Our daughter who will soon be turning twelve years old attended phase 1 this summer on the recommendation of a friend who attended phase 2 this year. It was her first summer camp and her first time away from home with people she hadn't met before. She had a wonderful experience all around. She mentioned that the meals were great and the camp songs and activities were fun. For her, the week picked up in intensity on Wednesday when they went for an overnight backpacking trip. It was her most challenging experience but also the highlight of her week. She experienced home sickness the first day, but that faded away by the second day. She made good friends with some of the girls and boys in her group. Everybody seemed to be helpful and supportive of each other. As a parent of an Eagle Scout boy, I remember attending his first two summer camps as an adult troop leader. So I felt a little anxious not being able to be there with my daughter at her first summer camp. The weather in this area was in the high 80s in the morning and mid 50s in the evening for the second week of July that my daughter attended. A two person tent and a warm sleeping bag and pad with an inflatable pillow were perfect for her. The campsites were under trees and their shade made for a pleasant stay even during the warmest part of the day. The warmest it got for my daughter was on the backpacking hike up a hill, but she also forgot to wear her hat. Kids were constantly reminded to drink water. They also made frequent stops to rest and hydrate. My daughter showered twice in the six days she was there and that along with some wet wipes she took were enough for her. They were required to wear their swimsuits when they showered. I must say that my daughter has always been a scared-y cat when it comes to bugs (spiders, bees, mosquitoes, ants) and splinters. Nevertheless, none of these seem to have been an issue, or not enough for her to notice. She only used the insect repellent once, and even though she said she got bit by mosquitoes a couple of times, we couldn't find any signs of bites, rashes or scratches when she got home. In all, it was a positive growing experience for her and she is very likely to return next year. On the night she came home, she cried before going to sleep because she missed the friends she made and the songs they sang. The possibility that they might not see each other again made her sad. We told her that is part of growing up. I wrote this review because my daughter wanted me to share her experience so that it may be helpful to others. I agree that every person is different and have different reactions to similar situations. Being away from home or sleeping in a tent for the first time is not for everyone ... you can ask my wife, who is definitely not the outdoor type .... she is the glamping type :) As another reviewer posted, phase one had the largest group of kids, followed by phase two and then phase three. Middle school and high school academics, club and school sports, and online and extracurricular activities give teenagers so much to choose these days. As they grow their interest change and they opt to purse other activities. Still, it is amazing and commendable to see some of them continue to do summer camps and return to mentor the younger children. read more

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Our 13 year old son attended Phase 2 as a first timer this year. It was a fantastic experience all around; he came back with a new confidence, passion for leadership, and sense of self that we had not seen before. Drop-off was extremely smooth, and kids are whisked away before any anxieties (on either kids' or parents' part) can set in. I understand from our son that the first 48 hours was most challenging in terms of settling into a no-phone routing, not being able to reach out to family and friends and having to adapt to his group, which he took to immediately. By day three he was 110% in, and we hope that some of the friendships made will last for life. As parents, there is always a concern in the back of your mind that the week might have have been miserable, and it was so enthralling to see them march into their graduation ceremony on the pickup morning, cheering singing and laughing together. Safety was paramount; the kids were kept very well fed and hydrated. It sounds as though the worst emergencies were a couple of hornets and some aggressive ants, but the camp and leadership were well prepared. Our son had nothing but good things to say about the other campers, the camp leaders, and the adult leadership; he felt that all were very strong and genuinely cared for him and his fellow campers. All in all, it' was an incredible experience. He can't wait to go back next year and is hoping that he can qualify for staff leadership in the future. read more

I attended White Stag as candidate recently and I had so much fun. The people I met during the week were so kind and considerate to me and even 2 weeks after the camp we still keep in contact reminiscing over the fun times we had during the week. The staff did an amazing job helping me throughout the week, and I will definitely use many of the skills they taught me. I really recommend you send your kids to White Stag. It is a wonderful experience that helps your child grow and have fun. read more

