Camp Fire Minnesota - Excelsior, Minnesota

Be B.

The staff is so welcoming and makes everyone feel included in everything they do! Kids love the fun, silliness that staff is so good at doing 😊. Excellent team building activities and exploratory games centered on respecting and protecting nature. Looking forward to the big annual fundraiser"under the stars" tonight 💫

valerie A.

My 7 year old attended their first ever sleep away camp here and had an amazing time. The staff and counselors were great, and worked with both of us to ensure everyone was fun, safe, and respectful. My kiddo is already asking to go back next year. I particularly appreciate their inclusion efforts, as I can only imagine how complex it is to meet the needs of so many campers!

Kari T.

Camp is one of my favorite places in the world. I have gone myself as a camper in the 2000s. Worked at camp for many years in the 2010s. And have a step daughter who will be going for her second year this summer. It is a must to make a perfect summer in Minnesota. I’m so happy there is a place so close to the cities that let’s kids be kids in nature. Highly recommend!

Mike S.

If your child is active and athletic, this is not the camp for them! I was excited to register our two boys for the Sky High Camp thinking they would have so much fun, but it was the opposite, and the camp was a huge disappointment, and it was not fun at all. Camp was from 9am-4pm, and of those 7 hours, they sat around for at least 4 hours and were bored out of their minds. They attended one day of camp and refused to go back, and said the camp and their counselor were terrible, and I 100% agree with them. Additionally, the camp director Paddy did an extremely poor job with customer service, addressing our concerns, and responding to my emails and phone calls. If I were in charge, I would fire him immediately. If your child is athletic, active, and likes to play outside with friends, DO NOT register them for Camp Minnesota! They will not have fun, and it will be a waste of money.

Kay T.

My 2 younger kids attended the first week of camp this year 2023. Paddy & a lot of the other staff was really great to communicate with. Unfortunately, Indi (they don’t use their real names) but he was the counselor for the Cygnus younger boys cabin, decided it was ok to use SWEAR words at my child & made him feel belittled and sad. Not because he was mad but because he asked the boys a question he shouldn’t have and didn’t like my sons NICK NAME. (As a mom I feel horrible, like I was responsible since I was the one that sent him to camp). I had an emergency in which I needed to pick my kids up & out of 4 nights and could only tell me they showered once or twice. They looked like extremely dirty from not showering, being outside, putting on lotion, sunscreen & bug spray and not having enough showers. While majority of staff had good attitudes it was just a problem with one & it would have been nice for them to shower every day.

Stacy W.

I was there for a holiday event on the property. The grounds are beautiful and the main lodge is so clean and up to date as well. The cabins are very, very rustic with no bathrooms for those that will be staying in them. There are bathroom buildings not far from any cabin. I loved my experience there and would love to go back for another one or to checkout the camps held here.

James M.

Would not recommend this camp! My daughter went to Tanadoona multiple years in the past and it was an amazing experience! I sent my son this year to The New Camp Fire Minnesota. My son was kicked out of camp on day one for not remembering every individual kid and staff members pro nouns. I didn’t realize when I signed my son up for a canoeing trip, that it would be a one day force harassment course of pro nouns, hormone treatment, men wearing thongs very visible to younger kids! Then on top of that, it so happens that only the Latino and African American kids were thrown out. When my wife arrived to the camp, my son had an infection on his foot from splinters that the camp staff told him to wait until tomorrow! My son was also segregated from the other campers and forced to wait alone with no interactions with other kids. All because we don’t deal with pro nouns in our small town. I gave it a one star because it was the lowest I could go. If it were possible I would rate it negative.
No reminders about sun screen or bug spray, no ghost stories -just being belittled for not knowing anything about pronouns.

This was his 14th birthday, and he was upset and confused the entire 2 hour drive home. Shame on this camp! So many different ways to encourage people to understand one another-this was not it.

Janet P.

The grounds and buildings are so well maintained. Beautiful and fun place to send the kids for camp. We sent two boys for several summers with their best friends from our Mound, MN neighborhood.