in NPA trips summer after summer!

View the Activities Page »

Saturdays are “normal” activity days, so you continue enjoying all the fun of regular activities – based on your Monday/Wednesday/Friday & Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday activity schedule.

On Sundays (that aren’t the beginning of a session), we have a special “All Camp Activity.” A theme is chosen by the staff committee and Campers are divided up into teams to compete throughout the day in various activities.

Past all camp activities include The Amazing Race, Nicolet Eco-Challenge, Carnival Day, Paul Bunyan Day, SpongeBob Day, and Counselor Hunt.

A Nicolet tradition, Marathon Day is an exciting annual event, and every four years we compete in the Camp Nicolet Olympics!

Northpoint Adventures is Camp Nicolet’s exciting wilderness tripping & outdoor adventure program for campers ages 11 and up!

The consists of trips tailored to different skill levels and abilities, including backpacking, canoeing, and sea kayaking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting.  Please see the Northpoint Adventures section of the website for more information on wilderness tripping opportunities.

At age 15, you are eligible to be a Camp Nicolet Senior Camper. These years at camp consist of three levels: Advanced Camper, Counselor-in-Training I, and Counselor-in-Training II.  Please see the Senior Camper section of the website for complete details!

Campers and Staff eat together three times daily, with table assignments drawn at random each Monday and Thursday.  We serve buffet style and have a salad & fruit bar available at each meal.

Camp’s Chef takes pride in providing well-balanced meals to ensure everyone has plenty of energy for the day. During mealtimes, you have full decision on what to eat, and “having seconds” is quite popular!

Once per session we have special “Dining Hall Nights” hosted by a staff committee. These nights provide an opportunity for dressing up, trying special theme-related foods, and having some fun!  Past dining hall nights have included the Camp Nicolet Haunted Mansion, Twin Night, and Fiesta.

At Camp Nicolet, we are able to accommodate special dietary needs, including nut-free, lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian. Please help us to provide a well-rounded menu for you by disclosing these needs on Medical Forms which your parents help complete.

Learn More on the Food & Dining Page »

Having a birthday at camp is a special occasion!  If you are the “birthday girl,” you receive a special birthday sign crafted by your counselors, a birthday cake (flavor combination of your choice), and prepare for camp’s traditional birthday song!

The party continues in the evening when you take more cake back to the cabin to share with friends!  We encourage your parents to contact the camp office for approval to send a special care package and to set up a birthday phone call.

Comfy clothing appropriate to the activity in which you’re participating is encouraged.  It’s best to bring a good supply of shorts, jeans, and t-shirts to camp.  The traditional Camp Nicolet uniform (a Camper polo shirt, tan/khaki shorts, and white tennis shoes or sneakers) is worn on a handful of special days and for various events during the summer – but not everyday.  Phew!

Soooooo… Camp Nicolet is “tech-free.”

We believe that you (and the Staff) benefit from time to disconnect from electronic devices in order to reconnect with ourselves and others face-to-face.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) you may not bring electronic devices, including phones, laptops, tablets, video games, e-readers (Kindles), video cameras, or smart watches connected to cellular signal or the Internet.

Campers found with such items are asked to turn them into the office, where we will keep them safely until departure.  In an effort to lead by example, Staff are also not allowed use of the above items within earshot or sight of you.  We do allow digital cameras, as long as they are not able to connect to the Internet.

We allow the use if iPods or MP3 players for Campers who would like to use them while falling asleep.  Have your parents contact the Camp Director for approval.  Such devices are used only while you are in your bunk.

Yes, parents are welcome to visit at Camp Nicolet.  Visitation begins 10 days after the start of a session, and ends 24 hours before a session concludes.

We ask parents make a reservation to come visit you at camp – by logging in to MY CAMP ACCOUNT and completing the Parent Visitation Form.

Part of the importance of the summer camp experience is fostering independence by learning how to be away from home.

While many believe that contact with home helps you settle into camp life and ease homesickness, it’s our experience that the opposite is true; phone calls home tend to increase the length and severity of homesickness.

For this reason, we do not allow phone calls at camp. The only exception is for campers who have a birthday while at Nicolet.

Enjoy Activities like Arts & Crafts at Camp Nicolet Summer Camp for Girls in Wisconsin!!

Cabin Life

FAQs

Activities

Senior Campers

Packing List

Testimonials

Testimonials

As a preteen who struggled to find her place in school— I absolutely flourished at camp and was forever changed. Camp Nicolet helped me discover who I was and how powerful one girl could become.

Alumni

Cannot begin to thank you enough for giving my daughter a chance to have the most amazing summer of her young life. she thoroughly enjoyed her time at camp, made so many nice friends, and had so many wonderful experiences (including the backpacking trip along Lake Superior) that she can’t stop talking about it.

Parent of Camper
One day, I will return to gather Nicolet up into my arms. One does not forget, ever, being so very lucky to have grown up with such a friend as Nicolet. I treasure it always.
Alumni
Our daughter would not be the strong, confident person she is today without the experiences she had at Camp Nicolet. Thank you a thousand times over!
Parent of Camper
Camp means more to me that you will ever know. My best friends/sisters are the most important people in my life. I am forever grateful to you for providing me (and my mom!) with nine wonderful summers. I would not be who I am today without Nicolet.
Alumni

Camp Nicolet is a tremendous gift, not just for our daughter, but for our whole family. It’s always nice to remind our daughter that her favorite time of year is the one month she doesn’t have a phone in her hands. Camp is a huge part of who our daughter is – for that we are thankful.

Parent of Camper

Because of camp, I have been able to meet so many different people with all different backgrounds. Camp is just a magical place where girls from all over come to be girls, and I can honestly say there has not been a day at camp out of all my years that I did not feel like I had best friends who really cared for me.

Alumni

The fact that you are able to slow these girls down, detach them from their electronics, and show them all that Nicolet has to offer is amazing to me and very lucky for them. You have not only kept the very special legacy of Nicolet going, but you have added to and changed camp in such a way that you have kept it relevant to this next generation. Thank you for that.

Alumni

Everyone was so kind and attentive. I enjoyed getting the letters and seeing the excitement in our daughters handwriting. She survived without her phone! We have camp as a reference now, as we remind her of how much she accomplished without devices or streaming media

Parent of Camper

My 9 years at Camp Nicolet are some of the highlights of my life.  I think of my time on Lake Franklin, laughing, singing, learning new skills, and making lifelong friends. The memories are a source of pure joy and happiness buffering the inevitable challenges of life!

Alumni