Combining rich in-camp activities with a robust canoeing & hiking program for girls age 8-16.
With over 25 years at its current location, Songadeewin’s tradition of play and personal exploration is over a century old, originally founded in 1921 on Lake Willoughby, VT.
Nestled in the heart of Vermont, where the Green Mountains meet the peaceful shores of Lake Dunmore, Songadeewin, or “Songa” as it’s known to our campers and staff, is a very special place where girls from 2nd to 9th grade come to feed their spirits and learn to be strong of heart.
Unique among summer programs in the Eastern U.S., the Songadeewin experience combines all of the excitement of a full in-camp program with overnight wilderness journeys for every camper—by foot and canoe—that take campers out into nature to seek adventure and discover themselves.
From the first excited hello to the last tearful goodbye, Songa campers spend their days forging lifelong friendships, learning new skills, and achieving independence, all while having more fun than they ever thought could fit into a single season. This near century old tradition of play and personal exploration makes Songadeewin more than a camp. It’s a second summer home and everyone who comes to know it takes a piece of it with them when they go.
Nothing is more important to running a successful camp than having an outstanding staff. Songadeewin prides itself on the quality and commitment of its staff! Mature, caring, talented and fun-loving, they are dedicated to providing the best possible summer for our campers.
The camp director is Lauren McDowell. Lauren came to Songa in 2022, initially working along Songadeewin’s longtime director, Ellen Flight, and then taking the helm. Lauren’s background includes twenty years in a career dedicated to experiential education across cultures, for middle and high school students. First as a trip leader and later as a programmer and director, Lauren designed and ran educational programs with the potential to impact the personal growth and perspectives of young people. Now, Lauren is thrilled to be leading Songadeewin into a new chapter and is inspired daily as she continues the important work of cultivating a space where girls learn to be independent, build essential skills in teamwork and interdependence, challenge their bodies, live simply in nature, and speak their authentic voices.
Lauren’s family is active in the Songa and Keewaydin camp communities. Her husband, Drew, is a lifelong educator who lives on campus and participates in life at Songa during the summer. Their sons, Callan and Holden, attend Keewaydin Dunmore, while Anders, the youngest, is waiting for his chance to join them.
Each of the four “Groves,” or age groups, has its own director. These Grove directors make up the leadership team. Grove directors are especially experienced staff who have this leadership role, and they are all educators during the rest of the year.
Preparation starts well before the opening day with a week-long orientation focused on the needs of our upcoming class of campers. Staff training for new staff lasts for two weeks and includes a full week learning how to lead Songa trips and a two-day Wilderness First Aid course. The entire staff attends one week of staff training, which includes leadership training sessions, waterfront safety drills, CPR training, camp policies and procedures, as well as plenty of time spent reviewing information forms submitted by parents about their children. During this time, outside experts in the fields of psychology and education work alongside our Leadership Team and experienced staff to ensure that every counselor starts every season with the highest possible level of expertise.
In Vermont, summer is the season of expanding horizons, a time when warm winds and a generous sun bring the freedom to more fully explore ourselves and our world. It’s also the perfect time to have some serious fun!
At Songadeewin, we merge these two sides of summer into a single experience. As educators, we look at the whole child and their individual development over time. With the understanding that this process unfolds differently for every child, our counselors use our unique “coup” achievement system to encourage each camper to both develop new talents and acquire expertise in her existing interests. Progressive goals assure that returning campers build upon previous seasons’ efforts to go farther than they ever thought they could. This work is about more than simply teaching skills and promoting independence. It’s about building character, creating self-confidence, and discovering how to be strong of heart.
Most important of all, we’re stewards of childhood, that precious time when life is filled with infinite possibility and dreams can be real. Now more than ever, we believe kids need space to be kids, to explore and to take risks in a safe environment, and to experience a summer tech-free. That’s our mission: to liberate girls from the pressures of school and ordinary life, and give their minds, bodies, and spirits a place to run free.
