The Taylor Statten Camps

P.O. Box 10007 Algonquin Park, Ontario, P1H 2H2 (view map)

Ages:

6 to 16 (All Girls, All Boys )

Type:

Overnight camp

Programs:

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Specialty:

Traditional (multi activity)

Cost:

$895 to $10,495

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About this camp

The Taylor Statten Camps are nestled in beautiful Algonquin Park, Ontario. Camp Ahmek for Boys and Camp Wapomeo for Girls have a brother-sister relationship with almost 100 years of shared history. With canoe tripping and daily programming, this is an incredibly unique summer experience. Canoe trips range from 2 to 50 days in length, depending on a camper's age and session.

The Our Kids review of The Taylor Statten Camps

The traditions we associate with residential summer camp—the values, the activities, the aesthetics—are in many respects due to the work of one man: Taylor Statten. Returning home from the Boer War, Statten joined the YMCA in 1902 and soon became the national Boy’s Work Secretary, a position that included the directorship of Camp Couchiching in Orillia, ON. He also established the Canadian Standards Efficiency Training program, a series of graded activity levels intended to give children the opportunity and incentive to develop intellectual, social, and physical skills.

What made Statten’s programs unique was the focus that he brought to them. In place of the regimented, sum-is-better-than-its-parts approach of scouting and cadets, Statten built programs around the individual, seeking to develop each child’s potential and to celebrate their individual strengths. Camping in Statten’s hands was about expression, independence, and an appreciation of the diversity inherent in any group. Adventure and resourcefulness were important, but so was imagination, identity, and a close appreciation the natural environment.

In 1916, Statten put his ideas into practice by founding Camp Ahmek, a camp for boys set within the boundaries of Algonquin park. The centerpiece of the camp, then as now, was the stone fireplace in the main hall, one that Tom Thomson helped build, hauling sand for the mortar that would bind the stones. Pierre Trudeau would sit before that fireplace as a camper, as did all three of his sons. Justin Trudeau, in speaking of camp, described his experience, giving what is, effectively, a précis of Statten’s initial vision: “[camp] had an immeasurable impact on my family and me. For my father, my brothers and I, being campers and counsellors at Ahmek taught us much about nature, about responsibility, and, most importantly, about ourselves.”

Wapomeo, a sister camp to Ahmek, followed in 1924 and, taken together, the two camps provided a model for many, many camps to come that, in turn, reflected the organization and the values that Ahmek and Wapomeo had demonstrated.

It’s quite a story, in every way, and one that continues today. These two camps provide a definition of the culture of camping in Canada, and that’s because they provided a model for so many of them, as well as the great work they continue to do.

Session Calendar

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Activities available at this camp: (Currently showing 6 of 6 sessions)

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15 Day Session

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 7 - 13

Traditional (multi activity) $3,395 to $3,395

Algonquin Park,ON
P.O. Box 10007

Jul 27-Aug 10

$3,395

Full Session (July & August)

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 7 - 16

Traditional (multi activity) $10,495 to $10,495

Algonquin Park,ON
P.O. Box 10007

Jun 29-Aug 22

$10,495

Month Session

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 7 - 16

Traditional (multi activity) $5,595 to $5,595

Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Jun 29-Jul 25		$5,595
Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Jul 27-Aug 22		$5,595

Try-Out Camp

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 6 - 7

Traditional (multi activity) $895 to $895

Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Aug 07-10		$895
Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Aug 11-14		$895

12 Day Session

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 7 - 13

Traditional (multi activity) $3,195 to $3,195

Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Jul 14-25		$3,195
Algonquin Park,ON P.O. Box 10007	Aug 11-22		$3,195

Family Camp

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Overnight Camp
Coed
Ages: 1 - 18+

Traditional (multi activity) $100 to $170

Algonquin Park,ON
P.O. Box 10007

Aug 23-Sep 02

$100 - $170

Camp Address

P.O. Box 10007, Algonquin Park, Ontario

Accommodation & Property Details

Sleeping Accommodations

Cabins
Platform Tent
Tents

Washrooms Facilities

Flush Toilets
Outhouses
Showers (indoor)

