This information is from 2024. For current details, check out Family Fun Toronto’s Summer Camp Guide!
There’s no better way for a kid to spend a summer in Ontario than at summer camp! Sparrow Lake Summer Camp provides a welcoming summer home for kids in a convenient location in the popular Muskoka region. South of the town of Gravenhurst, only a 90-minute drive north of the GTA, Sparrow Lake Camp offers various overnight summer camp programs for kids and teens aged 5-16 years. The camp is situated on a large peninsula extending into Sparrow Lake, with over 125 acres of land made up of Precambrian shield and healthy mixed forest. This area is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants and wildlife, which contribute to its beauty. Even though Sparrow Lake Camp isn’t far from the city, it still feels like a world away!
Founded in 1912, Sparrow Lake Camp is the oldest children’s recreational camp operated by the United Church of Canada, intended as a community for people of all faiths and philosophies. Therefore, each camper can experience the natural wonders of this inclusive summer camp without judgement or expectation. Sparrow Lake Camp believes in accepting people for who they are, here and now. Campers have an amazing opportunity to express their own faith, focusing on building a community for all kids to share. Together, the kids laugh, grow, learn, build friendships and overcome obstacles. Most of all, campers get the opportunity to soak up the fresh air and natural beauty of this rustic camp setting.
Everyone is invited to join the fun camp experience, regardless of age, sex/gender, gender expression, sexuality, faith, race, socio-economic status or ability. The camp programs instead concentrate on building human connection and the organizers pride themselves on taking friendship-building very seriously! Campers bond with their cabin and group mates and share their own experiences through fun and engaging programs. Along with the typical outdoor camp activities, the campers also learn to navigate conflicts and grow together as a community.
Every Kid Belongs at Sparrow Lake Camp!
Camp life at Sparrow Lake is all about young people choosing their own path and discovering their unique capabilities. The daily schedule allow campers the opportunity to spend plenty of quality time with their cabin mates and activity groups while also making time to explore activities that interest them personally.
Whether they want to make new friends, learn to sail a boat, make a sculpture in the forest, act in a theatrical production or cook over an open flame, every person who comes to Sparrow Lake can unearth their many talents and capabilities. In turn, the campers then share that exhilarating feeling of personal expression with each other, which benefits the entire community.
The camp offers a wide variety of activities for campers of all skill levels, including:
SailingCanoeing, Kayaking, and Stand-up paddle BoardingTarget Sports — Sling-Shots and ArcherySwimmingLand Sports — Baseball, Basketball, Soccer and moreRopes Course and 40’ rock climbing wallCrafts — Tie-dye, jewellery making, candle dipping, and other classic camp craftsPerforming Arts — Dance, Sing, Act, Shine!Leisure Games — Corn Hole, Ladder Toss, Croquet, Frisbee, Kubb and Bocce BallStudio Arts — Sculpture, Painting, Nature Arts, and moreWonder of Wilderness — Nature exploration program, shelter building, campfire cookery, hikes, and more
Sparrow Lake Summer Camp Facilities & Programs
Sparrow Lake Camp is blessed with over two kilometres of shoreline on Ontario’s beautiful Sparrow Lake, part of the Trent-Severn Waterway System that connects Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. Indeed, the lake is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day!
Built in 1927, Sparrow Lake Camp has 182 beautiful bunks in total, including cabins with large screened windows that keep bugs out but bring breezes summer in! Each cabin has an electrical outlet, hard-wired smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher. The main washhouse has toilets, sinks and showers, and there are extra individual portable restroom facilities around the camp too.
Junior Campers (Ages 6-9)
For kids in Grades SK-Grade 3, the 5 or 13-night Discover Camp is a special program geared toward younger campers. This program runs at the same time as the regular sessions, with extra care and attention that beginners often need. Meanwhile, campers try out all the same activities as the older campers, but with a higher staff-to-camper ratio that can make a big difference in creating a comfortable experience. The young campers also have an earlier bedtime, plus some special activities also help keep their energy going!
One & Two Week Camps (Ages 6-15)
These 5 or 13-night camp sessions for kids in SK-Grade 9 deliver the classic summer camp experience! Campers get one or two weeks of parent-free and kid-focussed fun, filled with great food and awesome friends. Moreover, the campers gain knowledge and life skills, build strong social connections, spend time in nature, and come home with loads of stories to tell.
During the kids’ time at camp, they get to try out all of Sparrow Lake Camp’s excellent activities, meet lots of other kids, swim in the lake, get dirty, have a campfire, make bracelets, build forts, eat s’mores, camp out, run, paddle, climb, sail, and so much more!
Special Teen Leaders-in-Training Program
For campers turning 16 in the camp calendar year, this leadership program is specially designed for teens to discover their personal strengths and then share this knowledge with the rest of the camp. With a “back to basics” style, the campers learn skills to help them on their life journey, wherever it takes them. While they discover their uniqueness, they also gain the critical self-awareness necessary to move forward through future challenges. Through confidence and problem-solving, these young leaders can then adapt and overcome whatever life might throw at them.
Even better, the experienced campers get the chance to learn advanced camp skills, like solo sailing, lifesaving skills and leading a group of younger campers. After the L.I.T. program, the teens are more prepared to move to the next chapter, potentially as a Junior Staff in-training at Sparrow Lake Camp!
2024 Rates and Dates
5-Night Sessions
One Week A — July 1-6: $890.00One Week B — July 21-26: $970.00One Week C — July 29 – August 3: $970.00One Week D — August 18-23: $890.00
13-Night Sessions
Two Week A — July 7-20: $2200.00Two Week B — August 4-17: $2200.00L.I.T. A — July 7-20: $2250.00L.I.T. B — August 4-17: $2250.00
*Rates subject to HST
Additional Child Discount
A 15% discount can be applied at check-out for each additional child in the same family.
Bus Transportation
$17.70 each way
One of the best parts of the camp experience is the bus ride to camp! There are stops in Toronto/North York, Vaughan, Oakville/Missisauga or Ajax. The bus from Orillia is free each way.
Sparrow Lake Summer Camp
When: 5 & 13-night sessions from July 1 to August 23, 2024
Where: 1437 United Church Camp Lane, Severn Bridge
Phone: 416-483-2619
Email: office@sparrowlakecamp.com
Website: www.sparrowlakecamp.com
Score more details about Summer Camps in Toronto and the GTA here!