The camp is divided into four main age groups, each with their own living areas, called “Groves.” Songadeewin’s campus is roughly 40 acres of fields and woods, with nearly 500 yards of shoreline on Lake Dumore. Activities and trips are done primarily by Grove, however the entire camp eats together in a central dining hall, and there are many events and activities that we do together as a camp.
Wabasso is for our youngest campers, 8 to 10 year-olds. These campers live in cabins while in-camp, and will go on two-day to four-day overnight hiking or canoeing trips.
Matagami is for 10 to 12-year-olds. These campers live in cabins while in-camp, and will go on two-day to four-day overnight hiking or canoeing trips.
Nawaiwan is for 12 to 14-year-olds. These campers live in cabins while in-camp, and will go on two-day to four-day overnight hiking or canoeing trips.
Willoughby is for 14 to 16-year-olds. Called the “tripping Grove,” these campers stay in canvas platform tents while in-camp, and get to do 10-day to 17-day hiking and canoeing trips.
Some 16 to 17 year-olds return to Songa for a special wilderness canoe trip. These campers come to camp for three days of trip preparation and training and then head north to Quebec, Canada for a four-week canoeing adventure.
The Keewaydin Foundation acknowledges that our organization and camp programs are based on the traditional territories of the Western Abenaki and the Teme-Augama Anishinabai. We respect their past, present, and future generations, the land, and their traditions. We are grateful for the opportunity to gather, learn, and travel on these lands and waterways.
You can learn more about the Vermont Abenaki here and more about Temagami First Nation here.
A summer at Songadeewin builds confidence, skills, and life-long friendships….And it’s so much fun!
Songadeewin staff are among the most engaging, creative, thoughtful, and fun-loving people. The staff are an inspiration, and are one of the key ingredients in the Songa magic that changes lives. There are many roles at camp, and many ways to be involved in a summer at camp. For more information, please visit our employment page.
A summer at Songadeewin is a wonderful mixture of engaging in-camp activities and overnight hiking or canoeing trips that provides a well-rounded experience. The staff are creative, smart, engaging, and caring role models whose goal it is to not only give the campers a dynamic and fun summer, but also to foster personal growth, build character and self-confidence, and provide belonging in a community.
It All Happens in a Place Called Vermont
At Songadeewin, campers spend their days immersed in the natural wonder of New England’s spectacular Vermont. Here, wild mountain footpaths lead from our cabin doors to untouched forests filled with wildlife and nature’s mysteries. Hidden lakes welcome canoes to crystalline waters that reflect skies so clear and blue they seem like something from a dream. By day, hawks and falcons soar over nearby cliffs. At night, the cry of loons and the call of owls echo through the dark as the awe-inspiring Milky Way spins overhead and the sweet scent of pine summons peaceful sleep.
This is the place our campers call home. And they will keep it in their hearts long after summer’s last sun sets.
Camp is a warm, nurturing and happy place with a balance of structure and free time. Most girls live in groups of eight campers with two staff (counselors) in cabins, while older campers live in canvas tents. Each day is designed with the purpose of allowing campers to take safe risks, learn new skills and expand their horizons while freeing them from the stresses of school and daily life, and allowing their imaginations to roam! Here is what a typical Songadeewin day looks like!
At every turn, we make sure two critical things are happening: the first is that girls live in continual close contact with nature. Rain or shine, we’re focused on erasing all barriers between our campers and the natural world. We also encourage our campers to share their ideas, to take charge and run the show, to find and use their “tall, strong, Songa-woman voices” through built-in leadership opportunities that present themselves at every turn from daily activities to special events.
The day begins with the sound of the “gong,” and an optional morning dip in the lake before breakfast! At 8 am, we gather in the dining hall to eat a hearty and healthy breakfast, and then the entire camp convenes at the Council Fire Ring for a song or two and the day’s announcements. Campers pick a morning activity, then return to their cabins and tents for a daily cleanup before heading to the flagpole to raise the camp flag. Next, it’s off to the day’s first activity! Our rotating selection of activities ensures that no two days are ever alike.
