Camp Carolina is an overnight camp and a boy’s summer paradise, serving boys from K-11th grades on 220 acres, with a private lake, nestled in Lamb’s Creek Valley and bordered by over 2 million acres of public lands that include Pisgah, Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests, Dupont and Gorges State Parks and The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We serve boys from K-11th grades and are one of the premier sleep-away camps in North Carolina.
We are allowed access to these magnificent natural resources through commercial use permits. Under careful supervision and constant encouragement, boys discover new frontiers on whitewater rivers, mountain lakes, ancient trails and rocky summits. These experiences are to be remembered for a lifetime.
We hold the Backcountry Institute at Camp Carolina each spring. We offer courses by American Canoe Association, American Red Cross, National Archery Association, Civil Marksmanship, United States Youth Soccer Association and Wilderness Medical Association, to name a few! We offer these courses to the general public, other camps and provide these courses for our staff, allowing us to have the most medically and professionally trained, certified camp counselors in the country. The average age of our staff is 23 years old. 98% of our program staff takes advantage of Backcountry Institute courses. Our overall ratio: camper/staff is 2.5/1.
We travel the world each year in search of the finest role models, the most skilled instructors, and staff with the highest degree of moral character and maturity. Applicants must go through a thorough application process by our administration-including a lengthy application, multiple interviews, provide a clean criminal background check, provide a minimum of three character or work references and pass a drug test.
Every activity at Camp Carolina is available to all age campers on a level specifically designed for their age group except for wakeboarding, surfing and paintball which are offered to boys who have completed the 5th grade and above.
Our cost is all inclusive, except for incidentals and camp store charges. We run all our own programs (except for paintball) so our campers are always under the direct instruction from our counselors. For instance, our Raft Guides & Climbing Instructors are part of our camp community.
Our commitment to all aged campers transcends throughout our camp program. We encourage the younger campers as well as the older campers to challenge themselves in our high adventure program and focus on skill development over age. Our goal is to help all our campers discover a lifelong passion during their time at CCB.
Camp Carolina is about adventure and meeting challenges head-on. It’s about the simple faith that anything can be accomplished through determination and enthusiasm. It’s about living fully, setting personal goals, making friends and enjoying accomplishments.
There are many things you can do at Camp Carolina, but the only award you can receive here is The Old Man of The Mountain Award which is given out for good citizenship. Boys do not receive awards of any significant merit for athletic prowess or excellence in any activity.
There are ten steps in the award with the first step being the Old Man of the Mountain Paddle itself. After receiving their first step the boys could earn a brand each summer. This award is given on Friday nights at Campfire-where the whole camp gathers to publicly recognize and celebrate each camper’s achievement. Our Counselor Assistants can earn their True Gentleman Brand after a successful session embodying the values of the True Gentleman poem. At Camp Carolina being a good citizen means that you treat all campers and counselors respectfully and considerately, voluntary work, and working on self-improvement under the guidance of your cabin counselor.
THE TRUE GENTLEMAN from Camp Carolina on Vimeo.