Frost Valley YMCA in
Claryville (NY)

did some volunteer work to clean up the farm and paint over graffiti

Dear Frost Valley YMCA Team, On behalf of WEAREQUEENS.ART An lead artist SHANICE FIGEORUX I wanted to send a massive thank you for inviting us to be a part of your recent community event. It was truly an outstanding experience and we are so grateful that you chose us to host the painting activities. We had such a fantastic time engaging with everyone and the feedback from all the participants about the art activities was overwhelmingly positive. It was a joy to see so many members of the community connect and express their creativity! Knowing that our efforts brought so much fun and joy to all ages was incredibly rewarding. Beyond our specific activities the event as a whole was beautifully put together Gail didn an amazing job ?. The atmosphere was warm welcoming and vibrant everyone made me feel so good being there . The collection of vendors was amazing and the live music truly set a wonderful mood for the entire day Each and every band Rocked the house rite . It’s clear how much planning and care went into making it such a successful and experience for everyone involved. We feel genuinely happy and honored to have been a part of such a beautiful celebration of the Frost Valley community. We are already looking forward to any opportunities to collaborate with Frost Valley again next year! On a personal note my boyfriend is such a huge fan of Frost Valley he loves it up there and always enjoys his time there that makes our partnership with you even more special. Thank you again for your incredible hospitality and for supporting ME and my ART and for organizing such a memorable day. Hope to see you all again soon With love Shanice an Hugh Public Artist

Frost Valley is my favorite place on NY.They have a lot of activities n Food is awesome !! I wish I could go back to those wonderful days

Excellent camp grounds with a friendly and well trained staff. It was a quick 3 day excursion, but we were very impressed with the facilities and activities. The food was surprisingly delicious as well with several options for most dietary needs.

The place is amazing! Super quiet and great to be out in the forest. Stayed at Lakeview Lodge November of 2024 which was nice and clean...and warm! Food was good. Staff seemed friendly. Our event was really fun and we were taken care of well!

I had a terrible experience with Frost Valley YMCA's summer camp. My daughter attended sessions there, and the camp failed to provide any information in their family handbook about the risks of ticks and Lyme disease in the area, especially important for families unfamiliar with the region. During an overnight camping trip in thunderstorms, no preventive measures like tick repellents were encouraged or provided, leading to my daughter getting bitten and contracting Lyme disease. The staff didn't notify me about the initial tick bite, missing a critical window for early treatment. When symptoms appeared, there were significant delays in getting her medical attention, including a long wait to see a nurse and further delays in urgent care. Medication wasn't administered promptly, and the camp refused to refund unattended sessions despite a doctor's advice against continuing in the area. I felt the health and safety protocols were inadequate, and management showed little empathy. I wouldn't recommend this camp to other parents! When requesting a partial refund for unattended sessions due to medical issues caused at camp, management showed no empathy or accountability. The CEO sends weekly invitations for Manhattan office breakfasts (likely for donations) while remaining disconnected from serious operational failures at the actual camp. International families especially: please research tick/Lyme disease risks before considering this camp. We learned too late.

My name is Eli and of writing this review I just got back from Peekamoose. Peekamoose is the village for 14 year old boys. Compared to the other sleepaway camps I've been to the food here is amazing. The counselors here also have a great sense of humor and are welcoming. My main problem is one of the lunch ladies, besides that I had a fun year.

Not recommended. The conditions in this camp are appalling. It looks like the place hasn’t been renovated since it was built — everything is old, worn-out, and in some cases, downright unsafe. The beds are terrible — uncomfortable, with dirty mattresses and springs sticking out. The food is another disaster. Tasteless, low-quality, and sometimes just inedible. There’s clearly no concern for the children's health. As for the staff — they show little to no interest in the well-being of the kids. Complaints are ignored or brushed off. One of the most shocking things: instead of dealing with the mosquito problem properly, the staff expect children to spray themselves with chemicals every night because bugs fly in through the cracks in the walls. For the price they charge, this is nothing short of a disgrace. The conditions don’t match the cost, nor do they meet even basic standards of safety and comfort. Do not send your children here. Absolutely unacceptable.