We eat lunch at 12:30, followed by a rest hour, and then we regroup for afternoon circles, where campers select a second activity. When the second activity ends, we have a snack and free time for girls to practice paddling, work on arts projects, participate in our daily one-mile running club loop, or do anything else they’d like.
After dinner we have “boats out” when campers and staff can take out canoes close to the shoreline. There is a bit of free time before campers head to an organized evening activity for each individual grove or for the entire camp. Many nights, staff wind down the evening by reading to the campers and singing a “good night song”. Lights out happens around 9:15 to 9:30 p.m.
In addition to the many activities, we structure plenty of supervised free-time into each day so that campers can relax and make their own fun. During free time, girls can be found plating tetherball, swimming in Lake Dunmore, swinging (and singing!) with friends, shooting hoops, making friendship bracelets, or simply reading a book.
On the shores of Lake Dunmore, at the foot of Mt. Moosalamoo, our location is ideal for swimming, boating, hiking, and exploring the natural world. The 60-acre campus has fields, courts, and a climbing wall to support a wonderful variety of activities, taught by a well trained staff. The “coup system” encourages campers to not only choose what activity they would like to do on any given day, but also teaches them to set goals, plan ahead and be responsible. Activities are designed to be just as much about having fun as they are about learning new skills. Though not all activities are offered every day, there are always plenty to choose from. Our rotating selection of activities ensures that no two days are ever alike.
Songadeewin is the only summer program for girls in the eastern U.S. to combine traditional camp-based life with extended wilderness travel. These extraordinary adventures lie at the center of the Songadeewin experience and form the crucial foundation of our work to build strong hearts, able bodies, and eager minds. At Songa, whether by foot or canoe, everybody “trips” during their stay. Our tripping program is progressive with younger campers heading out into Vermont’s legendary backcountry for three or four days, while our oldest trippers venture north into the Canadian wilderness for 17 days.
Campers leave campus for their trips excited by the challenges ahead–canoes to paddle, mountains to climb, tents to pitch, fires to build, meals to cook–and, despite wind, rain, or whatever else nature offers, they learn to meet these challenges with their own bodies and minds. The joy and pride on their faces when they return from their trip is partly from days of fun and adventure, but also from internal growth and maturation gained from the challenges of life on trip. The staff are highly trained and experienced leaders, who help them navigate the land and water, as well as the challenges they provide.
As the campers grow up, our trips present increased challenge and opportunities to work and learn together as part of a small group and team. From paddling and hiking to setting up camp and preparing dinner, our trips involve real work and that’s the point. Trips are an outdoor ‘laboratory’ where cooperation is a must, and each camper’s own capabilities are tested and grown in a slow process designed to build personal confidence, critical teamwork skills, acceptance of new ideas and perspectives, and that essential quality called grit.
Campers return from trips with far more than indelible memories. They bring home a concrete sense of genuine achievement and a newfound personal strength that can only come from being a part of something bigger than themselves and authentic experiences in the wild.
The youngest campers go on four-day trips, primarily in Vermont State Parks and the Green Mountain National Forest. The middle age-groups go on trips ranging from five to eight days in the Adirondacks of New York and the lakes and rivers in New Hampshire and Maine.
Willoughby is the grove for the oldest campers, is known as the “tripping grove.” Willoughby trips, typically ten days in length, travel through rugged territories of northern New England and remote rivers of Quebec, Canada. The most experienced campers go on a seventeen-day canoe trip in the Verendrye Wildlife Preserve in Quebec.
Campers aged sixteen and seventeen are eligible for Songa’s Wilderness Trip Program. In this program, trippers come to camp for three days of trip preparation and training and then head north to Quebec, Canada for a four-week canoeing adventure in native Cree territory. Most of the trip takes place on rivers where campers have the opportunity to expand upon their whitewater skills. On these trips boys experience a unique expedition lifestyle and often visit First Nation settlements.
The Wilderness Trip includes a leadership development component. Upon their return, Wilderness trippers may stay at camp for two days to work with the younger campers under the direction of a grove director. Combining this leadership training component with their canoe tripping experience leads many wilderness trippers to become future valued staff, steeped in the ways of Songadeewin camping which they pass down to the next generation of campers.