I am quite surprised how few people know about this longstanding and outstanding program. My twin brother and I attended our first White Stag camp as Phase 3 candidates in July, 2023. The fee for camp was low compared to other camps I've been to. However the price of camp does not reflect it's quality. The temperatures reached 100° almost every day, but we were prepared for hot weather. Just like with any outdoor activities, there was lots of dust, and pesky insects. Backpacking is a major activity at White Stag, at least in Phase 3, fitting your backpack and packing right and light is important. Despite bring tents, my patrol ended up sleeping under the stars on tarps every single night because the night sky was so pretty and the night fairly warm. Attending White Stag has shown how capable I am. I have developed my confidence,found my voice and others have noticed a positive change in me. The leadership principles I've learned here is very valuable information and I find myself using at least some aspects of it everyday. There was a lot to do and little free time so I did feel a bit burnt out by the end of the week. The spirited songs and group games are fun and uplifting. I met so many encouraging people who made my experience wonderful. The people who run this program care about the participants and want to see them succeed. I enjoyed my White Stag experience very much and have even joined the youth staff as a result. My twin brother does not share my feelings but still had fun and enjoyed his time at White Stag. I'm really glad to be part of this program! :D read more

This is my son's second year and he absolutely loves it. We are going back next year. I'm surprised to see only 4 reviews so far. There are thousands of fantastic reviews on other social media platforms and I hear similar praises for the Sierra location as well. Kids have fun, learn outdoors skills, develop leadership skills and make friends. Price is very low for what you get and compare to other similar camps, thanks to all the volunteers who dedicate time and love all year round (2 weeks of camp take 9 months to plan). Highly recommended! read more

My daughter went to this camp a few years ago as a candidate and had so much fun at this camp, so she joined the youth staff to help as more kids come into White Stag. With this she enjoyed the experience of all the staff developments, the friends she made, and the skills she learned. This camp really changed her confidence and knowledge. read more

My daughter and son joined phrase 1 and phrase 2. Both of them love the camp and we will join again next year for sure.

My (2) children completed this one week program, June 2023. White Stag provided excellent leadership training in an outdoor camping adventure. My children love their time so much that will attend again. I highly recommend it, but it is camping and leadership development, so it might not be for every kid. read more

Our 14 year old son attended White Stag for the first time on the recommendation of a 15 year old friend who attended Phase III earlier this summer. Both boys had such a great time that they want to go back. My son wants to become a staff though he is also involved in sports and some other extracurricular activities so we'll see how he juggles. This is likely why there are more younger participants in the program as the high schoolers are getting busier with the more demanding academic requirements as well. This is such a great program for children to be close to nature, to their peers and to find their own values. The independence and the team spirit the program instills will go a long way in not only their school years, but also for their future endeavors. Technology advances, society changes but the core values remain. How we wish we signed up as soon as he turned 10! After we picked him up from graduation, our son talked all the way home with excitement - about the activities, the teammates and of course the food. We were so proud to hear how the kids helped each other working through some struggles - patching up torn in the pants, sharing supplies, etc.. He also grew taller in that week! read more

My son came home so excited about this leadership camp! He has attended many summer camps, but this one was different. He kept talking about it for months and wanted his siblings to go too. He learned how to be a great member of a team, how to lead a team well, and how do manage a large project using several teams. The youth staff and adult staff helped him grow his skills and confidence. I highly recommend this camp! read more

I really liked the structure of this camp. My son attended phase 1 in June 2022. I think generally everything was good or great even, and when asked if he'd like to return , he paused and said okay. I gave it a 4/5 because I think there may need to be some restructuring with how meals are planned and served, and more pool time, especially for the young ones who can't adapt to rising temperatures as well. The two (valid) complaints my son had were that the food was subpar, and because his group had dietary restrictions they had to wait to eat every single meal until all the other groups ate, leaving him to eat what was leftover. He said he only ate 1-2 meals a day as the rest were undercooked, unappealing, or there wasn't enough "regular food" (my guess is that there were gluten-free options or something for those who needed that). It's good to have him try to adapt to the challenges of eating anything put in front of you and I support that to a degree so guess what, he's going next year too! Thank you to all the staff and leaders who helped put this camp on, it takes special people to volunteer at these events! They do need more of these types of camps around California. read more