Sports facilities

Archery Range
Baseball Diamond
Basketball Court
Climbing Wall
Horseback Riding Arena (indoor/outdoor)
Rope Course
Swimming Pool
Tennis Court(s)

Landscape

Beach
Forested Area
Lake/Pond/River
Nature Trails
Open Field

Stories

What Camp Means to Me (Camp Ahmek)

My time at the Taylor Statten Camps started when I was 3 years old, when I began attending September Camp with my family. After a number of years at September Camp, I couldn’t wait to start as a camper and my time finally came in the summer on 1999. I was 7 years old and in the Bantam section. I continued as a camper from 1999-2006, moving through all the sections from Bantam camper to Kipawa camper in 2006. In the summer of 2007, I took a brief hiatus but triumphantly returned to camp as a CIT in 2008. My time as a CIT sparked the beginning of a long career as an Ahmek Staff member, which is still continuing to this day. The positions that I have filled during my time at the camps has been CIT, two years as a counsellor, a guide, Bisco counsellor, Outpost Staff until I replaced an injured staff member on 50 Day, 50 Day counsellor, and Head Guide. In addition, I was also a member of the Spring Work Crew since 2012 including going up to camp at the beginning of May twice and being the Head of the Work Crew in 2015. I was also the CIT Section Director during September Camp in both 2014 and 2015, as well as a member of the Fall Work Crew in 2014. Needless to say, Camp Ahmek and the Taylor Statten Camps has been an incredible and immense part of my life.

One of my most memorable moments during my 8 years as a staff member at Ahmek was leading a Kipawa as a CIT in 2008 and leading my own 50 Day canoe trip with a good friend of mine in 2014. Another one of my most memorable moments during my staff career was working during the Fall and being able to be in Algonquin Park during the time the leaves were changing colour. The reasons these were so memorable is because they were all big moments in my life that helped bring me to where I am today. Doing a Kipawa as a CIT taught me how to be a good staff member and the skills that would lead me to more Long Trips in the future. It’s a really cool feeling when most of the campers on that trip in 2008 are still working at camp currently and are in line for their very own long trips now or have taken one out already. Taking out a 50 Day trip was in a class of its own. It taught me so much about myself, the importance of appreciating nature and bringing oneself to a more natural way of life. It was an experience that I will hold dear for the rest of my life.

I have now started a full time position at the Taylor Statten Camps as the Canoe Tripping Coordinator, which has been a dream of mine since I first started at TSC as a CIT. My time as a summer staff member has taught me everything I needed to know for this position. It has taught me how the inner workings of a summer camp is run, how to effectively plan the best canoe trip possible in multiple regions of Ontario and Quebec, and taught me valuable life skills. Some advice that I would give new and returning staff members coming to the Taylor Statten Camps would be to fully embrace the job you are undertaking. These are some of the best years of your life and you will be spending them at one of the most amazing places in the world. The lessons and experiences that you will have during these summers will stick with you for the rest of your life and help you along the way.

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What Camp Means to Me (Camp Wapomeo)

I started at the Taylor Statten Camps when I was 11 years old and am currrently 25. My first summer at Camp Wapomeo for girls opened my mind and eyes to so many new things. I was able to try something new everyday. I worked on my swimming and canoeing while using my creative side at arts & crafts and drama. I truly loved being on the Island of Wapomeo, meeting those who would be my friends for a lifetime. I continued through the years, completing a 36 day canoe trip in Quetico Provincial Park when I was 15 and a 50 Day canoe trip when I was 16. I could not end my camp career there, however, so I applied to be a counsellor and have yet to look back. As a staff member I have held the role of Counsellor, Section Director, Long Trip Leader (2 Quetico trips and a 50 Day), Assistant Director of Wapomeo and am currently working full time in the camp office as Camper-Parent Relations & Logisitcs Coordinator.
I can say with confidence that this camp has made me who I am today. It has prepared me for life, teaching me skills that I did not get the opportunity to learn in school. Camp gives children the chance to be independent, while ensuring that they are constantly supported. Canoe trip is what stands out to me the most about my experience at Wapomeo. It teaches leadership and teamwork as well as instilling confidence and strength. I implore anyone who has an interest in nature and the outdoors to give TSC a try. It is a experience that you will not regret.

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