Founded on the idea that a sleep-away wilderness camp experience would help boys develop responsibility, maturity and leadership, our summer camp program has developed a unique understanding of the needs of boys. As thousands of former campers can attest, a summer at Camp Nominingue is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Founded in 1925, our facilities set on our 390-acre property are outstanding and provide a safe and perfect environment for summertime fun and adventure. We are a boys summer camp in Quebec, north of Montreal and Mont-Tremblant, with over 2 km of shoreline on Petit lac Nominingue !
Our values & mission
Outdoor Experience
Leaving the city to learn how to enjoy and appreciate nature, living in tents, roaming the Nominingue playground, learning campcraft and canoeing skills, and venturing through the outdoors on canoe trips.
Opportunity
Away from the usual routine, learn new skills, make age-appropriate choices and decisions, experience teamwork and interdependence through group living and group activities, to have fun and find adventure.
Personal Growth
That comes from new experience and challenges away from home, new skills, developing friendships and teamwork, assuming responsibility and building confidence and independence.
Respect
Key to living in community: respect for people, for one’s self as well as others, for nature, for safety and security and for sustainability.
Our History
Founded in 1925 by F.M. Van Wagner, Camp Nominingue has a long history as one of Canada’s premier sleep-away summer camps for boys. Taking over his father’s legacy, Peter Van Wagner owned and operated the camp until 2015, when he sold the camp to alumni and current owner Erik Blachford and his wife Maryam. Currently, the camp is co-managed by Camp Director Matt Cromey and Business Director Nicole Larin.
Camp Nominingue came into existence on July 4th, 1925, with ten campers and five staff. After a considerable search, the present site was chosen because of its many desirable features, especially the excellent canoe trip possibilities. It turned out even better than was expected.
Since 1925, tens of thousands of campers have been initiated into the Camp Nominingue community by making a solemn pledge to be “honest, courteous, industrious, thoughtful, friendly and brave”. And as Nomininguers, most are inspired to live up to the Camp’s guiding principal which can be found in Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden”,
“Rise free from care before the dawn and seek adventure, let the noon find thee by other lakes and the night overtake thee everywhere at home”
The camp has a record of all canoe trips taken since 1928. Over the years, over 4,500 trips have left camp and returned safely. From the beginning, camping, canoeing, campcraft and nature were the foundations upon which Camp Nominingue was built.