My teens just completed their third summer of White Stag camp - two as phase 3 candidates, another as a youth staff. They are already talking out next year! I feel so fortunate to have this affordable, entirely volunteer led program available to my kids. They show huge personal growth after every session and I see them putting the principles they learn into action. Its definitely a stretching experience with new challenges, but that also leads to a huge boost in confidence. We are fortunate to have this opportunity locally - I know of many families drive several hours. read more

Thanks to the adult staff and Directors whose time and effort have provided a foundation for youth staff each year. White Stag is outstanding and continues to be a role model among youth leadership programs. read more

Great Camp 2 years in a row! We are so greatful White Stag was able to stay open this summer in Monterey- staff provided a engaging program with a good ballance after an all zoom year. Our daughter went with the hopes of seeing kids from last summer and hiking more. She prepared a little differently asking to change some camp gear about a month before camp. Not expensive but this let me know she was seriously planning (a learning objective from last year) equipment to have the best time she could. So new sleeping pad but wanted to keep last years " broken in" boots to prevent blisters. She told me the week goes by fast after the first over night and patrols groups settle in. This year( 2021)She came back from session 2 totally energized and happily exhausted. She tells me this phase had different staff members, she saw some friends and made more during hikes, camp fire and meals. I was afraid our daughter might get bored going "again" but the curriculum was different, she said some things repeated on purpose because they approached the task differently and that was part of the challenge. They went different places than last year. This phase had different group focus, made it more fun. Personal challenges for her (age 14) included being a little shy and organizing her daily pack , not forgetting stuff in the tent becase it was a long walk back to get the stuff. I'm thankful White Stag could bring her away from her shyness and introduce my teen to hiking/ camping/packing in a way I never could! I checked in about supervision , she said there were always youth staff, adult staff around to check in with, but didn't need to (always co ed leaders) . Some kids went to first aid area at meals or needed bandaid or splinters removed but they did most of that in their camp. She learned new songs and apparently did some work making up songs and a comedy routines for camp show (totally new for her and I was suprized to hear she did the comedy routine). You can easily see improvements in the camp, attention to staying hydrated/cool/well fed. There were new bathrooms at graduation. The camp director tells me the program traditionally looks at each candidates' skill set individually in addition to age, maturity; the kids grow /learn differently. The youth staff work during the winter to create and schedule next years activities- i see the out door environment and physical challenges engage most kids in a way traditional schools couldn't this past year. At graduation I could see several groups of kids - singing and joking w each other in addition to program events, but they weren't clique like. I'm really happy White Stags offeres a reunion in September, smoothing over the jolt of returning to in person academic is not easy, we hope our daughter can see some of friends from summer. Its the kind of connection and fun I hope every teen can experience. RK read more

This was the camp from hell. My granddaughter went with a couple friends this summer and they were all miserable. I knew the backpacking would be difficult for her but I did not expect a brutal no fun camp. This camp is called leadership development but the very young leaders kept saying they were here to toughen her up. Morning wake up was kids banging on pots and pans, uniform inspections, competitive chants with questionable language. The policy was to separate you from your friends. What camp does that? The pictures from the camp photographer showed an unkempt little girl looking grim and miserable. That is not her personality. When her dad picked her up she she got in the car and just sobbed. She had not bathed, brushed her hair or teeth. I asked her if any adult had ever checked in with her and she said no, only the 15 year old boy in charge of her group. She said there were some adults there mostly at meal time. I taught middle school for 24 years and know that the well being of young kids away from home needs to be continuously monitored by adults to see if intervention is needed. This camp is NOT accredited. Would be a good idea to go through the accreditation process especially in light of bad press hanging over Boy Scouts of America. I just hope my granddaughter will try camp again, one where you enjoy the outdoors, make friends, sing songs at a campfire, and many other activities that make camp a positive experience in lives of youth. read more

