A licensed nurse practitioner is in residence at our fully stocked infirmary. We are seven miles from a major hospital.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, as well as personal checks, money orders and cash.

Glen Arden’s overall ratio is 3:1. Each cabin consists of 4-6 campers and at least 1 counselor who is 19 years of age or older. Our staff is also augmented by older, more experienced, non-cabin counselors, including teachers, activity professionals, and medical staff.

Learn about a day at camp

Packing List – printer friendly and downloadable

The clothing on the packing list is a quantity deemed necessary for one week at camp. Laundry is sorted and washed on a weekly basis here at camp, so the quantities on the packing list are sufficient for the entire camp session.

We wear our “blues” to dinner three nights a week and our “whites” on Sundays. The “blues” consist of navy blue shorts and a navy blue shirt with a collar. The “whites” should be white shorts and a white shirt with a collar. Tennis skirts, skorts, and athletic-style shorts are all acceptable. We wear our ties under our collars when wearing our uniforms. Campers staying for 3 or 4 week sessions generally need 3 pairs of blues and 1 pair of whites. You can find navy and white shirts with collars at most outfitters, including LLBean, and Land’s End. It is also helpful to look in the children’s section of stores like The GAP, Target, and Wal-Mart. If your child’s school requires white and/or blue polos with a school logo, it is fine to wear those at camp.

On the first night of camp, each new camper is assigned to either the Reds or the Blues. She receives a red plaid tie or a blue plaid tie. The plaid varies from year to year, but the camper keeps her tie for life. Many Glen Arden mothers pass on their ties to their daughters. The ties are worn with the navy blue uniforms to dinner in the dining hall and with the white uniforms on Sundays. The ties are very important to Glen Arden girls, and we keep them in our cabin cubbies when we are not wearing them. In the winter, many girls hang them in their rooms as a reminder of their better selves.

No. Glen Arden has a no-package policy due to limited space in the cabins. We will return any packages upon arrival at camp. Please feel free to write letters, as campers look forward to mail call each day. If your daughter has a birthday at camp, you may send one birthday package to be opened at camp.

No. We do not allow campers to use the phone, computer, or fax machine except in extreme cases designated by the camp director. Please be assured that the office staff is available to handle all emergencies and to answer your questions and concerns during your daughter’s stay at camp. We find that access to technology is a distraction for the campers and detracts from their experience at camp. Letters to your daughter are the best method of contact and will be delivered daily. From the Camp Glen Arden website, you will be able to log in to gain access to send one-way emails to your campers. Sending emails requires a fee of $1.00 per email. “Camp Stamps” can be purchased once you are logged in and can be gifted to other family members.

There is a very special quality to Sundays at Glen Arden. We dress in our whites and attend Sunday School in the Green Cathedral. The Green Cathedral is one of the most sacred and beautiful spots at camp and provides a quiet place of wonder for the whole camp family to worship. Sunday School consists of hymns sung by the Counselor Choir and a message given by Erin. In the afternoon we have a camp-wide Red/Blue event and in the evening we dress in our whites again for a Vespers Service. This is a service created by the campers for the campers. A different unit of campers is responsible for the service each Sunday. In this way, the campers are allowed to put their own hearts and thoughts into the rituals of Sunday services.

At the request of parents, Catholic campers will be taken to Mass in Hendersonville early on Sunday mornings. The campers dress in their whites for Mass and are accompanied by Catholic counselors. They will return to camp in time for breakfast and the camp-wide Sunday School.

Glen Arden has a Progression System that allows girls to challenge themselves and advance through an activity at her own rate. We have five levels of each activity offered at camp. After a camper has achieved the same progression level in six different activities, she will receive a badge at Closing Banquet on the last night of camp.

All campers who want to ride horses take a riding test in the beginning days of camp. Based on this test, they will be placed in the appropriate level riding class. We have two riding rings. We also offer trail rides for all riders. In addition, campers may participate in the “horsemasters” program which allows them to adopt a horse that they will care for throughout the summer. Truly ambitious horse-lovers frequently become “Barn Rats” and wake up early to feed and bring in the horses. At the end of the July session, we have a camp-wide Horse Show, where girls of all levels compete for ribbons and awards.

Girls at Glen Arden are given the chance to go on many types of trips off the camp property. We backpack in Pisgah National Forest, canoe and kayak down the many whitewater rivers in Western North Carolina, and take day hikes in DuPont State Forest. Trips are supervised by qualified staff members in that area of expertise. Our trip leaders are often young women who have grown up at Glen Arden and are familiar with the area. We are proud of our mountaineering, climbing and water activities and the chance it affords campers to experience the adventure and beauty of the mountains in a safe environment. In addition to trips off of camp property, we have many camping spots on camp property, and almost every camper spends at least one night out under the stars with her cabin-mates.

No. The first days of camp are designated for sampling the activities and getting to know the counselors who will be teaching them. Activities are chosen after this sampling period.

Yes. Age limits for Woodcarving, Riflery, and Archery vary based on the safety factors in these activities.