Our camp kitchen and cook with us to ensure mealtimes always include fresh, healthy, and nutritious food. Good food nurtures both the body and the spirit, and mealtimes are a highlight of the day. Meals provide the fuel that gets our bodies going and gives us the energy we need for an active, engaged day. But our mealtimes are also a chance to make new friends and strike up a conversation with someone new.
Three times a day, the entire camp gathers in our gorgeous Fraser Dining Hall, which sits on the north end of the great lawn. Here, we eat family style with overflowing serving bowls and platters passed between hungry campers and staff alike. Every meal features options to meet most dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, and dairy free.
Breakfast always includes hot cereal, cold cereal, and a fresh fruit, granola and yogurt bar, and main dish such as scrambled eggs, pancakes, or French toast. There are lots of options to ensure everyone starts out the day with a hearty breakfast.
Lunchtime favorites include chicken patties, tacos, deli sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches. Vegetarian options are always available, and lunch includes an extensive salad bar with fresh local vegetables and fruit, which sometimes comes from our on-site vegetable garden beds.
Dinners feature dishes such as roast chicken, chili, roast beef, spaghetti, pizza and pulled pork, always with a vegetarian option available. A robust salad bar, with a wide range of toppings and sides, accompanies dinner. Vegetables come from an organic farm 15 minutes from camp. Fresh local produce is incorporated into as many of the meals as possible.
Twice each week we have a cookout with hotdogs, hamburgers, tofu pups, veggie burgers, salads, and many other delicious sides. It is a highlight of each week! Campers can enjoy their meals sitting lakeside with friends while enjoying a beautiful view.
There are also special meals throughout the summer, such as the Fourth of July cookout and the end-of-summer Banquet which are highly anticipated by all.
Tradition plays an important role at Songadeewin. It’s the glue that binds generations of campers together and the rock to which we anchor our hearts in a sometimes turbulent and uncertain world. At Songa, our traditions stretch back over 90 years and have grown to encompass many ceremonies and celebrations that add an extra dimension to our days and weeks each summer.
There are many field trips, special events and ceremonies throughout the summer which offer a change from the typical camp routine and add to the depth of the Songadeewin experience. Returning campers, in particular, look forward to traditions such as the Fourth of July Cookout, “Halloween,” the Corn Roast, Beach Day, Carnival, Songathon, Movie Under the Stars, Old-Timer’s Day, the end-of-summer Banquet, and Candlelight ceremony, a special evening where campers reflect on the camp ideals they’ve learned and the many close friendships they’ve made. These events and ceremonies ground us in our sense of place, build solidarity and belonging throughout the camp community, reinforce the positive values and ethos of the camp, and connect us to honored traditions and history.
Current parents can log in for access to current photos from camp as they become available! Photos of past seasons are also available without a login here.
Enroll your camper now to reserve a spot for next summer. Join Songadeewin’s legacy of tradition and excellence in camping and youth development, now in its second century.
Inclusion Statement
Songadeewin is a summer camp for girls that is part of the Keewaydin Foundation. The Keewaydin Foundation operates single-gender summer camps whose mission is to help children grow and flourish by living in community, learning to be independent and interdependent, and living simply. We foster kindness, courage, honesty, resilience and leadership and we strive to create a joyful community based on inclusivity, shared values, and respect.
Admissions Policy
Songadeewin welcomes and supports children who identify as girls and who are physically and emotionally prepared to fully participate in the program. We serve all campers who meet the criteria for admission regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or transgender or non-binary status. If you have a question about your child and camp, we invite you to contact the Camp Director to have a conversation about whether our camp is a good fit for your child. The Camp Director will make admissions decisions.
Our fee structure is designed to encourage participation in our eight-week program and make this full Songadeewin experience affordable for the greatest number of families. We believe the longer program offers girls the very best camp experience.
June 22-August 16 – $11,800
June 22-July 20 – $9,125
July 20-August 16 – $9,125
There are a limited number of two-week spaces for new campers who are completing the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grades.
