About Fairview Lake YMCA Camps

Where People Come to Grow — Since 1915

Newton, NJ | Est. 1915 | 660 Acres in the Heart of Northwest New Jersey

Since 1915, Fairview Lake YMCA Camps has been a place where generations have come to discover who they are. Nestled on 660 acres in the heart of Northwest New Jersey, we offer transformational experiences rooted in adventure, friendship, and the core values of the YMCA. Whether you're joining us for summer camp, a school trip, a weekend retreat, or a family getaway, you're stepping into a community built on connection, inclusion, and the power of the outdoors.

Our Mission

At Fairview Lake YMCA Camps, we strengthen community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Our Core Values

These four guiding principles shape every experience at camp:

CARING

We strive to show compassion, empathy, and kindness to others and ourselves. At camp, caring means helping someone who’s homesick, cheering on a friend, or pitching in before you’re asked.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word... all of which have the potential to turn a life around."— Leo Buscaglia

HONESTY

Honesty is about being truthful, trustworthy, and transparent in our words and actions. It means owning our mistakes, speaking with integrity, and choosing what’s right—even when it’s hard.

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." — C.S. Lewis

RESPECT

Respect means treating every person, place, and idea with dignity and consideration. At camp, we honor differences, listen to one another, and take care of the people and environment around us.

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners." — Laurence Sterne

RESPONSIBILITY

Being responsible means following through on your commitments and being accountable for your actions. It’s about doing your part, helping the group, and making choices that reflect your best self.

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." — Abraham Lincoln
Three boys sit with their arms around eachother watching the sun set over fairveiw lake

Our Programs

Fairview Lake YMCA Camps offers a wide variety of programs that serve youth, families, schools, and groups all year long. Whether you're spending a week at overnight camp, a day exploring the forest, or a weekend reconnecting with loved ones, you'll find an experience that inspires growth, adventure, and lifelong memories.

  • Overnight Summer Camps: Traditional and specialty sleepaway camps for kids entering grades 2–11, including adventure programs, ranch camp and leadership development.

  • Blue Mountain Day Camp: Our day camp in Stillwater, NJ offers swimming, sports, nature, arts, and weekly themes for kids entering Pre-K through 10th grade. It’s the perfect local camp experience for families seeking fun, friends, and fresh air without the overnight stay.

  • Lake in the Woods YMCA Camps: Located on the beautiful campus of Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, Lake in the Woods is our sister overnight and day camp offering one- and two-week sessions for campers looking for big adventures in a small camp setting. 

  • Environmental Education: We welcome schools for day and overnight programs filled with hands-on science, team-building, and nature exploration.

  • Family Camps & Parent Child Weekends: Year-round getaways designed to bring families closer together through outdoor fun, shared meals, and cozy cabins.

  • Youth Weekends & Reunions: Weekends and Special events designed to foster connection, growth and leadership. 

  • Group & Conference Rentals: With a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, we host scout groups, faith communities, school trips, corporate retreats and more - year round!

From summer to school year, there is a place for everyone in the Fairview Lake YMCA Camps family.

Our Property

Fairview Lake YMCA Camps is located on 660 acres in the northwest corner of New Jersey, bordered by the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Since 1915, our property has provided a welcoming and inspiring space for campers, families, schools, and groups to connect with nature and each other.

At the center of camp is Fairview Lake, a mile-long glacial lake used for swimming, boating, and waterfront activities. Surrounding the lake are woodlands, open fields, and miles of hiking trails that offer endless opportunities for outdoor exploration and adventure.

Our facilities include both year-round and seasonal cabins, indoor and outdoor program spaces, dining halls, program lodges, team building courses, archery ranges, and horse stables with riding arenas. The property is designed to support a wide range of programs while maintaining a sense of peaceful retreat from everyday life.

With a mix of natural beauty and well-maintained infrastructure, Fairview Lake offers a setting where campers and guests can experience growth, reflection, and fun in a safe and supportive environment.
Minisink Lodge, surrounded by brightly colored fall trees, sits on the shore of fairview lake

Meet Our Team

Fairview Lake is run by a team of passionate, experienced professionals who believe deeply in the power of the outdoors to transform lives. Many of them found their way here as campers, staff, or both, and stayed because this place gets under your skin in the best possible way. Together they bring decades of experience in outdoor education, youth development, camp programming, and operations to every program we offer.

Not sure who to reach? Email us and we'll make sure the right person gets back to you.

Our Year-Round Team:
Marc

Marc Koch

District Executive Director

Marc's connection to the YMCA spans more than 40 years, beginning as a camper and growing into the executive leader he is today. That journey gives him a perspective few can match — he knows firsthand what camp means to a child, and what it takes to build an organization that delivers that experience year after year. As District Executive Director, Marc works tirelessly to ensure Fairview Lake continues to grow, thrive, and remain accessible to every family who wants to be part of it.

EMAIL

Jennie

Jennie Griffin

Associate Executive Director

Jennie has worn just about every hat at Fairview Lake. Over the years she has served as Naturalist, Unit Leader, Day Camp Director, and Conference Director, each role deepening her understanding of what makes camp transformational. Today as Associate Executive Director, Jennie brings that breadth of experience to everything she does, with one constant thread running through all of it: a deep commitment to making sure every camper and guest feels like they truly belong here.

