The History of Camp Pathfinder

: Pathfinder boys, ca. 1935

Camp Pathfinder was established on Source Lake in 1914 by Rochester educators Franklin Gray and William Bennett. Pathfinder has been in continuous operation ever since. Owners Herman Norton, William Swift, Roy Thrall, Mac Rand and currently Glenn Arthurs and Michael Sladden, have stewarded the camp on Pathfinder Island as a simple, technology-free outpost, a unique community in the heart of wild, world-famous Algonquin Provincial Park, from which Pathfinder trippers explore the back country.

Young people come to Pathfinder for experiences that last a lifetime. Primarily a summer canoe tripping camp for boys,Pathfinder has become well known in Canada and the United States for its wilderness tripping and staff leadership programs.

Our Mission

: Rest pontoon, Barron River Canyon, 2005

Pathfinder's mission is:

to provide healthful, rewarding, maturing summer experiences;
to nurture boys' ability and enjoyment of lifelong outdoor sports;
to empower boys to challenge and extend their limits;
to foster a lifelong personal connection to the natural world;
to instill in boys character, self-reliance, teamwork, comradeship, and respect;
to prepare young men for leadership roles in the outdoors, and for the leadership roles of adult life.