Walden, a traditional girls summer camp, ideally situated on Walden Pond in Denmark, Maine was founded in 1916.



Our small, closely knit Walden family of 140-150 girls, ages 9-15, enables each camper the opportunity to fully develop her own personality and skills.



Walden prides itself on creating an atmosphere which encourages self confidence, promotes leadership skills, and provides a trusting and secure environment where the girls learn to live together, while appreciating others as individuals.



Walden is happiness, laughter, spirit, friendship, warmth, affection and tradition.

In 1916 two determined and farsighted young ladies from New York, Miss Blanche Hirsch and Miss Clara Altschul, traveled to Denmark, Maine to purchase property for a girls' summer camp. They hiked down an old lumber road on the property, which is now Camp Walden, and walked across the ice to view that acreage. However, they liked the land adjacent to the lumber road better and so arranged for the purchase of most of the present property. They planned the camp buildings while there was still snow on the ground and arranged for an icehouse to be built immediately, so the camp would have refrigeration for the summer.

It was their dream and determination which laid the foundation for what Camp has become today. They believed an individual, with solid support and encouragement from a warm circle of friends, can accomplish anything they choose so long as they determinedly hold on to their highest dreams. The traditions of honesty, encouraging youngsters to believe in themselves, respecting others and not accepting failure are all basic elements of Walden's philosophy. The primary objective of the entire Walden community is to offer a setting in which a child can grow as an individual and help each camper achieve whatever personal goals she has set for herself.

Walden grew from 30 to over 100 campers in a short period. Honor System, SPLASH, camp songs, "the counselor show", and Banquet Night are all events that grew during the early years and are still an important part of camp life today. Waldenites have dealt with all kinds of challenges; picking beans and airplane spotting during the war, rationing gasoline and food, raising funds for the new Bridgton hospital, and participating in various activities involving the community, such as the Denmark Fair, annual Fourth of July Parade and offering swimming lessons to the Denmark children.