Mountain Camp

Mountain Camp is a co-ed summer overnight resident camp that offers a minimal technology, non-competitive program. The camp includes facilities such as a historic main lodge, 22 newly renovated kids cabins, a complete infirmary, three large shower houses, full-sized sand volleyball and basketball courts, a sports field, a challenge ropes course, a private waterfront area, a covered open-air dining hall, a camp store, a campfire stage, and an archery range.

• Ages: 7–17 years old

Mountain Camp was founded in 1966. For twenty years the camp operated in the Santa Cruz Mountains before relocating in 1986 to its current site on Ice House Lake in the Eldorado National Forest in the High Sierras. Camp tours are given any Sunday during the summer season that falls in between the sessions, and tours typically last 30 to 45 minutes.

Mountain Camp’s mission states that its minimal technology, non-competitive program is designed to make sure each child succeeds, with a focus on creating a fun and safe environment that encourages independence while nurturing lasting friendships. The mission also states that the goal is to get campers outside, actively creating, playing and learning lifelong outdoor skills, and that camp is viewed as a critical “classroom” for the education and development of children. The mission further states that Mountain Camp seeks to illuminate the special and unique character in every camper, wants campers to shine, and aims to create experiences, friendships and laughter that stay with campers the rest of their lives. Mountain Camp states that it is committed to making its community a welcoming and comfortable environment for campers, families, and staff, and that it is the responsibility of the camp and its staff to ensure that all campers feel safe, supported and celebrated, with every reasonable accommodation made so campers and staff can participate in the way they feel most comfortable while respecting individual privacy.

One camper, Kyra (age 13), states that Mountain Camp has campfires, fun games, songs, making new friends and lifelong memories, along with additional fun that she feels cannot be found anywhere else. A parent, Dayle B, states that their children look forward to returning for four weeks every summer and come home happier and more self-assured than when they left, and that they appreciate that their children are getting a taste of independence and figuring out their own identity in what they describe as the safe, nurturing environment of camp.

Last updated June 16, 2026.