June 23-July 6 – $5,575
July 21-August 3 – $5,575
Due to their rugged nature, Wilderness trips are for girls who have graduated from Songa’s camp program, ages 15 – 17.
June 29-August 7 – $10,250
The Keewaydin Foundation is committed to making the life changing experience of our camps possible and accessible for campers from all backgrounds and partnering with families into the future so their child can attend camp for summers to come.
In 2024, 141 campers enrolled in our three camps — Keewaydin Dunmore, Songadeewin, and Keewaydin Temagami — received over $987,000 in financial aid, which represented over 20% of our total camper population. Scholarship awards range from $1000 to full financial support. We aim to make it possible for children to enjoy the wonders of summer camp, canoe trips, and meet kids from all over the U.S. and world.
Once we award scholarships, campers are eligible to return with scholarship aid for the duration of their camp career. Our ability to provide aid to new campers depends on the needs of the family and the available funding after we have provided for our returning scholarship campers. Let’s begin this process; we are eager to welcome you into our camp communities!
How to apply
Timeline & Scholarship decisions
Please contact the Songadeewin director, Lauren McDowell (lauren@keewaydin.org) if you have any questions about our camps or scholarship opportunities.
Join the directors and other families for an information session about the Keewaydin Dunmore summer experience. It is a great chance to learn more about the camp, ask questions, and meet other Keewaydin families.
Please check back in October when dates will be posted!
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Please check back in the fall when dates are posted!
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Please check back in the fall when dates are posted!
TBD
Please check back in the fall when dates are posted!
TBD
Please check back in the fall when dates are posted!
TBD
Please check back in the fall when dates are posted!
Please email Director Lauren McDowell (lauren@keewaydin.org) to attend, for more information, or to inquire about hosting an event.
Parents’ Midseason visiting weekend takes place on the third weekend in July. Parents are welcome on campus Saturday of Mid-Season from 9:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. There will be an outdoor picnic lunch and outdoor BBQ dinner on Saturday that parents are welcome to attend. More details will be sent to parents prior to camp!
The well-being and safety of campers is our highest priority. Songadeewin has mature, responsible, and well-trained staff. Our staff hold current Wilderness First Aid, CPR and Small Craft Safety certifications; we also have over 15 lifeguards on staff. Each year we invite an expert on camping and children, often a psychologist, to conduct sessions with our staff.
Campers’ health is monitored and maintained by a consulting physician and resident camp nurses. We have two nurses in residence all summer and our consulting physician’s office is 15 minutes from camp. All campers are checked in at the Health Center on the first day of camp.
Our Health Center is fully equipped for basic first aid and is a quiet, comfortable space for campers who need to spend a day or night there. Camper medication, whether prescribed by a doctor a home or by the camp physician, is kept in the Health Center and is administered by the nurses. Access to emergency medical care is 15 minutes away at Porter Hospital in Middlebury.
Staff supervise campers’ personal hygiene, including basic hand-washing before meals, teeth-brushing, and showers several times a week. Parents will also be glad to know we have hot showers, modern plumbing, and state-tested water from our private well!
While we pride ourselves on gently pushing each camper outside her own individual comfort zone, this is always a thoughtful process in which possible risks are carefully controlled and managed by staff members who have been thoroughly trained to understand them.
Here are some of the common questions parents and campers have. If you have any other questions, or would like more information pertaining to any of the questions below, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Yes! Songadeewin is accredited by the American Camping Association and must comply with extensive standards in program, personnel, administration and facilities.
Our camp is non-sectarian. We have an all-camp Sunday Circle gathering each weekend by the lake, which is a community time. Here, campers and staff offer readings, reflections and songs related to a theme, like friendship, sharing, teamwork, caring for each other, or appreciation of nature.
Financial aid is available to campers and families who would not otherwise be able to attend. Most aid is partial. For further information, email lauren@keewaydin.org.
Thankfully, yes! Laundry is done weekly for all campers at no charge. Campers must bring their own sheets and towels. Blankets and pillows are available to rent for the summer for a small fee.
