About Camp Downer

Explore Downer

You’ll have a great time, make new friends, and learn new skills. Some of the things you can do at Camp Downer include swimming, boating, crafts, soccer, volleyball, drama, shooting sports, Downer Wild, and many other exciting activities.

Two boys, one with curly black hair and wearing a black Under Armour shirt, smiling and carrying the other boy with straight brown hair and a striped shirt on his shoulders in front of a wooden building with people in the background.
A young camper with a ponytail and wearing a white sports shirt is aiming a red and black bow and arrow at a target outdoors, with a green background of trees.

Learning by Doing!

You’ll take part in campfires, skits, games, and dances. As you help out with camp duties, you’ll find that work is fun when everyone pitches in to get the job done. You’ll also have free time each day to play games, sing, perform skits, make new friends, and catch up with old ones.

Located in the Downer State Forest!

Camp Downer is located in the natural beauty of Vermont’s 705-acre Downer State Forest between Sharon and South Strafford. The facilities at Camp Downer include a swimming pool, a pond for boating and fishing, fourteen sleeping cabins, a recreation hall, a dining hall, a crafts cabin, a nature cabin, a recreation field, an archery range, a rifle range, miles of hiking trails and more.

A peaceful lakeside scene with a grassy path leading to the water, surrounded by green trees and bushes on a sunny day.
Group of young people and adults outdoors in a wooded area, posing for a group photo on a grassy slope, many wearing green shirts with a logo.

Staffed by Dedicated Personnel!

A director, assistant director, office personnel, program heads, a licensed nurse, kitchen staff, maintenance staff, and many counselors. One or more counselors live in each cabin with the campers.

Open for Eight Weeks Each Summer!

Each summer there are six one-week sessions and one two-week session. Most campers stay for one session, however, you are welcome to return for as many sessions as you would like!

A group of children and teenagers sitting on a grassy hillside under trees during the daytime, some raising their hands.