Hale Mountain Biking Camp

Seasonal staff members are carefully selected from the teaching profession, top college and graduate schools, and local public and private high schools. Every applicant is personally interviewed, three or more reference checks are required, and work histories are carefully reviewed. Hale also completes criminal background (CORI) and sex offender (SORI) checks on all of its hires.

Our counselors are enthusiastic, creative role models who understand children and love the outdoors. Activity specialists have extensive experience in their respective activities (and receive additional training prior to camp).

All staff members who work directly with campers are certified in CPR and First Aid. Hale Adventure Camp and Hale MTB Camp staff members often hold more advanced Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Advanced First Aid, or Wilderness First Responder certifications, and often have many years and hundreds (if not thousands) of miles of experience hiking and riding terrain throughout New England. Hale Outdoor Learning Adventures staff members work with certified teachers from Boston Public Schools.

During a typical season, Kindercamp’s is 1:5. Lower Camp’s is 1:6. Middle Camp’s is 1:8. Teen Camp’s is 1:10. Additionally, program specialists staff every activity area. Hale Adventure Camp’s and Hale MTB Camp’s ratios are 1:6. Hale Trip Camp’s ratio is 1:7. HOLA’s ratio is 1:8. Overall, Hale’s staff-to-camper ratio is 1:5.

Some wait lists are longer than others, but people’s plans change. We enroll as many campers as possible in the order they signed up, so don’t delay—join a wait list today!

Parents and supporters often ask: Why can’t you simply hire more counselors and create additional groups? Massachusetts regulations and ACA guidelines require that specific camper-to-counselor ratios be maintained and that enrollment not exceed the capacity limits of current facilities.

Please review our Refund Policies. To change or cancel a registration, please email Wendy Rands at wrands@hale.education.

Pre-Camp Programs offer a week-long introduction to Hale Summer Camps. These are not required for participation, but are a fun, relaxing way to jump into summer and experience different parts of Hale before everyone arrives.

Bikes are not permitted on buses, but locked storage at Hale is complimentary for the duration of your camper’s session. There are three options to bring your camper’s bike to Hale:

• Drop off your camper’s bike before their session begins (bikes may be locked on our bike rack on Saturday or Sunday from 8 AM until 6 PM).
• On the first day of your camper’s session, drop them off with their bike.

You may retrieve your camper’s bike after their final session by picking them up on their last day or returning to Hale the following week during business hours.

Each camper needs a mountain bike in good working order. We highly suggest connecting with a local bike shop to learn more about bike sizes, brands, and what will work best for your rider. A few of our favorites include Landry’s and Steve the Bike Guy.

MTB 101 welcomes riders who may be new to mountain biking, but they must be generally familiar with and able to ride a bike (mounting and dismounting, braking, and riding comfortably over smooth surfaces). Our counselors take it from there!

Intermediate MTB is for riders who have already developed beginner mountain biking skills. It’s suited for campers who can ride easy and intermediate trails, successfully navigate obstacles and features up to 6 inches in height, and can stay in the saddle for 4–6 miles at a time.

Advanced MTB is for budding experts. These campers are comfortable with high speeds, easily navigate technical features, and can complete jumps. They can endure 8-mile rides on challenging trails and are typically interested in learning advanced jumps and downhill techniques.

Campers can expect to be on their bikes for at least 2–3 hours over the course of the day. Advanced riders spend more time on bikes than less experienced riders. 

On hot days we take advantage of covered trails, swim in the pond, and do other activities that keep us cool. Staff members limit lengths of rides and time in the sun. On rainy days, we ride unless the weather is severe. If a thunderstorm rolls through, we may switch to teambuilding activities, bike repair education, videos to learn about various mountain biking disciplines, card tournaments, arts & crafts projects, and more.

We take safety very seriously. Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport. All of our MTB instructors have 30+ hours of training in emergency procedures and are CPR certified, and several are certified in Wilderness First Aid. All counselors give campers detailed instructions to safely develop stamina and technical skills, and no camper is ever pressed to attempt trails or features they feel may be beyond their skill level. Campers are required to wear helmets, and we strongly recommend body armor such as hard- and soft-shell padding.