Residential
Camp Runoia
Belgrade · Multi-activity · 7–16 yrs
from $2,300
1 / 9
Ages7–17 yrs
FocusMulti-activity
SeasonJun – Aug 2027
Duration13–48 nights
Camp North Star runs this residential multi-activity camp in Poland Spring, United States. The camp welcomes children aged 7–17, with languages, arts & crafts, and adventure on the programme. 5 sessions scheduled Jun 27 – Aug 14, 2027, each lasting 13–48 nights.
Residential multi-activity camp in Poland Spring, United States
Camp North Star is a family-owned, traditional co-ed sleepaway camp for 7–17 year olds, set on 200 acres of Maine woods and fields around its own private 55-acre lake in Poland Spring. What sets it apart is the fully elective program: more than 100 activities across arts, athletics, waterfront and the outdoors, with every camper choosing their own schedule week by week. Camp life is built around the cabin family. Campers live in three divisions — Juniors (7–10), Middies (11–13) and Seniors (14–17) — in cabins of 8 to 10, sharing breakfast and dinner, camp meeting and the evening program together. Children come from across the US and around the world (typically one or two international campers in every cabin), and the Big Brother/Big Sister program pairs the youngest campers with the oldest. The setting does a lot of the work: natural rock faces for climbing, miles of mountain-bike trails through the property, a stocked lake for waterskiing, sailing and fishing, courts and fields for a dozen sports, and a completely screen-free environment that lets children be fully present. Families can choose sessions of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 weeks.
Dates & Pricing
What's Included
Three meals a day plus afternoon and evening snack, with fresh fruit available throughout the day
Weekly elective activity program (campers choose five classes each week with program staff)
Trip days every session at no extra cost, with lunch provided at the trip location
On-site health center with medical staff available 24 hours a day
Activities
Special focus
Multi-activity · Sports & Outdoor
North Star runs a fully elective program: every week, campers build their own schedule from 100+ choices across arts, athletics, waterfront and outdoor adventure — a sample day fits six activity periods between breakfast and dinner, and no two campers have the same day. Nothing is mandatory: counselors sit down with each camper to shape the week around their goals, whether that means going deep on tennis and waterskiing or trying something completely new every period. Because campers choose activities within their age division, children are constantly meeting others beyond their own cabin — and everyone comes back together for meals, camp meeting, supervised free play and the evening program.
Other included activities
Videos
Excursions & trips
Included in the programme
1 / 2
Portland Sea Dogs game
Whitewater rafting day
Beach day
Mountain hiking
Portland Sea Dogs game
Whitewater rafting day
Beach day
Reviews
J
Julie W. (Paris, France)
My kids want to go back every year because North Star is their summer home. Brooke, Steven and the whole staff make everyone feel part of the family.
Nov 2021
T
Tara R. (Brookline, MA)
I appreciated that my children came home with a greater sense of independence, resiliency, and self-confidence. North Star did a great job teaching my kids these skills.
Nov 2021
E
Ellen C., Delray Beach, FL
Our son loved his counselors. The experience was everything you could have hoped for as a parent.
Nov 2021
J
Jeff B. (Atlanta, GA)
My daughter went to Camp North Star not knowing anyone. Now she has a group of girls she considers her summer sisters. The staff does a great job making everyone feel at home and help them make friends.
Nov 2021
Safety & Supervision
Staff to camper ratio1:3
Registered nurses on site 24/7
Pediatrician on call, 2 miles away
Parents notified of any significant Health Center visit
The Health Center sits at the center of camp, air-conditioned, with an examination room, dorm rooms and live-in medical staff available 24 hours a day. Registered nurses manage campers' medical needs, supported by the camp pediatrician on call all season two miles away; Central Maine Medical Hospital is a 12-mile drive. Parents are called whenever a child stays overnight in the Health Center, starts prescription medicine, or sees an outside doctor.
Meals
breakfast
Hot entree such as pancakes, eggs or French toast, plus a breakfast bar with fruit, yogurt, hard boiled eggs and granola, and hot and cold cereals.
lunch
Served buffet style outdoors
main entree, sides, salad bar and daily sandwich options.
dinner
Family style in the dining hall with varied main entrees, sides, vegetables, pasta and dessert.
snacks
Afternoon and evening snack, with fresh fruit available throughout the day.
Campers are served three meals daily plus an afternoon and evening snack, with fresh whole fruit available through the day. Breakfast and dinner are eaten family style with the cabin in the dining hall, while lunch is served buffet style outdoors at a picnic area with open seating. Breakfast offers a hot entree plus a breakfast bar, and lunch and dinner include a salad bar, pasta and sandwich or alternative options. The food service team can accommodate many allergies and dietary restrictions on request.
A day at camp
07:30
Wake Up
08:00
Breakfast
08:45
Cabin Clean-up
12:00
Lunch
12:45
Rest Time
03:40
Afternoon Snack
05:45
Camp Meeting
06:00
Dinner
06:45
Supervised Free Play
07:30
Evening Program & Snack
Screen time policy
North Star is a screen-free camp: campers leave their phones at home, and calling or texting is not an option during the session. Parents stay connected another way — emails sent through the CampMinder account are printed and hand-delivered daily, hundreds of photos are uploaded each day to a password-protected gallery, and every family can schedule a ten-minute phone call with their child each session. The Boys or Girls Director also calls home with an update after the first 48 hours.
Cancellation Policy
What you get back depends on when you cancel — select a session for exact dates.
100% refund
60+ days before start
50% refund
30–59 days before start
No refund
Under 30 days before start
Booking60 days30 daysCamp starts
The booking deposit is non-refundable — the refund percentages above apply to the remaining balance only.
Accommodation & campus
Where your child sleeps
Per bedroom
10 campers
Bedrooms
Shared bedrooms
Bathrooms
Ensuite bathrooms
Very large (200 acres)Rural / lakeside
A 200-acre lakeside property in Poland Spring, in the Maine lakes region, with its own private lake, cabin villages grouped by age division, a central dining hall and an air-conditioned Health Center at the heart of camp.
Campus facilities
Dining Room
Soccer Court
Laundry
Computer room
Volleyball Court
Arts room
Golf course
Archery
Tennis Court
Basketball Court
Gym
Music room
Dance studio
Fireplace
Hockey Field
Horseriding Arena
Baseball field
Location & getting there
200 Verrill Rd, Poland, ME 04274, USA
Map loads with your permission — it connects to Google Maps.
Getting your child there
Airport
Portland International Jetport
Pickup service · Counselors greet campers directly in the terminal. All flights must be confirmed with the camp office before purchase so pickup is arranged for the right time and date.
Airport
Boston Logan International Airport
Pickup service · Counselors greet campers in the terminal. Arrival day for campers flying into Boston is the day before the session begins, so delays or cancellations never affect the first day of camp. All flights must be confirmed with the camp office before purchase.
Shuttle
Charter bus — NJ, NY, CT & MA
Camp North Star runs charter bus service from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Contact the camp office for the nearest drop-off and pickup location.
By car
200 Verrill Rd, Poland, ME 04274, USA
Arrival 1:00–3:00 pm · Departure 9:00–10:00 am · Families are encouraged to drive up on opening day to tour the facilities and get their camper settled into the cabin. Drop-off on arrival day is 1:00–3:00 pm; pickup on departure day is 9:00–10:00 am.
Frequently asked questions
Run by Camp North Star
Since 1927
Profile managed by the campUpdated this month
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from $4,995
Jun – Aug 2027