Join Acadia Mountain Guides for a summer of fun and adventure in the great outdoors of Maine, New Hampshire and Quebec.  AMG offers over a dozen different 1 – 2 week multi-sport adventure and rock climbing camps for youth between the ages of 9 and 17.

Teens seeking summer adventure can choose either Mountains and Sea or Mountains and Rivers camp. These six day overnight camps travel between Acadia, Katahdin and the Kennebec regions to blend rock climbing, hiking, rappelling, and mountain biking with either sea kayaking or rafting. RockPro I and II are beginner level rock climbing camps that give teens a solid foundation in safe climbing enabling them to begin climbing on their own. RockPro III and IV are advanced camps that teach sport and lead climbing. RockPro camps take place in Acadia and travel to Rumney and Quebec.  A specialized ten day New England Rockmeister camp samples the best climbs of New England.

Five day Young Explorer camps cater to 9 – 12 year olds and are available as day or overnight camps. Campers learn skills and go on a variety of outdoor adventures in our multi-sport adventure camps. Hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, swimming, nature study, survival skills, caving, and the National Park Service Jr. Ranger program are some of the favorite activities. Those seeking a specialty rock climbing camp can join our Rocks and Ropes program. Most activities take place in Acadia National Park and AMG runs a convenient daily shuttle between Orono, Bangor/Brewer and Bar Harbor. United Way scholarships are accepted.

The outdoors is a great classroom and ideal for teaching decision making, personal confidence and teamwork while learning new skills and having fun. Safety is our number one priority. Known for professionalism, safety, and a high quality experience, AMG is contracted to provide climbing instruction to over 30 camps each year.   

AMG has been an industry leader in climbing instruction for over fifteen years and was one of the first climbing schools to offer specialized instruction by highly skilled instructors and guides in a summer camp format. Have all the fun and excitement of summer camp with the reassurance of professional leadership. Camps may be combined for multi-week sessions. 

AMG is directed by Jon Tierney who has over 25 years experience teaching wilderness leadership and guiding mountaineering and climbing. Jon is one of a handful of fully certified international guides (IFMGA) in the eastern U.S. Based in Orono and Bar Harbor (summer), AMG is accredited by the Professional Climbing Instructors Association and the American Mountain Guides Association. Although no formal training is required of climbing instructors, all of our leaders are trained and certified by the Professional Climbing Instructors Association and/or the American Mountain Guides Association. Leaders possess wilderness medical and lifeguard certification and are Maine Trip leaders.

Reserve your spot today. A complete camp information booklet is available.

ADVENTURE CAMPS

Turn youthful energy into healthy athletic achievement. Rock climb! Hike! Sea Kayak! Surf! Mountain Bike! Raft! Canoe! These Adventure Camp programs introduce students to the demands and joys of participating in an outdoor expedition while encouraging the importance of cooperation and teamwork. Each seven day camp session takes place in a different location and includes different adventure activities - choose between Mountains and Sea or Mountains and Rivers. You may choose a multi- week program by linking into the Rock Pro series or Mountains and Sea camp. An Intracamp Session is available for the day between camps..

Mountains and Rivers Adventure Camp                                          July 5 - 10, $850.00, ages 13 - 18

Immerse yourself in a week of of multi-sport adventure in the Katahdin region of Maine. This remote and wild region of Maine is home to rugged mountains, whitewater rivers, and rich Native American history and legends. During the week campers will journey across the region -, rock climbing, hiking, rappelling, rafting and camping alongside pristine Maine lakes and rivers. A favorite hike is on the Appalachian Trail to Gulf Hagus, a scenic gorge carved over the centuries by the Pleasant River where you can relax and swim in clear pools and potholes or rappel down waterfalls into the gorge. You can test your fingertips while rock climbing high above Ripogenus Gorge. Then it's off to Katahdin, Maine's highest peak, to climb above treeline and cross the famous Knife Edge before climbing aboard rafts to challenge some of the world's greatest whitewater rapids while rafting on the Kennebec or Penobscot River. Campers will shoot through rapids with names like Magic Falls, Big Mama, and Whitewasher. The final leg of our journey brings us back to Acadia National Park to find even more adventure along the coast. Limit: 10. No experience necessary. Any whitewater or sea kayaking programs will be led by ACA certified instructors and all rock climbing will be taught by PCIA or AMGA certified instructors.

Mountains and Sea High Adventure Camp                  
July 5 - 10, $850.00, ages 13 - 18

Campers will rock climb, surf, paddle, hike and mountain bike on a journey along the downeast coast of Maine. Beginning in Acadia National Park we’ll learn the ropes and rock climb on the most spectacular sea cliffs in the U.S. Then it’s feet to the pedal and trail for a challenging traverse of Mount Desert Island by mountain biking and hiking. Campers then journey to the wild and rugged Maine Interior for a mini expedition to climb Maine’s tallest mountain, Katahdin. Back in Acadia, a trip by sea kayak or canoe gets you a little farther from home and wakes up a different set of muscles. Offshore, sample edibles from the sea as we learn about the natural environment and how to better preserve it. The last days are spent rock climbing, rappelling, and enjoying time with new friends. This is a great opportunity to learn about many different outdoor activities in a short time. Campers will meet new friends, learn camping skills, land and sea navigation skills, and basic boating and climbing skills in this challenging and fun-filled seven day trip. Any whitewater or sea kayaking programs will be led by ACA certified instructors and all rock climbing will be taught by PCIA or AMGA certified instructors.