We entrusted Frost Valley YMCA with the care and summer experience of our 13-year-old son — and our trust was profoundly broken. Without any formal investigation, without giving our son a chance to explain himself, and without involving us — his parents — the camp abruptly expelled him based on a misunderstanding of a game between children. The incident involved peers joking in a group setting under the informal supervision of a 17-year-old counselor. No child or parent filed a written complaint. The children remained friends after the situation. Our son was isolated in his room for hours until we arrived to pick him up — confused, scared, and emotionally hurt. The language used by the camp was harsh, excessive, and damaging — labels like “racism” and “slave play” were assigned to a child without context, due process, or factual basis. We were not given the chance to participate in a meeting, phone call, or any reasonable process to understand or discuss the incident. The decision had already been made. It wasn’t about safety — it was about control, bias, and a complete disregard for the rights and dignity of a minor. Frost Valley YMCA may be one of the oldest camps in the country — but that does not give them the right to act without transparency, accountability, or compassion. What happened to our son was not a mistake. It was a failure in leadership, ethics, and responsibility. Parents deserve to know that this camp can remove your child without warning, without fairness, and without even listening. This experience deeply hurt our family and destroyed what should have been a beautiful summer for our child. We gave the camp every opportunity to correct this privately. They chose silence. Now we choose to speak up.

Terrible!! My son showed me pictures back of everything!! Never send your child here!! The food looks absolutely DISGUSTING and inedible!! This is why I sent my son with food but he wasn’t allowed to eat it which was ridiculous!! Such horrible staff too!! Never sending my kid here again!! I’d rather commit suicide than come back here again!! It’s skibidi bad!!

I went here on an educational trip, and I could not be more grateful for it. I had so much fun, all the activities we did. I would highly HIGHLY recommend the zip lining. Everything is high quality and really enjoyable but the food is a bit lacking luster, but that’s besides the point. If you have them time, then why not go?

Attended Women’s Wellness Weekend's for several years. Stayed in Lakeview Lodge, clean and very comfortable. Activities for everyone !! Food has always been amazing, vegan and dairy free options. Very busy weekend and very relaxing. Wonderful place and very accommodating. We’ve met so many women that attend year after year!!

Heading to my 3rd Women’s Weekend next week. Cant wait. Housing has been comfortable and clean. The food has been terrific. Even too good. I think I gain a pound or 3 each time. And the activities are plentiful and engaging. Things like wine tasting, knitting, yoga, hiking. Plenty to do. God friends to do it with. Now if we can just hit a good bit of weather…

I went there this year for a school field trip and the food was great and the Cabins were nice but we may have summed Bloody Mary in the Scot cabin and my principal saw me and my friends being monkeys but over all it was a great experience.

Absolutely the worst experience!!! My Son came to the camp as a Kidney Transplant patient. He has bathroom issues from his illnesses. This was noted on every single form not just from myself but also from his Dr. The campus promoted to meet kids like himself…. Not the case at all! He was put into a cabin with “regular” kids. By day 3 he was sent home from the camp because his issue could cause the other kids to make fun of him. The night before they sent him home he had stayed in the medical center. The day they sent him home they didn’t allow him to collect his stuff from the cabin, workers collected what they thought was his and sent him home with it. When he got home and we went through his stuff at least half of his belongings were missing. I contacted the director who was supposed to contact me after they gathered his belongings. I never heard back… I sent a follow up email to which she told me that his stuff was found and at the welcome center. Three hour and 45 min. Trips to the camp to get his stuff and the welcome center was closed every time. I arrive today and they tell me that his stuff was here and now it’s not… they don’t know where it is and they can’t find it! They are completely disorganized sending me camp dates for the first sessions then telling us when we arrived we were suppose to be third session but let him stay because we were already here…. Not only do they mislead the camp as a kidney camp they also don’t exactly know what safe for kidney kids and what’s not including letting them swim in lakes which is dangerous because they are immunocompromised and can get sick from parasites, etc. in the water. They also allowed my Son to play contact type sports which are a BIG no!!!

