No one will be writing “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” letters when the whole family goes to camp. Here are wilderness retreats where you can experience every last canoe paddle and toasted marshmallow together.

Attean Lake Lodge

Jackman, Maine
The Holden family has owned this camp — located on Birch Island and accessible only by boat — since 1900; it’s currently run by the second and third generations. There is no electricity in the 15 log cottages, but they each have a private porch. 207-668-3792; www.atteanlodge.com.

Burntside Lodge

Ely, Minnesota
The lodge’s 21 log cabins, some perched on stilts overlooking Burntside Lake, are included in the National Register of Historic Places. This is not a place to rough it — a cedar sauna and a cappuccino bar are among its frills. 218-365-3894; www.burntside.com.

Taconnet on Great Pond

Belgrade Lakes, Maine
Each island cottage has its own dock with a canoe (half also have kayaks) but no television set or phone. Round-robin tennis tournaments are held on Monday mornings, and lobster boils on Friday nights. 800-588-7024; www.taconnetongreatpond.com.

Trinity Mountain Meadow Resort

Trinity Center, California
The nearly mile-high resort’s location in the heart of the Trinity Alps, in northern California, is a hiker’s paradise. 530-462-4677; www.mountainmeadowresort.com.

The Waldheim

Eagle Bay, New York
At this 102-year-old Adirondack camp on Big Moose Lake, every morning a “wood boy” visits each of the16 cottages — which don’t have TVs, phones or clocks — to build a fire. 315-357-2353; www.thewaldheim.com.