FAQs

It’s natural to get a little homesick from time to time, especially if it’s your first time away from home. At Camp Pinnacle, you’ll always be surrounded by caring counselors, supportive directors, and great friends! We’re here to make sure you have the best summer ever. There are so many fun and exciting activities here that most campers don’t even miss home. In fact, many campers will be “camp sick” upon returning home!

Each cabin has eight to 10 campers with two counselors. Each cabin has been recently remodeled and is outfitted with bunk beds, shelves, and an awesome deck.

Though you’ll probably make friends with everyone at Camp Pinnacle, your closest friends will be those in your cabin. Some days, you’ll go to each activity with your cabin, and on weekends you’ll be able to create your own schedule—this will allow you to choose activities to do with friends who may not be in your cabin group. There are so many opportunities to make great new friends!

Food is an important part of the Camp Pinnacle experience. Breakfast and dinner are served family-style, and you’ll eat with your cabin and counselors. Lunch is served buffet-style, and you can sit wherever and with whomever you want! We serve wholesome, homemade, nutritious, and, most important, DELICIOUS food for every meal. And if you get hungry between, we’ll always have snacks like fruit available.

We can accommodate most food allergies and dietary restrictions. We regret that we are unable to accommodate vegan or kosher diets.

We’ll send you and your parents a packing list. We provide all camping equipment and outdoor gear that you’ll need at no extra cost. Please bring your favorite sleeping bag and water bottles!! Please leave your bike at home, as we have dozens of great bikes!

During the first week of camp, activities are carefully scheduled so that you get to try every activity at least once. On the weekends, you’ll create your own schedule so you can spend more time improving skills in your favorite activities. You can see a sample “day at camp” here!

We offer exciting, age-appropriate off-camp adventures for every camper. You’ll get to go whitewater rafting and hiking in the beautiful western North Carolina mountains.

We have three registered nurses at camp to take care of anyone who might get sick and a fully stocked Health Center with beds in case anyone needs to spend the night. We also have a camp doctor who makes rounds as needed. All of our counselors are trained in CPR and wilderness first aid for minor cuts and bruises. If you have prescription medications, these are kept with our nurses in the health center.

Of course! We want you to feel at home while at camp, so please feel free to bring pictures or crafts to hang up in the cabin.

If you think you’ve forgotten something, no problem! Just let your counselor know, and we’ll get it taken care of in a jiffy!

We have no set deadline. We accept campers until our sessions are full. However, sessions do fill as early as October, so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible!

Payments are 100 percent refundable prior to November 30. From December 1 to March 1, payments are refundable, minus a $500 cancellation fee. For cancellations after March 1, payments are non-refundable. If a participant withdraws voluntarily or is sent home as a consequence of unacceptable behavior, no refund of any type will be granted. It is the parents’ responsibility to cover any additional travel expenses.

We do laundry once per two-week session and between sessions if stay for four weeks. Returning campers need to bring the laundry bags they received during their previous year. New campers will receive a new laundry bag. It’s imperative that everything be labeled with your camper’s first and last name.

We strongly discourage phone calls except in cases of emergency. We have found that making phone calls home, and receiving phone calls from parents, can actually worsen homesickness. If you do have any questions or concerns, please always feel free to call us at 855-378-1928, and we will help you in any way we can. We do, however, encourage you to send letters!

Most new campers come to Camp Pinnacle without knowing anyone; therefore, we do our best to create diverse cabin groups to ensure that everyone leaves with new experiences and new friends. We work hard to avoid cliques and exclusive relationships.

We do consider mutual bunk requests and do our best to accommodate campers wishing to stay in the same cabin. Please complete the Bunk Request Form in your CampInTouch account by April 1 if your child has any requests. To ensure an inclusive cabin community, prefer not to place more than two friends from home in the same cabin.

Please pack items in a traditional trunk no higher than 16 inches tall. And absolutely—please email us at office@camppinnacle.com to arrange having your camper’s trunk shipped directly to us.  If you want to ship trunks home after camp, please contact the office and they will get you the proper forms.

You can find a complete packing list here. Please note that campers finishing the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades will need additional items, as they spend a bit more time off-campus.

No. We cover all expenses and activities while at camp. You may, however, purchase items like T-shirts, Crazy Creek chairs, Nalgene water bottles, and much more on Opening and Closing days!

We are fortunate to welcome campers from all over the United States, and even the world! In a typical summer, our campers represent 16 countries and 35 states, from Canada to Malaysia, and from Washington state to Florida!

Each of our counselors is trained at minimum in wilderness first aid; many have a higher certification of wilderness first responder. New counselors have three interviews with our directors, three reference checks, and a complete background check. Every staff member completes two weeks of staff training at the beginning of each summer. Many of our counselors have trained in Adventure Treks’ Leadership Summit program.

Our recently remodeled bathhouses are right next to our cabins and are equipped with showers, sinks, and stalls. We also have other bathrooms located throughout camp.

We pride ourselves on our no-electronics policy! Campers thrive in a face-to-face community and build stronger communication and collaboration skills. No cell phones or digital media allows campers to have the opportunity to develop a lifetime connection with nature, realizing the proven benefits of outdoor play.