Love the place, felt like home when I stayed with my after school program here. Love the fields and activities. 100% recommend!

I’ve taken college students here and also my family on a separate trip. Staff are kind, accommodating, and well organized, facilites are well maintained, the grounds are stunningly beautiful, there was a nurse on site, the cafeteria was surprisingly good, nut-free and had plenty for vegetarians and even vegans, and I think could also accommodate gluten free with advanced request. We had a group with one person who was mobility restricted and they had a golf cart to help him get around. There are a variety of really fun scheduled activities, and for our uni group they gave us the flexibility to run our own program. Activities included boating, archery, climbing tower, crafts, tie dye, candle making, ropes course, guided hikes and at night a telescope that found the andromeda galaxy!!! Families would come with walkie-talkies and let their kids roam around independently. As of a few years ago cell service was not there, but there is WiFi in the cafeteria.

Spent Mother’s Day weekend with a group of other single moms by choice here and it was wonderful! Great activities for the kids, comfortable accommodations!

This is a wonderful facility for groups located in the beautiful Catskills region. The staff are friendly and organized, and the accommodations are clean and nice. The food is great--there are always delicious dairt-free and vegan options a as well as meaty ones--and the dining hall staff is helpful and friendly. They have adopted many green practices and are very open and welcoming. I've been here several times and it's my favorite of all the retreat facilities I've attended events.

Loved it last year in 2023. Went for the Girl Scout weekend in January. This time it was way too busy and under staffed. The rope courses like the vertical play pen is adjacent to the low ropes but they had no one for spill over if one was crazy busy. So we waited. With a big troop and cold weather if u keep active it’s easier to manage. But I guess they didn’t have staff to help. Candle making got flooded so lots of people came into arts and crafts. So we were rushed to accommodate them. Those that required sign ups wouldn’t take the spill over if one activity was closed. Overall I feel they need more staff and more activities esp if they taking in such a large number of guests now. Hence giving it 3 stares. Counselors are always very caring and friendly so that’s a plus.

Fun place, cool staff, fun activities, dorms are nice and spacious. but the food is kinda bad, especially that pizza. Too thick, too oily, got a strange taste, felt microwaved. no way yall can ruin the pizza this much.

Fantastic! Gorgeous time of the year to come. October Columbus weekend. We stayed in a 10 sleeper cabin. Very well heated! Bunk bed mattress could be softer so bring more bedding if you need. Staff delivered meals to cabin. Meals were delicious and vegan options were excellent! Not going to dining hall was ideal so we could save time, change and continue activities!

Frost Valley is my favorite place on Earth. The hiking is great and the lodges are beautiful!! The food is good and the people are even better.

I loved Family week here during the summertime. It was a great experience, there was so much to do. The staff was very interactive and helpful, and the food was delicious. It's great that they have so many activities for the whole family to choose from, while also giving options of hikes and walks through the woods, and even some really unique waterfall experiences. The campsites were also really cool, with different options from outdoor tents to cabins to lodges. Thank you guys for such an awesome time here. Can't wait to come back.

It is excellent location for kids to have fun.closest to nature and it’s beautiful.

I disliked the food at frost valley it felt to me like school lunch and the beds are really uncomfortable but I had a lot of fun with the activities at Frost Valley.

Beautiful and well-kept grounds with lots of activities to do, including boating on the lake and swimming at a nearby waterfall. I've come here two years in a row with program mates. It's not easy to keep 100+ people happy but the staff always does with a smile and professional attitude. Fun fact: Frost Valley is the oldest YMCA in the country!