Affordable Youth Camp Planned near Fontana Lake

Western North Carolina abounds with summer residential camps, but many are too expensive for kids living here. That’s about to change.

A 900-acre YMCA summer camp is planned near Fontana Lake, just three miles from the Nantahala Outdoor Center. YMCA Camp Watia will serve children from Western North Carolina who might not have the opportunity to experience the mountains, streams, trails and wealth of recreational activities throughout the region, said Paul Vest, president and chief executive officer for the YMCA of WNC.

The overnight youth camp is expected to cost $550 a week and will open in the summer of 2016. Initially, it will feature a two-story dining hall and eight cabins that will each sleep 12 campers. It’s being built on land owned by Ken and Nancy Glass, who gave the YMCA a 125-year charitable lease on the land.

Read more about the camp here.

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