For the best in summer camping, look no further than the YMCA of Greater Bergen County. Whether you are looking for a day or overnight camping experience the Y has a program that will fit your needs, budget and interests.

All of our camps are nestled in the beautiful and scenic woods of Harriman State Park along Lake Kanawauke. Harriman State Park , New York’s second largest state park, provides 200 miles of hiking trails, 31 lakes and access to the Appalachian Trail among its 46,000 acres of wilderness. Thirty miles from Hackensack campers are bused to camp each day from the Y. Two waterfronts and a fleet of canoes, kayaks, rowboats and paddle boats offer a wide variety of waterfront activities.

The YMCA of Greater Bergen County Camp Staff is dedicated to provide your child with an exceptional camping experience. We recruit our summer staff through local colleges and online camp job sites. All hired have experience working with children and many are seeking college degrees in education and outdoor education. In addition, we hire international staff for our residential camp in order to introduce campers to other cultures. Specialists are hired to provide your children with the best progressive and goal oriented instruction for activities such as: boating, arts and crafts, nature, rock climbing/challenge course and archery. All staff are given background checks and participate in an extensive 4-14 day orientation training.

Our camps are traditional, back to basics summer camps. Each camp offers an unplugged experience for children to reconnect with the outdoors while being introduced to a variety of activities. All our programs promote the YMCA’s core values of Caring, Respect, Responsibility and Honesty developing self confident and independent campers.
Day Camp Kahagon provides campers 5-6 years of age with their first peak at the natural world. Each session balances play, art, sensory exploration and hands-on learning. Campers will play games, participate in swim lessons, learn outdoor skills and explore in the local habitats.

Day Camp Kahagon introduces the little ones to the camp environment. The program balances play, art, sensory exploration and hands-on learning. Each camp group of six will explore, play counselor-led games, learn outdoor skills, go boating, receive swim lessons and have time to splash around on their own. Just like the other camps Kahagon campers will receive the highest quality swim lessons by qualified swim instructors who use the YMCA Progressive Swim Program.

Many of the activities and games will focus on nature and the outdoors. Campers will feel, touch, smell, see, hear and even taste their way around camp. Using their sense campers will discover the animals and plants that live at Harriman State Park. Frogs, snakes, insects and fish oh my!