Rates, Dates, and Process for Summer 2026

We will be registering returning campers, siblings, and children of staff alumni. Then, if there are still spaces available, we will allow returning August campers to adjust their sessions or at the very least secure their same session. And then, if there are still spaces available, we will be consulting our waitlist. Specific dates for these phases are indicated above.

It is very likely camp will fill up again this year. Families who are new and want a chance at joining Walden, should fill out the waitlist.

This is both not true and a harmful misperception. There is much higher demand for July than August. But this popularity is not necessarily indicative of what is best. August has proven to be a better option for some families.
While July offers wonderful experiences like: the first day, Visitor’s Day, and Colour Wars. August, on the other hand, is a shorter session (which is better for some), has the Walden Games, and the emotions of the last week of camp and burning of the W. Most campers who combine day and overnight camp in the same summer, prefer the flow of day into overnight than the reverse. Camp is smaller. Sometimes there is a younger sibling coming on the Weekender during August. The Dining Hall is a little quieter. This suits some campers’ personalities better. It should also be noted that August is less expensive.

The best way to ultimately get a Day 1 spot is to enjoy an August Walden Long Weekend experience after grade 1, and a July two-week session after grade 2 (i.e. one of our July Explorer Programs). This will ensure that you are “funneled” into a Day 1 spot after grade 3.

Said simply:
Grade 1 WLW –> Grade 2 EXPLORER –> Grade 3 DAY 1

We will start by asking for camper’s preferences. It might turn out that the right number of campers request each program. If not, we can hold a draw or use some other method to select.

Some families will choose to pay for an unused spot to hold their spot in the “funnel”. Grade 1 campers, although not yet ready at the time of registration, may, in fact, become ready by the time their August Weekend session arrives.

Later in the year, we will sometimes consider opening additional weekend spots to give introductory experiences to grade 2 and 3 campers. These experiences are not part of the funnel and thus do not guarantee a Day 1 spot in future summers but they can be wonderful introductions to the Walden experience.

Maybe. Our best advice is to join the 2026 Day 1 waitlist and register them for another August experience.

Not yet. We’d like to assess how full camp is with our current demand from grade 1 and older campers. After that time, we might open other Weekend experiences for younger campers.

We are no longer offering a Home & Away program (the program that paired Walden with our sister day camp, Camp Robin Hood). After nearly 25 years of successful Home & Away programs, we have decided to give families more flexibility. Families are still invited to “build their own Home & Away” by attending Robin Hood and Walden in some combination.

What are we offering to our Born-in-2018 campers?

– COLOUR EXPLORER A (WEEKS 1 AND 2), Friday June 26 – Thursday July 9. A great option for the camper who loves to arrive on Day 1! Experience the “Log in the Fire”, the Sing Song, and several wonderful “regular days”!

– COLOUR EXPLORER B (WEEKS 3 AND 4), Friday July 10 – Thursday July 23. A great option for the family who wants to experience Visitor’s Day, Colour Wars, and The End of July Video Show and Closing. This is the better option for the more anxious camper. Launch the summer with two weeks to get ready for overnight camp, and follow that with 13 days of Walden broken up with a Visitor’s Day on the tenth day.

Yes, they are part of our September registration period and have been offered a 2-week July 2026 spot.

We have space for some but not all of our 2018 campers to stay longer than 2 weeks. Please register for the session you are guaranteed and make your request for longer by email to ashton@campwalden.ca.

Register your whole family in the earliest registration period you are eligible for. Ashton in our office reviews every single application one at a time and will reach out with questions.

You are given some priority but not the same priority as 2025 families.

At this point it is impossible for us to answer that question with any confidence. But, loosely speaking, if your child is younger and is not in one of our priority categories, the chances are low. There are very very few spots available and many people who want them. There are a handful of spots in the older ages. One should definitely inquire!
This is not a “nice problem to have”. We are sad to not have space for the many families that want to give the gift of the Walden experience to their children.

Walden is a big camp and we love it that way! But there is such a thing as too big. We would love for camp to be full but with no waitlist. We hate to turn away friends, family, alumni, younger siblings, and eager new Waldeners-in-the-making. That’s why we will make every effort to make as many spots available as possible to those interested. First and foremost, however, we must be careful not to sacrifice the quality of supervision and community that we provide which means not overloading any one cabin, unit, or the camp as a whole.

We do something at Walden that is fairly unique. If, in good faith, you think your camper might extend, we’d like you to register for the longer session at no risk to you. However, if you extend during the summer, the cost to us (and thus to you) is higher. These extension fees are listed above. They are flat rates so the sibling and alumni discounts do not apply.

You should certainly register for 7 weeks and attach a note with the particulars of your situation. We will gladly agree to decrease your camper’s registration to your desired length of stay at no penalty (as though this was your decision all along). The final decision is normally made on Visitor’s Day.

Well… you can… but the cost will be greater. Also, space may not be available. Every year, there are a number of families that wish to extend their stay from 4 weeks to 7 weeks, or from 2 weeks to 4 weeks in the middle of the summer. Despite our desire to accommodate, it is sometimes the case that space does not allow for these requests. Please consider your registration length carefully when completing your application.

Unless you indicate otherwise, we will assume that you wish your payment to be made as follows: a $2000 deposit ($1000+HST in the case of Walden Long Weekend) and then four equal instalments on March 1st, April 1st, May 1st, and June 1st. Families must let us know before each date how they intend to pay. Unfortunately, if after reminders from us, that information is not provided, applicable discounts will have to be removed.

If you are a regular returning family returning to a same or similar session, yes please.
If you are applying for a session that you have not yet been accepted into, please wait. The pay in full discount will still be available to you with a later date.

If you select credit card, a deposit will be taken automatically.
If you select some other payment method, please await confirmation before sending your deposit.

Special circumstances certainly deserve special attention. We will generously consider special written requests for refunds in September following the summer.

Regretfully, we have had to increase fees again. Nearly every industry has been impacted by economic inflation. Our continued efforts to provide quality food, transportation, supervision, and program have resulted in an enormous increase to camp’s expenses. We know that families work hard to provide these experiences for their children and that there are many camps to choose from. Please know that every increase in camp’s pricing is made carefully and reluctantly.

We have made every effort to make our fees fair and reflective of our quality of program. We are proud of the fact that everyone at Walden pays the rates shown on our website. So no, we will not adjust our rates. But those families who feel they could benefit from an alternate pay schedule are invited to present a plan via email to sol@campwalden.ca. Please note that fee reductions cannot be made for campers arriving late, leaving early, or missing part of camp.

Overnight camp is, for many, a big financial and philosophical decision. We want families to have all the information available to them (i.e. how much Walden will cost and what spots will and won’t be available) and still have an opportunity to choose a different camp. Registration for most other similar camps takes place in the Fall.

Yes, we still like to give families a chance to be sure they are happy with their decisions and so we still have a “no questions asked full refund” cancellation date. However, this date is now October 1. The rest of our cancellation policy has actually been relaxed to a large extent. More about that can be read by clicking on the TERMS AND CONDITIONS button above.

Our office will be at full force on September 8 and we will make efforts to return all calls and emails throughout that week.