ROCKPRO CAMPS

Immerse yourself in climbing! The RockPro series is for high school age people who really love to climb and want to bring their skills to the next level.

Whether you’ve never climbed before and want to learn to do it right or are already a climbing maniac and want to get further into the sport, you’ll find your place in the RockPro Series. The counselors are AMGA certified instructors, and we offer a full spectrum of instruction, from beginner to lead climber. In each program, our instructors will coach you individually to help you learn and improve your climbing techniques at your own pace. In camp, everyone will share in the necessary camp set up and cooking. Evening will be a time to take in a naturalist’s program, swim, walk on the beach, pick the brain of your instructors for more info or simply relax in camp with new friends.

Designed for high school age students looking to build a solid foundation of rock climbing skills while having an enjoyable camp experience, the RockPro series can take you from beginner climber to lead climber. Each RockPro camp is seven days long. When taken in succession, a camper will have received a very thorough exposure to the art of climbing. Each week blends top rope climbing, multi-pitch climbing and technical clinics to maximize learning. Take all four for maximum fun and progress or jump in at your current level. Many campers come back and take all of them a second time to get more cimbing in.

In each session we will evaluate your existing skills and focus on helping you reach your goals. We start with belay safety technique, basic knots, and the fundementals of movement in the intro camps. Anchoring principles, multi-pitch climbs, more complex top rope climbing and problem solving are introduced in the intermediate camp. In advanced camps you learn to lead, practice with gear, and further develop the skills introduced in the other camps. With the help of the guides, campers develop individual training programs for strength, balance, and flexability.

Each camp will be accompanied by at least two adult leaders on a 24/7 basis. We seek out caring leaders who enjoy working with teens and have significant background and experience as climbers and educators. As a minimum, our camp leaders are AMGA certiified Top Rope Site Managers and are trained and certified in Wilderness Medicine and Leave No Trace practices. Many are also Maine Guides. Each camp will be joined by additional guides as needed to provide safe, manageable ratios for different activities and to accommodate climbers of different abilities.

RockPro I Climbing Camp
Fundamentals, difficulty 5.5 and up
July 12 - 17 or July 19 - 24, $850.00
ages 13 - 18

RockPro Camp I is for high school age students looking to build a solid foundation of rock climbing skills while having an enjoyable camp experience. The course is appropriate for those who have never climbed before or for those who have climbed a few times or who visit climbing gyms. The first two days of the course will be spent on the spectacular sea cliffs in Acadia. Here your instructors will evaluate your existing skills and help you develop basic top roping skills such as knots, belaying and rappelling. The middle of the week will focus on getting high off the ground. Working in small teams with your guides, participants will learn the answer to the age old question “How do they get the ropes up there?” as you climb longer multi-pitch climbs on the some of Maine’s best cliffs. Participants will have an opportunity to spend a night on a cliff wall as well if desired.

RockPro II Climbing Camp
Advanced Skills and Anchors, difficulty 5.5 and up
July 19 - 24 or July 26 - 31, $850.00
ages 13 - 18

Begin the transition to climbing on your own. RockPro II is a fun and intense week that will improve your technical skills dramatically. After a review of basics, the entire week is spent learning and applying anchor building and rope handling skills needed to set up climbs using natural anchors and specially designed climbing protection. Under the tutelage of PCIA or AMGA certified instructors, campers will progress to setting up their own climbs and climbing on them with other campers. The course is appropriate for those who have participated in RockPro I or who are comfortable belaying and rappelling and are familiar with basic principles of climbing movement. We will visit several different cliffs throughout the week providing multiple opportunities to climb and problem-solve under the watchful eye of skilled instructors.

Maine / Quebec Rockpro III Climbing Camp: July 26 - 31
Maine / Rumney Rockpro III Climbing Camp: August 2 - 7
Advanced Sport Climbing, difficulty 5.8 - 5.12
$850.00, ages 13 - 18.

This course is appropriate for students who have enough climbing experience (either in a gym or outdoors) to be very familiar with fundamental skills such as belaying and top-roping. There will be less focus on gear placement in this course and more fucus on leading sport climbs. Sport leading is more straightforward than traditional leading and easier to master. Campers will learn about bolts, how to place them and clip them, transitioning to rappel or lower from sport climbs and have ample time to work on climbing technique. We highly recommend completing RockPro II prior to this although it is not required. If you have some climbing experience and would like to learn more about sport climbing technique then this is the course for you. The Maine course will travel to Maine's best sport climbing in Clifton, ME and take a three day journey to Quebec Quartzite. There may be the unique opportunity for climbers to tag first ascents on the Maine program if their skills allow.

