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A Camp for Maine People with Disabilities

And they're celebrating 80 years of life-changing, outdoor experiences.


View of the lake at Pine Tree Camp in Rome, Maine.

One of the best parts of my new job with Teens to Trails is visiting all kinds of outdoor recreation programs throughout the state of Maine. Even better, I get to meet the good people who facilitate these programs - and let me tell you, there’s not a bad one in the bunch.


Last week, I had the great pleasure of touring Pine Tree Camp - a 285-acre waterfront campus in the heart of Belgrade Lakes. Teens to Trails is hosting our Outdoor Leadership Conference here on September 26th, so Camp Director, Dawn, was giving us a personal tour of the spectacular property. I should mention that if you’re a middle or high school educator interested in starting or maintaining an outdoor club, we still have room in the leadership conference - join us!! Full details here.


This camp is special for a multitude of reasons, but the most remarkable thing about Pine Tree is this:


They’ve been serving Maine people with disabilities since 1945. If you’re bad at math and missed the tagline above, that’s 80 years.


Having taught in a Functional Life Skills classroom, I’m well aware of the limited offerings for people with disabilities, especially when it comes to outdoor recreation. There are a handful of organizations doing great work to increase outdoor opportunities for all abilities, like the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center (AOEC), Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, Special Surfers, and advocates like Enoch Glidden with Outdoor Access Solutions, among others. New programs are cropping up all the time, but it’s exciting to learn about a program that’s been doing this work for eight decades.


Pine Tree Camp offers a range of programs for children, adults, and families - from one-day experiences to week-long overnights. Participants can choose from the following activities:


  • Boating and paddling

  • Swimming

  • Fishing

  • Nature trails

  • Gardening

  • Farm animals

  • Adaptive sports

  • Adaptive biking

  • Accessible playground

  • Accessible tent site

  • Archery

  • Music

  • Drama

  • Arts and crafts

  • Cooking

  • Snowshoeing

  • Sledding

  • Ice fishing


The facilities here are in prime condition, and the grounds are meticulously cared for. The energy of this place felt like sunshine and rainbows, and all of the staff were as warm and welcoming as Camp Director Dawn.


My favorite building was the accessible treehouse, made by Forever Young Treehouses. I didn’t get the best photo, since we were zipping past it during our golf cart tour, but this will give you an idea. The moose was an unsolicited gift from a donor, but I think it fits perfectly here, and I get the sense it’s a well-loved feature of this camp.



Forever Young accessible treehouse at Pine Tree Camp in Rome, Maine.

Places like this make my heart swell. With all the bad news out there, these special places remind us that there are still so many good people in the world, doing incredible work and making our communities better for all.


For more details on Pine Tree Camp, link below.

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