FAQs

Campers travel from all over the country to attend Camp Mont Shenandoah. Most girls come from the mid-Atlantic region, but they also hail from New England and as far away as California and the Pacific Northwest. International campers are part of our family, too.

Camp Mont Shenandoah is a fully accredited member of the American Camp Association and has been since 1954 when they first instituted the process! As an accredited camp, we are evaluated every three years on all matters related to health, safety, and risk management.

All counselors and staff members participate in comprehensive training workshops before camp begins. Most counselors began as campers, and by the time they become counselors they are exceptionally well qualified when it comes to listening, nurturing, team building, coaching, inclusion, and homesickness.

Friends and family are encouraged to send letters (although please no packages and no food) through the US Postal Service. If you want to write a few letters before camp begins, your camper will begin to receive mail right away.  Through our partner CampMinder, you may send one-way emails that we print and deliver on a daily basis.

Campers are encouraged to write letters home! Campers deposit letters in the camp mailbox and they are mailed every weekday.

We invite family and friends of campers to visit for special occasions and Parents Weekend but request that visitors refrain from coming at other times. It has been our experience that unscheduled family and friend appearances can hamper our program and be disruptive to the overall camp experience. Campers may not leave camp except for emergencies and family weddings.

Most campers will experience some degree of homesickness, especially if this is their first time away from home for an extended period. Getting busy and making friends are the best ways to conquer these normal but powerful emotions. Counselors are trained to empathize with camper’s feelings, share their own experiences, and offer encouragement.

Yes, we frequently post photos through CampMinder, which provides you with an update on camp life. Photos typically include images of activities and/or evening programs. We cannot guarantee photos of every camper, but we try our best!

We place girls in cabins according to age and make every attempt to accommodate cabin requests whenever possible. We want to remind campers and parents that it’s great to come to camp with friends but we encourage all girls to meet new people and develop new friendships. Being in a cabin with girls other than those from home will help facilitate this process.  Learn more about cabin life.

Our staff is generally able to accommodate special menus for campers with allergies. The kitchen has years of experience with special dietary requirements, including lactose intolerance and Celiac disease. We serve vegetarian and gluten free options at every meal. Please note that CMS is not a certified nut-free camp.

Upon arrival, the campers will have the opportunity to create their own schedule. All campers take swimming every day and those campers that sign up to ride will have that scheduled as well. Because Roots & Shoots is an introductory camp experience, all campers participate in all of the activities offered.

Our philosophy is the less technology while at camp, the better! Campers are here to learn and grow in a shared community and natural environment. Mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets are not allowed. Summer camp nurtures the creative distance-building that is essential to a child’s growth. Access to cellphones can quickly short-circuit that growth potential so we limit phone calls to campers on the occasion of a birthday and in the event of a family emergency. Exception: campers traveling by air are allowed to travel with a cell phone; these phones will be collected and returned for the trip home.

Yes, yes, yes! Our summers are built around many longstanding traditions that bind our new campers, our experienced campers, and our enthusiastic staff and alumnae together. These traditions take a front seat every day, from our color team rivalry (the Greens versus the Buffs), The Fives (girls who have attended camp for five summers or more), Wishing Boats, Songfest, Honor Meets, Final Banquet and our Camp Spirit Ceremony, and many more. Read more about our traditions here.

The tenets of Love, Loyalty, Friendship, Sportsmanship and Spiritual Awareness form the central guiding principles of our camp experience.

We are not a religious camp but we do strive to find the spiritual in our everyday life and in our natural world. We think of spirituality in a holistic sense, and consider the well being of the mind, body, and spirit. There are Wednesday evening Vespers and Sunday services — these gatherings are conducted by campers and counselors and focus on character building. They are loosely based on Judeo-Christian principles as well as the Twelve Laws of Woodcraft.

Roots & Shoots is an introductory one-week camp session for girls between the ages of 7 and 13 who aren’t yet quite ready for an extended time away from home. All campers participate in all activities offered, including swimming, archery, tennis, arts & crafts, athletics, soccer, drama and music. Horseback riding is an option also available to R&S campers. During the week, girls are brought together and introduced to summer camping in an intimate, inclusive and caring setting. Most CMS traditions are reserved for three and six-week campers but we do introduce the new girls to the concept of teams. Learn more about Roots & Shoots.

Yes, a Camp Spirit Scholarship provides a financial resource for campers to attend camp that may not otherwise be able to due to financial constraints.  The Camp Spirit Scholarship is held by the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath and Alleghany Counties (CFRBA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information on the scholarship and to view the application, please contact our office. If you are interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the fund, click here. Families may wish to explore additional financial aid or payment options. Please contact us to discuss the possibilities.

Space fills up quickly and we encourage you to get started with the registration process as soon as possible. Available slots are filled first-come, first-served. As we are a small, family-owned camp, our program has limited availability and typically fills up at least six months before camp begins.