Overview
Here's what makes Camp Hurontario stand out
Located in the islands of the Georgian Bay, two hours north of Toronto, Camp Hurontario’s flexible, non-school like approach to programming, with an amazing variety of non-city activities, offers each age level new and exciting challenges. Our extensive canoe tripping program offers adventures in Northern Ontario from our northern outpost camp, trips in Quebec, and the Arctic. Our staff to camper ratio is 1:2. 1-week intro program (ages 5-8). 2-week sessions (ages 7-13). 3.5-week sessions (ages 7-16). Leadership program ages (ages 15-16).

Special needs: Yes, mild support.
A few of our campers have special needs.
Visit the Camp Hurontario website

Programs, Rates & Dates

Programs and Sessions Calendar

Our small group, non-competitive philosophy makes Camp Hurontario unique. Our environment fosters learning and growing at one's own pace. As a result, we don't use a badge or level system for activities. Anther unique aspect about our camp is that campers do their activities with their group and their counsellor. As a group, campers democratically decide which activities they'd like to do, and the counsellor will book that for them at programming. By doing activities with their cabin groups, campers tend to build much stronger bonds, and help each other get out of their comfort zone at activities. Lastly, our spectacular location allows our campers to explore freely, unaffected by city life, boats, highways, and cottages.

Choose the right programs and sessions for your child; Camp Hurontario currently has 4 programs available.

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Name

Type/Gender

Specialty

Location

Date

Bus

Cost

Leadership Program

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Overnight Camp
All Boys
Ages: 14 - 16

Traditional (multi activity)

$5,150

Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jun 29-Jul 23		$5,150/month
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jul 27-Aug 20		$5,150

Three and a Half Week Sessions

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Overnight Camp
All Boys
Ages: 7 - 16

Traditional (multi activity)

$5,150

Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jun 29-Jul 23		$5,150/month
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jul 27-Aug 20		$5,150

Two Week Sessions

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Overnight Camp
All Boys
Ages: 7 - 13

Traditional (multi activity)

$3,500

Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jun 29-Jul 11	$3,500/2 weeks
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jul 11-23	$3,500
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jul 27-Aug 08	$3,500
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Aug 08-20	$3,500

Intro Camp Seven Day Session

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Overnight Camp
All Boys
Ages: 5 - 8

Traditional (multi activity)

$1,990

Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Jul 09-15		$1,990
Mactier, ON Camp Hurontario Island	Aug 06-12		$1,990

Registration Details

Registration opens in the fall for the following summer. Registration is made easy online by accessing the registration portal on our website, however, we also provide the option of registering over the phone, or by paper forms. Our rates and dates are provided there as well. Any questions about registration or the camp can be directed to the camp office by email or phone, which we are always happy to answer. Parents and campers can also request a Zoom, or house visit with the camp director. A $300 deposit is required upon registration, while the remaining balance is charged in May.

Financial Aid & Payment Details

Payment Options:

Deposit required with acceptance	Yes
Credit card payment	Yes

Discounts

Discount if paid early

$100

Scholarships & awards:

Birnie Hodgetts Memorial Children's Fund

Amount: 70% Deadline: Rolling

Type: Need based
Age: 7 to 15
Application Details: Your child’s situation and why sponsorship is being requested

Reviews & Insider Perspectives

The Our Kids review of Camp Hurontario

Pauline Hodgetts, the current director, has recalled how her father, Birnie Hodgetts was caught in a storm during a fishing trip in 1946, and sought shelter in a bay, where he and his brother hunkered down for the night. In the morning, he said “This is where I will have my camp.” It took a bit of work (which Pauline recounts here) but, as improbable as it might seem, he did. Founded in 1947, Hurontario remains today what it was at the beginning: a camp where boys can live and work together, form meaningful relationships, grow leadership skills, and gain a sense of themselves. The most traditional camp activities—canoeing, tripping, sailing, the arts—have been augmented over the years, though done very intentionally to ensure that the focus on values, character, and leadership remain the core of the program.

Visit the Camp Hurontario website

Three Things: Camp Hurontario
Hear the three things that Our Kids’ editors see when they look at Camp Hurontario

More reviews of Camp Hurontario

Claudia, Parent

Special Memories
Read review

Liane, Parent

Experience of a Lifetime
Read review

Sam, Parent

Above and Beyond
Read review

More reviews of Camp Hurontario

Claudia, Parent

Special Memories

Niko came back home full of excitement. He expressed that on his first day after 10 minutes of getting into his cabin, his stress disappeared. He got along very well with the 8 of his cabin partners, he loved the activitie... Show More

Liane, Parent

Experience of a Lifetime

Atzin had a great time at camp! Thank you for all your support! In addition to having a great time, he got his Bronze Medallion, conquered his fear of heights, climbed to the top of the rock climbing wall and jumped off se... Show More

Sam, Parent

Above and Beyond

Rowan absolutely adored his counsellors, and we know that they both (and others) went above and beyond in their support of Rowan in his first experience away from home.

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Director's Message

Camp Hurontario has been my home for the past 16 summers. It is the place where I have made my best friends, who I am still close with today, where I learned about leadership, independence, and where my love for the outdoors grew. As director of this amazing place, it is now my wish to ensure that every camper has as fantastic of a time at Hurontario as I was fortunate enough to have, spending my summers here as a kid.

Working closely with Polly Martson - the owner of Hurontario, who's father founded the camp in 1947, we strive to provide a unique experience for our campers, where they can grow and learn in the outdoors at their own pace, taking part in our wide range of activities, away from the busyness of the city and technology.

We hope to see your son, at what is truly the best place to spend the summer!

