Group Camping and Retreats
YMCA Camp Hi-Rock is nestled southwest of Great Barrington in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains, surrounded by 1,000 acres of woodland and situated on the 90-acre Plantain Pond. With an ideal location and superb year-round facilities, Hi-Rock has everything it takes to make group getaways productive, fun, and memorable.
Family Camps & Camp Hi-Rock Events
Please see our Family Camps & Camp Hi-Rock Events page for more information about Camp Hi-Rock hosted events!
Winter Retreats
Escape to Hi-Rock for a private retreat in our beautiful lakeside lodge with your family. Take in stunning views on hikes around the Hi-Rock Reserve and then warm up in front of your very own fireplace. Weekend trips or longer are available in Parker Seeley Lodge, which includes 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, two large sitting porches overlooking the lake, a small kitchen, library, and large common room with fireplace. The lodge sleeps 30. $550 per night for up to 10 people, each additional person will be $50/night. Please contact Mackenzie Morison, mackenzie@camphirock.org with questions or to reserve the lodge.
Winter-Specific Activities
- Sledding (equipment available)
- Ice Skating (bring your own)
- Snowshoeing (equipment available)
Choose Your Own Adventure!
Follow these easy steps to organize your Hi-Rock experience:
Step 1: When would you like to visit?
We are open year-round to serve groups with the exception of 9 weeks of summer when our overnight camp and Family camp are in session. From May to October, we can accommodate groups of up to 500 people. From November-April we can accommodate 30 people in our cozy lodge. Contact Mackenzie Morison at (413) 528-1227 x 3003 or email mackenzie@camphirock.org to check on availability.
Step 2: Where would you like to stay? Will you join us for dinner?
We offer a range of accommodations, from camping sites to log cabins to our spacious lodges. Meal service is available May-October and we offer well-balanced, family-friendly meals. Vegetarian meals are available and we can accommodate specific dietary requests with advance notice. We can also provide custom menus, though some may incur an additional cost.
Lodging and Meal Rates
Hi-Rock Group and Family Camping Programs are open year-round with meal service available from May-October. We can organize a full schedule, or let you put together your own programming. We offer excellent, family-style meal service and meals are included in the rates below.
Photo Galleries
Parker Seeley Lodge Photo Gallery
Additional Lodging Photo Gallery
Rates
Longer stays than what are listed below are available, as are packages without meal service and reduced prices for kids coming for family retreats. For more information about these additional pricing packages, contact Mackenzie Morison at (413) 528-1227 x 3003 or email mackenzie@camphirock.org.
2 Nights including 5 Meals
The following rates are per person for two nights accommodation and include five meals.
- Tent Camping, $51 per person: Bring your own tents and camp out by our waterfront or scenic wooded areas.
- Camp Cabins, $84 per person: Our wooden cabins are organized into units of 4-6 cabins with separate shared bath facilities. Most camp cabins accommodate 12 people each.
- Bunk Cabins, $122 per person: Heated wood cabins with indoor bathrooms.
- Bear Rock Lodge or New Horizons Lodge, $127 per person: Each lodge has a living room with fireplace, a dining room or kitchen and several bunk rooms. See descriptions below for further details. Additional photos in gallery and available upon request. (20 person group minimum)
- Parker Seeley, $140 per person: A heated building with a kitchen, full private baths in each bunk room, a library and meeting space with balconies overlooking the lake. (20 person group minimum)
1 Night including 3 Meals
The following rates are per person for one night accommodation and include three meals.
- Tent Camping: $29 per person
- Camp Cabins: $48 per person
- Bunk Cabins– $77 per person
- Bear Rock or New Horizons Lodge: $82 per person
- Parker Seeley Lodge: $89 per person
Lodge Descriptions
Parker Seeley
Parker Seeley our newly renovated lodge, is located directly on the lake. With two full-length balconies overlooking the waterfront it provides one of the most beautiful views on Camp Hi-Rock. Parker Seeley can accommodate up to 30 people and has eight rooms of various sleeping sizes. Each room has a private full bath and the lodge space also includes a kitchen, meeting space with fireplace and an upstairs library area.
