Camp Nawakwa

Set on 180 acres of forest, wetlands, and lakes in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, YMCA Family Camp Nawakwa has welcomed families and groups since its first summer in 1924. Founded in the early 1920s as a men's and boys' camp, it became a family camp in the 1930s and today marks a century of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago stewardship, honored with a Centennial Trail dedicated in 2024. The camp is divided into North Camp, with 20 cabins, and South Camp, with 14 cabins, nestled between Big Crooked Lake and Little Sugarbush Lake. Accommodations range from cozy four-person cabins to the two-level Bridge Builder cabin, which sleeps 20 and can feed up to 60 — one of two cabins, along with Pines, built to accommodate campers with disabilities. Nine cabins remain open for rental beyond summer, from mid-October through Memorial Day weekend. Days at camp can include kayaking, canoeing, and boating across the lakes aboard the camp's own pontoon, fishing, and sailboats, along with archery, arts and crafts, hiking, and campfires. Beyond traditional family camp stays, Family Camp Nawakwa positions its wooded, lakeside setting as a fit for team-bonding retreats, conferences, and celebratory gatherings.