“The students learn to collaborate and communicate better with their peers, while also gaining greater self-awareness and self-confidence. The curriculum you all employ teaches them that they have to rely on one another and challenge one another to perform at their highest level. Upon returning, the students displayed greater trust in one another. There was also a noticeable difference in behavior. The students were less inclined to act out and were more willing to try and talk through potential conflicts.”

— Charles Weatherspoon, Director, Project SMILE/GEAR UP, Mercer County Community College

Customized Outdoor Education Programs

Our “Campus in the Woods” offers 268-acres of opportunity for hands-on experiential learning. Center staff regularly work with charter, district, and independent schools; community-based organizations; colleges and universities; and religious groups to develop customized programming. The Center’s programs help youth develop social-emotional and 21st Century skills, and assist organized groups to build climate, culture, and a strong sense of team. Social emotional learning includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making skills, while 21st Century skills incorporate cooperation, creativity, critical-thinking, and collaboration. Our programs are designed for youth going into fifth grade through college, but we can accommodate other age groups upon request.

Several fields and a number of challenge course elements offer additional opportunities for unique problem-solving work, along with several ropes courses, a climbing wall, and a dam rappel. We also have a stream, lake, and waterfall to explore, along with a newly revitalized environmental education center for S.T.E.A.M. work, and a library for reading, journaling, and reflection.

We work in small groups of 10-12 students plus one of your adult chaperones and one of our facilitators. Our carefully trained and certified facilitators lead nearly all activities during the day; your staff are in charge of youth overnight in the cabins. Most of our staff are certified Wilderness First Responders trained to address common first aid situations and medical needs. We also have a culinary school-trained chef who leads our food service operations.

Your trip to the Princeton-Blairstown Center can:

Develop social-emotional and 21st Century skills;
Build meaningful personal connections;
Sharpen leadership skills;
Recognize individual and group strengths and challenges;
Gain a greater awareness of and respect for diversity; and
Deepen appreciation for the out of doors.

You can find out more about planning your trip to Blairstown by clicking here.

Click here for a description of typical Blairstown Campus activities and outcomes.

Campus Accommodations

Accommodations are comfortable and close to nature, ranging from rustic to modern. We can house up to 140 people in beautiful hand-hewn log cabins, lodges, and houses. Each cabin is outfitted with bunk beds and with stoves to ensure winter stays are cozy. Three wash houses serve the site with clean, modern facilities. Lodges and houses host modern indoor facilities. For those groups seeking a more primitive experience, we also offer many campsites to choose from with fire rings and kitchen platforms.

Our facilities include:

Multiple indoor meeting spaces;
Wireless internet access;
Accommodations for people of varying abilities, including ramps to access buildings and facilities, ADA-compliant showers and bathrooms, and visual cues for fire alarms (Egner Lodge, Danielson Lodge, and McAlpin Lodge);
Healthy, nutritious meals that include whole grains and low-fat proteins. Our chef can accommodate people with allergies and specialized diets;
Ten rustic log cabins equipped with wood-burning or gas stoves for cooler months;
Three lodges (Danielson, Twins, and McAlpin) equipped with indoor bathrooms and propane heat;
Two furnished houses (The Bolster Farmhouse and Cornwall House) with fully-equipped kitchens;
Three modern wash houses with individual shower stalls;
Twelve remote campsites;
Four miles of maintained trails through over 200 acres of woodlands;
Indoor and outdoor spaces for campfires.