About
Camp Shamineau Summer Camps include activities such as zip line, climbing wall, tubing, The Blob, swimming, archery, sports, creative crafts, and campfire nights. Some camps also offer horse-related options where campers can ride horses at the ranch, take part in rodeo games, trail riding, riding lessons, equine activities, daily trail rides, and hands-on horse care. Certain programs include camping skills and a canoe trip as part of the experience.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Encounter Camp is a one-week summer experience.
Camp Shamineau Summer Camps are part of a year round camping ministry affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. The organization states that every camper will hear the Gospel of Jesus at Camp Shamineau, and its mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus with children and youth through relationships and fun camp experiences. Camp Shamineau provides resident camps for children and families as well as outfitting for trips into the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Across its programs, Camp Shamineau is committed to partnering with churches by providing programs that help people understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how to live in His kingdom, and it exists to support the church with programs that advance that goal. Camp Shamineau’s programs are described as fun, relational, and Gospel centered.
Camp Shamineau began in 1912 as the Scandinavian Young People’s Society, which started Buffalo Lake Bible Camp on the shores of Buffalo Lake in Buffalo, Minnesota. In 1957 that property was sold to purchase the current property on Lake Shamineau, becoming Camp Shamineau, with its first summer of ministry in 1958. In 1993, a 22-acre island on the east end of Lake Shamineau was purchased and soon after became the site for “Shamineau Island” camps, and in 1997 Rock Ridge Camp was purchased and began operating in the summer of 1998. The property now includes over 700 acres at the main location, a 22-acre island in Lake Shamineau used for Shamineau Island camps, and a 59-acre Rock Ridge Camp in Ely, Minnesota, and across these three locations Camp Shamineau welcomes more than 19,000 guests each year through year-round programs. Campers travel by bus from Camp Shamineau in Motley, Minnesota, to the Rock Ridge property in Ely, Minnesota, for certain camps and trips.
Last updated February 23, 2026.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Encounter Camp is a one-week summer experience.
Camp Shamineau Summer Camps are part of a year round camping ministry affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. The organization states that every camper will hear the Gospel of Jesus at Camp Shamineau, and its mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus with children and youth through relationships and fun camp experiences. Camp Shamineau provides resident camps for children and families as well as outfitting for trips into the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Across its programs, Camp Shamineau is committed to partnering with churches by providing programs that help people understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how to live in His kingdom, and it exists to support the church with programs that advance that goal. Camp Shamineau’s programs are described as fun, relational, and Gospel centered.
Camp Shamineau began in 1912 as the Scandinavian Young People’s Society, which started Buffalo Lake Bible Camp on the shores of Buffalo Lake in Buffalo, Minnesota. In 1957 that property was sold to purchase the current property on Lake Shamineau, becoming Camp Shamineau, with its first summer of ministry in 1958. In 1993, a 22-acre island on the east end of Lake Shamineau was purchased and soon after became the site for “Shamineau Island” camps, and in 1997 Rock Ridge Camp was purchased and began operating in the summer of 1998. The property now includes over 700 acres at the main location, a 22-acre island in Lake Shamineau used for Shamineau Island camps, and a 59-acre Rock Ridge Camp in Ely, Minnesota, and across these three locations Camp Shamineau welcomes more than 19,000 guests each year through year-round programs. Campers travel by bus from Camp Shamineau in Motley, Minnesota, to the Rock Ridge property in Ely, Minnesota, for certain camps and trips.
Last updated February 23, 2026.
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