Parents may visit campus for Parents’ Weekend during Mid-Season. Learn more about Parents’ Weekend.
Yes! Tripping is a keystone of the Songadeewin experience, and all ages participate in canoe and hiking trips of varying lengths.
Personal gear including sleeping bags, sleeping pads, waterproof bags and personal water bottles must be supplied by each camper. We provide tents, backpacks, ground cloths, and cooking equipment. Click here to learn more about camping supplies.
All forms can be found here.
Songadeewin works with CampMeds which provides pre-packaged medication for campers. Please refer to CampMeds‘ FAQ for questions concerning medication.
We need full discretion to pair campers with appropriate staff so we unfortunately can’t honor specific housing requests. Tent and cabin assignments are based on camper needs, physical development, and age groups. Summer camp is also a golden opportunity to make new friendships, and so we discourage housing hometown friends together.
We strongly encourage communication by regular, “old fashioned” letters and postcards. Campers love getting mail delivered, and replying helps them develop good writing skills. You may also email your child using songaoffice@keewaydin.org with your child’s name and Tent or Cabin name in the subject line, and we will print your email and deliver it to your camper when mail is delivered each day. Please note that your child will not respond via email, however they can respond via mail! Phone calls are discouraged, but we do allow brief parent phone calls during specific windows of time after the first two weeks of camp. We ask that you limit the conversation to 5 minutes and no more often than once a week. See our Parent Manual for more details.
Current, registered parents can access their Keewaydin CampMinder account by clicking the link below. Update your family information, fill out camp forms, and have access to important camp resources.
Songadeewin doesn’t require camp uniforms. Here are a few quick guidelines, be sure to check out the complete Clothing & Equipment Packing List.
At Songadeewin, fashion and appearances don’t matter. It’s character that counts! We ask that everyone leave make-up and other non-essential personal care items at home as well as hair dryers and designer clothes. Instead we ask that campers bring rugged, casual clothing suitable for outdoor activities and camping experiences, and conditions that can range from damp and chilly to hot and humid in a single day!
Living in the outdoors, a camper needs to have clothing appropriate for temperatures ranging from 50 degrees to 90 degrees. It is important to have a good raincoat and warm jacket (e.g. fleece or wool).
It is also important to have proper footwear: a good pair of sneakers, an old pair of sneakers (for “wet loaders” when canoeing), a second pair of sturdy sneakers or trail shoes, and a water shoe such as Crocs.
Each camper needs to have personal camping gear for tripping such as a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, waterproof dry bag, and water bottles.
Camp provides equipment such as tents, backpacks, ground cloths, and cooking equipment.
Laundry is done weekly at camp, so there is no need to overpack. Our camp store has apparel as well.
Our camp store always has Songadeewin t-shirts, sweatshirts, fleeces, and hats in stock, along with basic tripping gear like flashlights, river bags, and water bottles.
A limited selection of items may be purchased at our online camp store in advance of camp.
It has long been a tradition to maintain a place for our campers that is simple, rustic and close to nature. One of the aspects of camp that campers, staff, and parents most appreciate about Songadeewin is the opportunity to “unplug” from technology! Songadeewin is a tech free environment: no cell phones, mobile devices, computers, etc.!
Cameras are permitted as long as they are not part of a phone or a wifi or cellular device.
Songadeewin is located on the north end of Lake Dunmore in Salisbury, VT, 10 miles south of Middlebury, 200 miles northwest of Boston and 275 miles north of New York City. There is Amtrak train service to Rutland, 45 minutes to the south, and Middlebury, 15 minutes to the north.
Campers generally get to camp three ways:
Drop Off: Many campers are dropped off at camp, you can drive directly to the campus.
Bus: Camp provides chartered bus transportation from New York City, chaperoned by staff, at the beginning and end of the camp season.
Fly: Burlington is an hour from camp and offers direct and connecting flights anywhere. The camp will provide transportation to and from the Burlington airport for those campers who fly.
Go to the CampMinder Parent Portal to complete important forms for your camper. Please submit your forms as soon as possible, but no later than May 15. Thank you!