New Horizons Lodge
Situated in the heart of Hi-Rock, New Horizons Lodge can accommodate 39 people. The spacious living/meeting room overlooks the lake and the large back porch is a great gathering place. New Horizons Lodge is located close to all of the seasonal cabins and summer camp facilities. Almost all rooms have private bathrooms. The meeting room has board games available for use and serves as an excellent space for large groups.
Bear Rock Lodge
Bear Rock Lodge sits at the southern end of Plantain Pond and can sleep 35 people. The dining room looks out onto the water and is spacious enough to seat 100 people. The large living room features a stunning stone fireplace with ample seating. The adjoining games room has a ping pong table and board games available for use. Upstairs, nine bedrooms feature lake and wilderness views. There are large, separate male and female bathrooms as well as two additional facilities downstairs. Bear Rock Lodge is available year-round, including the summer camp season. It is located at the opposite end of the lake to our day and sleep-over camp operations with its own waterfront, a hiking trail, fire circles, fields and a volleyball court.
Step 3: What would you like to do? What are your group’s goals?
We will work with you to choose the activities that best suit your group’s goals and interests.
Outdoor Education Programming Information
For an in-depth look at the different programming that we offer, take a look at our downloadable PDF of the Fall, Winter, Spring Programming guide. Inside you will find detailed information on what we offer, as well as a breakdown of our rates for activities and more. Interested in the waterfront? Team building with your group? Or maybe you want to take a spin on the ropes course, we’ve got all that and more here! Take a peek into what your life on camp could be and choose your adventure with us today!
Click Here for Camp Hi-Rock Outdoor Education Programming Guide
Team Building and Leadership-Specific Activities
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Activities on Our Beautiful 90-Acre Lake
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Land Activities
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Per Person Rates: (for groups under 25 people):
| Adventure Activities | Rate |
| High Ropes Circuit | $21.00/person |
| Climbing Tower | $12.00/person |
| Low Ropes Course | $20.00/person |
| Water Skiing | $21.00/person |
| Open Waterfront (swimming & boating) | $105/hour |
| Open Waterfront (swimming, boating, and inflatable climber) | $165/hour |
| Program: Approx. 1-hour activity blocks | Rate per person: $13/person OR any 3 for $36 OR any 5 for $48 |
| Archery | BBs |
| Boating | Guided Hikes |
| Swimming | |
| Program: Approx. 2-hour activity blocks | Rate per person: $16/person OR any 3 for $44 OR any 5 for $60 |
| Arts & Crafts | Challenge Hikes |
| Large group team-building | Raft-Building |
| Science classes | |
| No additional charge to use equipment for the following activities: | Campfires, field games, indoor games, beach games, blacktop games, sledding, snow-shoeing, fishing |
Per hour Rates: (for groups 25 people or more):
| Adventure Activities | Rate (*all accommodate approx. 8-10 people/hour) |
| High Ropes Circuit | $147/hour |
| Climbing Tower | $84/hour |
| Low Ropes Course | $116/two hours (*options available to run more than one group at the same time) |
| Water Skiing | $168/hour |
| Speciality Programming | |
| Open Waterfront, swimming & boating (25-50 people) | $105/hour |
| Open Waterfront, swimming & boating (50+ people) | $158/hour |
| Open Waterfront, swimming, boating, & inflatable climber (25-50 people) | $165/hour |
| Open Waterfront, swimming, boating, & inflatable climber (50+ people) | $215/hour |
| Speciality programming: Approx. 1 hour blocks | $74/approx. one hour sessions |
| Archery (*approx. 8-10 people) | Boating (*approx. 10- 20 boats) |
| BBs (*approx. 8-10 people) | Swimming (*up to 20 people) |
| Short hikes (*approx. 15 people) | |
| Speciality programming: Approx. 2 hour blocks | $95/approx. two hour session |
| Arts & Crafts or Speciality Crafts (*up to 20 people) | Challenge hikes (*up to 20 people) |
| Large group team-building (* up to 20 people) | Raft-building (*approx. 15 people) |
| Science class (*up to 20 people) | |
| No additional charge to use equipment for the following activities: | Campfires, field games, indoor games, beach games, blacktop games, sledding, snow-shoeing, fishing |
Other activity packages can be put together that reduce the per-activity rate. Please call or email Mackenzie Morison at (413) 528-1227 x 3003 or email mackenzie@camphirock.org for more details.