EMAIL

Julie

Julie Thomas

Senior Director Year-Round Outdoor Programs

Julie believes that the outdoors is one of the best classrooms there is. Whether she's leading a teambuilding experience, designing a leadership program, or working one on one with a group, she's always looking for the moment when someone discovers something new about themselves. Julie has a gift for seeing the strengths in the people around her and creating the conditions for those strengths to grow. As Senior Director of Year-Round Outdoor Programs, she brings that philosophy to every group that comes through Fairview Lake's gates, from school trips and weekend retreats to staff development and beyond.

EMAIL

Matt

Matthew Lifschultz

Director of Camp Engagement and Programs

Like many on our team, Matthew's story at Fairview Lake started long before his first day on staff. A camp alumni, he knows from personal experience what it means to grow up here and carry that connection with you. Today he brings that same sense of belonging to everything he does, working to ensure families have meaningful opportunities to connect with nature, with each other, and with camp itself. Matthew also leads our alumni engagement efforts, keeping the Fairview Lake community alive and connected long after the summer ends.

EMAIL

Maya

Maya Gujral

Fairview Lake Summer Camp Director

Maya quite literally grew up at Fairview Lake. She arrived as a 9-year-old camper in 2007 and never really left. Today she leads our entire summer operation, bringing the same values she discovered here as a kid to every camper who walks through our gates. A Lifeguard Instructor, Water Safety Instructor, and USA Archery Level 2 Instructor, Maya also spent years working on the Camp Inclusion Project, ensuring camp is a place where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued. Ask Maya what camp means to her and you'll hear it right away: camp is where people find belonging.

EMAIL
Emma

Emma Curran

Fairview Lake Assistant Summer Camp Director
Year-Round Program Manager

Emma brings a wealth of camping and outdoor education experience to Fairview Lake, including extensive expertise in high ropes and zip line facilitation. Though she is new to our team, she fits right in — her ability to make every camper feel seen, heard, and capable of more than they thought possible is exactly what Fairview Lake is all about.

EMAIL

Brendan

Brendan Rearer

Adventure Trips Director
Year-Round Program Manager

Brendan is the kind of person who feels most at home on a trail. A lifelong adventurer and nature enthusiast, he grew up going to camp and never really stopped. Today he channels that passion into leading Fairview Lake's Adventure Trips for Challenge program and connecting young people with the natural world. Brendan is equally passionate about environmental education, working with schools to create hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that take students out of the classroom and into the kind of learning that sticks with them long after the trip ends.

EMAIL

Emily Rearer

Marketing Director

EMAIL

Paul Hawkins

Facilities Director

EMAIL

Don Sienkiewicz

Food Service Director

EMAIL

Michele Scabet

Office Manager & Camp Registrar

EMAIL

Join our Global Community

Fairview Lake welcomes staff from across the country and around the world in both year-round and seasonal positions. Interested in joining our team? [Work for Us →]

Our Board of Managers

Fairview Lake YMCA Camps is guided by a volunteer Board of Managers, community leaders who offer their time, expertise, and heart to ensure that our mission thrives. The Board helps support long-term planning, fundraising efforts, and strategic decision-making in partnership with our staff leadership team.
Andrew Pfaff, Chair
Santander USA

Matt Block, Vice-Chair
Ardsley Union Free School District

Joan Griffin, Secretary
Promontory Financial Group

Steven Abrahams
Milepost Capital Management, LLC
Trudy Atkins
Bordentown Regional Schools (Retired)

Jonathan Clemente
Clemente Mueller, P.A.
Attorneys at Law

Jillian Cormier
Community Volunteer

Erin Drinkwater
City of New York
Stephanie Kirby-Anderson
Salesforce

David Moss
Bank of New York Mellon

Clayton Nelson
Expedia Group
Adam Taylor
Talva Energy

Stephanie Richards
Salesforce

Scott Ross
Global Aerospace, Inc.

Frankie Williams
Thermo Fisher Scientific

Emeritus Members

“I did not find the world desolate when I entered it. My fathers planted for me before I arrived, so I plant for those who come after me.” -Talmud 
Greg Damell
David Goldblatt
Jeff King
Michael Rawitz
 
Susan Day
Jim Griffin
Robert M. Leigner, MD-MBA
Allen Williams

Driving Information

Our address:

1035 Fairview Lake Road, Newton, NJ 07860 

When entering our address into your GPS, make sure to select Fairview Lake Road, not Fairview Lake Lane. Fairview Lake Lane is a dirt road with no cell service at the other end of the lake. 

Please drive slowly (10 mph) on ALL camp roads. 

All visitors must check in at the main office. Photo ID is required for anyone 18 years or older. 

 

 

Y For All

Financial Assistance

The YMCA provides financial assistance to those who may require help covering the costs of our programs. Our Y for All Fund plays a crucial role in keeping Fairview Lake accessible to children, adults, and families who need support. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the transformational power of the outdoors, regardless of financial circumstances.

Do I Qualify?

 

 

Make Camp Possible

You can help make the magic of camp possible for every child by giving to our Annual Support Campaign. Your donation provides financial assistance to families in need, ensuring that every camper has the chance to learn, grow, and thrive at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps. Together, we can make sure no one is turned away due to the inability to pay, because camp is for everyone.

Give To Camp