Camp Tilikum Summer Camps

Camp Tilikum Summer Camps include activities such as hiking, swimming, canoeing on the lake, archery, boating, games, skits, silly songs, Trail Talks, gathering by the campfire, and time on the Challenge Course with team-building and personal growth activities. Campers also take part in faith-based Summer Day Camps and QUEST Adventure Camp, and families can participate together during Family Camp and other family weekends and parent & child faith-based weekend programs.

• Ages: 6–16 years old
• Schedule: Family Camp runs one week, July 6–11, 2025, from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon, with children in grades 1–10 attending their respective camps from 8:45 AM to 3:45 PM each weekday.
• Price: Transportation bus program costs an extra $60 for transportation to and from camp for 5 days; Special Homeschool Week includes at least a $60 discount off the regular camp price plus at least an additional $45 discount for registrations by May 1; Family Camp has a maximum cost of $1,300 for immediate families.

Camp Tilikum Summer Camps are part of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that maintains major accreditations, national certifications, and accountable practices. Explore Camps are led by Christ-centered, specially trained college-age counselors, and Quest Camps are led by specially trained college-aged staff. Camp Tilikum hires college-age or older adults who have been selected for their desire and abilities to work with children and their commitment to the Lord. The leadership team has included people such as Camp Program Director Grant Banham and Camp Registrar Crystal Headrick, along with past leaders including Program Director Dennis Littlefield, first Executive Director Gary Fawver, Food Service Directors Susan Fawver and Letha Quinn, maintenance man Arnie Mitchell, first Office Staff member Curt Ankey, and interim Food Service Director Cara Prentiss.

Tilikum was established in 1971 after the Bakers donated the upper 92 acres for establishing a camp in 1970, and ownership has included periods under George Fox College and the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. Every year more than 7,500 people visit Tilikum, and its history spans over fifty years, including a Challenge Course that serves groups of all ages and a history rooted in the donation of the Baker family farm and lake. Since 1971, Tilikum has partnered with local churches to bring kids to camp and regularly hosts faith-based groups, schools, secular non-profits, and many corporations.

The mission of Camp Tilikum includes statements such as “Experience creation, build community, find refuge, encounter God, and see lives transformed,” and “Creating space for kids to connect with God,” as well as creating space for friends to gather, families to connect, teams to grow, and individuals to encounter God. Tilikum provides a safe, serene environment for kids ages six to eighteen to be mentored by young adults who teach them about their Creator in an outdoor setting. The camp offers an expanded bus program for seven weeks with college summer staff supervision, photos of each camper group taken weekly and uploaded to the website, an efficient check-in system, and reduced group rates for churches. For Family Night, families are instructed to pack their own picnic dinner, sack lunches are available for parents to prepare for their campers during Family Camp, and Tilikum’s Food Service can accommodate specific medical dietary needs with advance notice and a small additional fee.

Last updated December 29, 2025.