About Chewonki

Chewonki is a school, camp and environmental education organization based in Wiscasset, Maine, that “inspires transformative growth, teaches appreciation and stewardship of the natural world, and challenges people to build thriving, sustainable communities throughout their lives.” Chewonki is a 501(c) non-profit organization.

Camp Chewonki

For more than a century, Camp Chewonki has nurtured adventurers, explorers, and environmental stewards. Founded in 1915 on Lake Champlain by Clarence Allen (then headmaster of The Rivers School), the camp relocated to the Maine coast in 1918 and was renamed “Chewonki Saltwater Camp for Boys.” By 1964, it had evolved into a 501c(3) nonprofit, expanding its focus beyond a boys’ camp to offer wilderness expeditions, visiting school programs, and a residential boarding school for high-school students.

Today, Camp Chewonki welcomes hundreds of children and teens from across the country each summer to our breathtaking campus on Chewonki Neck. From sunlit afternoons at the waterfront to backcountry treks through pristine forests, every day is an invitation to discover, grow, and forge lasting friendships. Our programs are divided into three major divisions:

• Camp Chewonki for Boys (grades 2–8, serving about 200 boys and non-binary campers)
  Fosters fun, friendship, and self-knowledge through outdoor activities and exciting backcountry adventures.
• Camp Chewonki for Girls (grades 2–8, serving about 160 girls and non-binary campers)
  Cultivates confidence, curiosity, and camaraderie with immersive, hands-on experiences in nature.
• Chewonki Leadership Expeditions (grades 8–12, serving about 90 teens)
  Offers multi-week backpacking, whitewater canoeing, and sea kayaking trips that challenge teens to build leadership skills, practice collaboration, and deepen their connection to the natural world.

Whether climbing a rocky trail under the summer sun or quietly spotting wildlife along the coastline, our campers learn to lead, support one another, and care for the planet that sustains us. At Camp Chewonki, we believe that every outdoor adventure is a chance to discover something extraordinary—about the world, and about oneself. 

Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki

Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki is a semester-long academically rigorous residential program in Wiscasset, Maine, serving high school juniors. Learning takes place in classrooms, in the field, on the coast, at the farm, in the forest, and on extended wilderness trips. Side by side with their teachers, students explore the concepts behind human ecology, the intersection between humans and their natural, social, and built environments.

Chewonki Education Partnerships

• Outdoor Classroom began with Chewonki’s first environmental education programs in 1970. Student groups from public and independent schools come to Chewonki for instructor-led, field-based learning that enhances their school curriculum. Last year, 1,592 students from 40 schools came to the Outdoor Classroom.
• Chewonki Traveling Natural History Program educators take natural history lessons, often including live animals, to schools, libraries, and other community settings across Maine. Last year, we presented 865 programs in front of approximately 26,356 people in 139 locations.
• The Local Schools Initiative is the collaborative work we do with public schools in Wiscasset and neighboring communities to support local children’s academic, social, and physical development. We collaborate with four other outstanding environmental education organizations to raise funds to support this effort at sites across Maine. 
  
  

Each year Chewonki touches the lives of nearly 20,000 young people in programs that range from one hour to one year.