My two sons attended and graduated from Phase 1. One has some health issues but still managed to participate enough to graduate, he even got an award the first day for his participation efforts. Neither could tell me what leadership qualities they learned. They both said that the group leaders weren't very good at communicating the daily events and expectations, and grew impatient when members of the group didn't know what to do next. At the 2 1/2 hour graduation ceremony there was a lot patting each other on the back and marching around. I also noticed there were a lot of kids in phase 1, about half the amount of kids in phase 2, and a handful in phase 3. It seems as though kids aren't coming back. My sons were also signed up for phase 2 but we received a letter from the Whitestag organizers that they were not welcome back. One of my sons got a migraine and I guess that was just too much for them to handle even though it was a known issue prior to his attending, and he was sent with medication. My other child had problems adjusting. I guess they only want perfect kids with no medical or emotional issues. Still, they graduated. I was under the impression that they were to try to get the kids involved and actually teach them something to become better people. What I saw was a lot of pomp and circumstance and a lot of silly yelling (not sure what that has to do with leadership). It just seemed like a waste of money and time. I'd rather they do something fun and educational next summer. read more

I can't say enough about this program, and as Yelp says, this is as good as it gets! My children have been involved with this program for over 10 years, no amount of parenting could have added to their lives like this program does! I have amazing, independent, self-serving, confident, young adults because of this program. Thank you White Stag Monterey! read more

Beware of the White Stag Cult......Seven months later, my 14yr old daughter still cannot bring herself to talk about this camp. What camp allows power-hungry teen boys to be 'in charge' of a group of young, vulnerable girls with very little female adult supervision? My daughter told me that several of the campers were actually plotting to escape the week she was there as they were so miserable. Bearing in mind this camp was in the middle of nowhere, this is a scary thing to contemplate. My daughter was bullied as she did not fit the military role they were looking for. The whole experience was cultish and horrific. They were made to learn 'rules' and chants from an old book published about 80 years ago. My daughter cried herself to sleep each night and was not allowed to call home despite having a medical concern. The 'doctor' on-site (aka the site leader who may or may not have been an MD) was the keeper of sanitary items, so if a girl got her period she would have to come and ask him (in front of everyone) for pads. Seriously? How insensitive! Many of the girls were crying and wanting to go home. It was not just my daughter. We wrote to White Stag to make them aware of her experience and received zero response other than a general 'oh, we'll look into it'. Never heard another thing. Nothing. This is not a fun, campfire , sing-song have a good time camp. It involves military-style marching, uniform inspections, learning strange chants, discipline, 6am starts, and seems to be led by a bunch of 17-year-old boys and odd misfit scout leaders. The videos and website are misleading. Trust me, I read it all. There are no leadership skills as far as we could tell - just trying to mold your kid into doing what they are told. Heaven help you if you don't fit that mold. Please do your homework before you enroll your child. Note: My daughter is a sociable, well-traveled, well-balanced, happy smart kid. She's been away on endless other camps and trips away from home. This was not homesick-ness. What we got back after camp was a reserved, humiliated child who had been through an awful ordeal. Shame on you White Stag. Would have been appy to discuss if you had ever bothered to follow up. read more

Dirty Dirty Camp, just a bunch of Shacks and disgusting sanitation. Showers were a joke and not very private. same on the Toilet houses. Could not take shower when I wanted, but only a few times during the week. Looked like all the money was spent of the staff camp area where they had electrical power and nice campers to stay in. Food is awful cheap meat when there was meat. Pancakes every day for breakfast most without any meat or eggs. Oh and I can never eat tater tots again after a week of them being under cooked cold or burnt. Diner was how many ways can you make spaghetti noodles also not a lot of meat. Chicken hot dogs over cooked hamburger patties no real vegetables during the week just when the parents arrived. The owner of the camp did not eat the food we had to eat but much better quality or sleep as the campers but in his beautiful Rv with his family who are all on staff. Different rules for Adult Staff then the Youth Staff and Campers and the owners of camp make them up as they go, but they themself don't have to follow the rules that they make. One good thing is the Youth Staff they are amazing such spirit and so much to teach I can only hope the Adults can pull it together and make this a really great Camp. Especially at what they are charging for a week of camp. read more

When I first started at White Stag I thought "wow this camp is amazing!" Since then I've spent 7 years there! Highly recommended experience and you will have a lot of fun! read more