Step 4: Is there anything else we can do for you?
Here at YMCA Camp Hi-Rock, we take pride in our love of camp and our appreciation of the outdoors. We will work with you to make your retreat both successful and memorable. Every group is different and we will work creatively with group leaders and participants to tailor a retreat that will fit your budget and achieve your goals. You can always call our camp director, Mackenzie Morison at (413) 528-1227 x 3003 or email mackenzie@camphirock.org for sample schedules and expert advice to help you design the right program for your group.
Leadership and Team Building Programs
Why participate in a Hi-Rock leadership and team-building program?
Learning to be a leader is a lifelong process. The foundations of a great leader can be built early, but practice and experience allow individuals to adapt and thrive in any situation. In order to work effectively, teams must communicate efficiently and maintain an environment of mutual trust and respect. Hi-Rock Leadership and Team-Building Programs provide your group with unique opportunities to achieve your goals and learn more about each other in a fun and productive environment.
What benefits will my organization have from participating in a YMCA Camp Hi-Rock leadership and team building program?
- Increased understanding and appreciation of individuals
- Better communication
- Greater trust between group members
- Stronger leadership skills
- A more positive work environment
Who Comes to Camp Hi-Rock?
We are committed to serving all types of groups. Throughout the year we host schools, colleges, church groups, businesses, non-profits, outreach programs, adult organizations, and family reunions. Some recent groups include:
- Rumsey Hall Boarding School
- Columbia Med School Alumni
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (students and alumni)
- Waldorf School of Massachusetts Bay
- Sword Family Reunion
- YMCA Adventure Guides
- Boy Scouts of America
- Girl Scouts of America
- World Challenge Expeditions
- Berkshire Mountain School
- Mizzentop Day School
- Quinnipiac University
- Boston College Alumni
…and many more!
Reviews & testimonials from group camping participants:
“When I came up with the idea of starting a yearly tradition of gathering a group of friends and their families for a summer weekend, I knew exactly where I wanted it to be: Camp Hi-Rock, where I had been a camper and counselor for several wonderful summers in the 1990s. My only hesitation was whether my memories of the place could possibly live up to the reality. Was the lake really that big? Was the setting that beautiful? Were the people still as friendly and helpful? Would it be as much fun?
The answer to all of those questions is yes—and then some. I ended up organizing two weekends at Camp Hi-Rock this year—one in the summer and one in the winter—and both experiences left me with a “happiness hangover” that lasted for weeks. It brought me enormous joy to see friends and their families swimming, sailing and waterskiing in Plantain Pond, which is just as spectacular in real life as it was in my memory. We played; we laughed; we gathered around a campfire for S’mores. And in the winter, the giant fireplace in Parker Seeley kept us warm and cozy as we watched snow fall on the lake. Those two weekends are my fondest memories from 2016.
All of this would not have been possible, of course, without the help of the Hi-Rock staff. They possess a most unusual combination of skills: they are detail-oriented and organized, while also playful and laid back. As camp counselors, they are just as good with adults as they are with kids, and went out of their way to make both weekends as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
I echo many campers when I say that I truly cannot wait to return to Hi-Rock next summer. It brings me great joy to be able to bring together people I care about in a place that I love. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Meg, Jess, and everyone at Hi-Rock for creating such a special experience for us all. “- Catherine Price