Camp Hurontario has been my home for the past 16 summers. It is the place where I have made my best friends, who I am still close with today, where I learned about leadership, independence, and where my love for the outdoors grew. As director of this amazing place, it is now my wish to ensure that every camper has as fantastic of a time at Hurontario as I was fortu... Read more

Staff and Counsellors

We pride ourselves in a staff-to-camper ratio of 1:2, with all of the staff going through an eight day orientation program at the start of each summer. All of our counsellors and counsellors-in-training are "homegrown" meaning that they were once campers at our camp, and have gone through our leadership program. We take pride in the high return of our staff because they uphold the culture, and know the surroundings and processes very well. Further, all of our counsellors are required to have their Bronze Cross Lifeguarding certification as well as their Standard First-Aid. We hire outside of the camp for instructional staff at our specialty activity areas such as rock climbing, high/low ropes, kayaking, archery, biology, and sailing.

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Location & Operations

Address

Mactier, ON

Camp Hurontario Island, Mactier, Ontario, P0C 1H0

Rosedale, Toronto

1 Ridge Drive Park, Toronto, Ontario, M4T 2E4

Busing

Coach Bus

Location	Address	Pick up	Drop off
Moose Deer Point Marina	1068 Marina Rd, MacTier, ON P0C 1H0	Not provided	Not provided
Forest Hill Memorial Arena	340 Chaplin Crescent, Toronto, ON M5N 2N3, Canada	Not provided	Not provided

Property Details

Sports facilities

Archery Range
Climbing Wall
Rope Course

Landscape

Beach
Forested Area
Lake/Pond/River
Nature Trails

More details about property: Camp Hurontario is located on a beautiful 40 acre island in the Georgian Bay. The 100+ acres of mainland around the island is also owned by the camp, which offers the perfect location for the campers to sail, canoe, and kayak to our nearby islands, as our location isn't crowded with cottages and boaters. The property is home to all sorts of wildlife such as frogs, turtles, snakes, and porcupines which we share the environment with.

Accommodations

Sleeping Accommodations

Cabins

Washrooms Facilities

Flush Toilets
Outhouses

More details about accommodations: Our rustic style cabins provide a bed and shelf space for each camper, and have lights and electricity. Our washrooms are not attached to the cabins, but are nearby, and have lights on overnight, in case someone needs to go when its dark. We have a mixture of flush toilets, and outhouses. We also have a great, big dining hall where all of the meals are eaten (apart from off-island cookouts). Further, we have a Recreation (Rec) Hall, which is used for a range of activities, such as board games on rainy days, movie nights, musical performances, and skit nights.

Are meals provided? Yes.

Is Camp Hurontario technology free? Yes. Hurontario is unplugged as we request that all cell phones, I-Pads etc. be left at home as we are a camp where living in the outdoors without technology .

Rentals & Services

Offers outdoor education program for schools or corporate groups: Yes
Our mission is to safely educate students about the wonders of the outdoors, develop leadership skills, and promote teamwork, in an outdoor, non-classroom environment. We strive to achieve this by immersing students in nature, encouraging collaboration, and leading by the example of our experienced staff

Associations

What's New
Stories

Camp Hurontario founded thanks to a piano
On a fishing trip in 1946, Birnie Hodgetts and his brother Ted, paddled into what is now Hurontario's main camp bay. They pitched camp and spent a stormy night waiting for dawn to bring them the opportunity to explore this incredible sheltered bay they had found. Soon they realized that they were on a large and very beautiful island surrounded by pristine lands .After much exploring of who owned the island and the mainland across from the island( Birnie was a visionary who knew that in time he had to have the far shore so in future summers no one could build across from camp island),Birnie set out to find out who owned the property.

Title searches turned up the owners of the lsland .The island was for sale but acquiring the big mainland property was not going to be so easy.Mr Kingsmill owned the 150 acres deeded to him by Queen Victoria for fighting in the terrible Boer War. On hearing Birnie's vision for a children's camp, Mr. Kingsmill wrote back to say he would be happy to sell the property but that he would like to run the camp in partnership with Birnie. Birnie was keen to be sole owner and creator of his vision for a camp and so wrote this back to Mr. Kingsmill. For a long time no more was heard from Mr. Kingsmill and Birnie's vision seemed more and more a remote dream. And then one day, Birnie received a letter from Mr. Kingsmill from Mexico where he was living telling Birnie that he had fallen in love with a Mexican girl called Carmelita whom he wanted to marry.

Now Carmelita was happy to marry Mr. Kingsmill but her wedding present was to be an English grand piano with music lessons- and Mr. Kingsmill mentioned this to Birnie as Mr. Kingsmill did not have the capabilities to get this piano for his Carmelita.Soon there after, Birnie arranged for a piano to be shipped from England,piano lessons were arranged all in exchange for 150 amazing acres of land in the Georgian Bay!

And so for the price of a piano and piano lessons and a girl called Carmelita ,Hurontario became a camp now enjoying its 71st summer in the Bay.
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Camp Hurontario

Camp Hurontario

Overview

Here's what makes Camp Hurontario stand out

Programs, Rates & Dates

Programs and Sessions Calendar

Registration Details

Financial Aid & Payment Details

Reviews & Insider Perspectives

The Our Kids review of Camp Hurontario

More reviews of Camp Hurontario

More reviews of Camp Hurontario

Claudia, Parent

Liane, Parent

Sam, Parent

Gallery

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery

Meet the Staff

Director's Message

Staff and Counsellors

Location & Operations

Address

Busing

Property Details

Accommodations

Rentals & Services

Associations

What's New

Stories

Social Feeds

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