The White Mountain course will visit Rumney, New England's premier sport climbing area.

Rumney and Quebec offer steep, gym-like rock climbing on big holds while Clifton is known for thin, delicate face climbing.

RockPro IV Rock Climbing Camp
Maine and White Mountains
Multi-Pitch and Traditional Lead Climbing, difficulty 5.7 and up
$900.00, ages 13 - 18.

This camp will feature a smaller student to guide ratio for maximum individual attention and more complex climbing routes. If you love climbing, gear, and really really big cliffs, you will love this camp. One of the only camps in the U.S. that teaches Multi-Pitch Trad lead climbing to teens! This camp will divide the time between coastal cliffs in Acadia and large faces in NH such as Cannon Mountain, Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges. Acadia is known for spectacular sea cliff scenery, great traditional crack climbs and superb bouldering while NH crags offer greater height and exposure. Together they offer a superb exposure to both traditional climbing styles and have been the training ground for decades of alpinists. Each day involves a full day of climbing predominantly on multi-pitch climbs. Interspersed with the climbs will be informative lessons on technical skills. You will continue learn about placing both active and passive protection, setting up anchor systems, placing gear on lead, and setting up top rope climbs on your own. If you are ready there will be an opportunity to lead routes after demonstrating proficiency on "mock" leads.

ROCKMEISTER CAMP
August 8 - 17, $1800.00

This 10 day camp is highly individualized for the climber with prior experience who is looking to progress onto more challenging terrain and learn advanced technical climbing skills. This camp will travel to New England's most spectacular terrain to climb such renown classics as Whitney-Gilman, Moby Grape, Pinnacle Buttress and the Armadillo. We will climb many traditional routes between 5.6 and 5.10 in difficulty. The alpine nature of many of the areas requires more efficient movement skills and a higher degree of fitness. The lead guide for this trip will be school owner Jon Tierney, an internationally licensed IFMGA mountain guide and AMGA instructor / examiner. Jon will be assisted by other AMG senior guides. Campers will have the opportunity to climb with multiple guides on routes of varying difficulty as desired. Daily skill clinics will focus on topics of interest to campers. This course is about having fun while climbing great routes and learning.

We recommend that campers entering this program have completed RockPro 2 or have equivalent skills. Campers should be capable of climbing at least 5.7. Qualified campers will be given opportunities to lead climbs although lead climbing ability is not a prerequisite. Campers seeking to learn to lead should enroll in RockPro III (sport climbing focus) or RockPro IV (trad climbing focus). Camp is limited to 3-4 campers per guide and an interview is required prior to registration.

Skills covered

• Artificial gear and natural anchor construction
• Multiple belay and rappel alternatives
• Self rescue skills for top rope and multi-pitch terrain
• Route selection and route finding
• Multi-pitch stance management and transitions
• Efficient movement skills

FOR AGES 9 - 12

Young Explorer Rock Climbing Camp
rock climbing · challenge course • rappelling · belaying · hiking
Overnight Session: July 27 - 31, $450.00
Day Camp: July 13 - 17 or August 10 - 14, $400.00

Five days of vertical fun, challenge and learning. This camp is for the young explorer who has taken an interest in rock climbing and likes to get off the ground. The activities are focused on rock climbing and ropes courses. After learning and practicing basic skills such as knots and belay safety systems campers get to experience the excitement and challenge of high ropes course activities such as the Burma Bridge, Catwalk and Wild Woosey. Then it's on to the striking granite cliffs of Acadia and Clifton to climb on real rock. Days will be spent learning climbing skills, rappelling and the importance of assessing and understanding risk while having a ton of fun. No prior experience is needed. Limit: 10. Day and overnight camp options available.  

Young Explorer Advanced Rock Climbing Camp
rock climbing · challenge course • rappelling · belaying · hiking
Overnight Session: August 3 - 7, $450.00

Get your feet off the ground even more in our advanced climbing camp. This version of rock climbing camp is for more experienced young climbers who have climbed outdoors and are looking to learn additional techniques and take on more challenging rock climbs.

Young Explorer Adventure Camp

hiking · nature study · rock climbing · challenge course · outdoor skills · tidepooling · orienteering · shelter and fire making
Overnight Session: August 11 - 15, $450.00
Day Camp: July 20 - 24, $400.00

Ever touched a starfish or crawled inside the earth? A new adventure awaits every day as campers discover great things to do in the Maine outdoors while learning about personal outdoor safety and nature.

Activities may include hiking and scrambling to bare mountaintops, rock climbing and rappelling on striking sea cliffs, exploring local caves, hiking, using map and compass skills and learning primitive skills such as natural shelter building, edible plant identification and bow drill fire making. Understanding nature is emphasized through tide pool exploration and forest discovery walks with National Park Service naturalists and visits to a local oceanarium and nature centers. Discover the many rewards of nature, challenge yourself and meet many new friends. No prior experience is needed. Limit: 10. Day and overnight camp options available.  

A convenient shuttle (Orono, Bangor area, Ellsworth, to Bar Harbor) is available for day camp participants.