Parents

To make the Big Lake experience the best we can, we have grouped our camp sessions by age because of the differing physical and emotional levels of each age group. We do have a three-month age grace, meaning campers who will be the specified age for the camp within three months of attending camp, can register for camp. Exceptions for campers who are outside the three-month age grace but are still very near the required age are granted on occasion. Any exception requests must be made by email (office@biglake.org) or phone call to (503) 850-3583.

Make sure to put cabinmate request names in when you register your camper. For Tween and Teen camps, we will make every effort to have your camper in a cabin with friends who have chosen the same activity. We cannot guarantee that campers will be together as requested. Our Adventure and Junior campers don’t have an activity choice, so it is important to put in the name of friends they want to bunk with. Big Lake Expeditions (RAD) campers are placed in cabins with others signed up for the same session, so no cabinmate request is necessary.

It is our goal for each camper to have a good time at camp. Homesickness is possible though usually does not become a significant hindrance to a camper’s experience. Out of almost 2000 campers each summer, we average about 6 that need to return home early due to homesickness. It is our policy to try to work through homesickness by keeping campers involved and busy, and usually in this way campers begin to have so much fun that the homesickness fades. If the homesickness persists our village directors may decide to call you to consult about what course of action you would like us to pursue. In most circumstances phoning home to talk with mom or dad does not help, and can actually intensify the feelings, this is one of the reasons we do not allow cell phones. Your camper’s growth toward independence and happiness are of the utmost importance to us, and we always do our best to balance the two.

Parents will be notified at the discretion of the medical team. What guides us as we determine when to call is the nature and severity of the illness/injury and our involvement in resolving it. We desire to keep parents aware of our concerns early on so that they will be able to understand our intervention and plan the follow-up accordingly. Minor issues, of course, will be cared for without notifying parents. If a concern is lingering at the conclusion of camp a letter will be sent home with a full disclosure of our intervention and what we feel will be needed in follow-up, if any. If the need arises for transport to a higher level of care, a call will be placed to the parents to notify them accordingly.

Please address camper mail as follows:
Camper Name – Session Name (ie. Junior 1 or Teen 2)
c/o Big Lake Youth Camp
26435 Big Lake Rd
Sisters, OR 97759

We suggest using USPS or UPS.

If your camper is in a Big Lake Expeditions (RAD) camp that happens away from Big Lake please write the name of the camp clearly on the package so that we can get it to them when they return to camp.

Deposits made to the store account for each camper are given to the store on Sunday evening at the beginning of the camp week. If you wish to make additional deposits you may do so by logging on to your Registration Account (the account under which your camper is registered for camp). If you need assistance, please contact camp at (503) 850-3562.

We no longer sell DVDs of the “week in review”. Instead, we email a link to be able to download the videos. You may pre-order a “week in review” video online when you register. The cost for a video is $10 and it will be emailed to the primary email address on your account within a few days after the week of camp ends. If you would like to order a video after your camper has attended camp, please contact our Gladstone office at (503) 850-3583 and we will email you the video once payment has been received. There is NOT an option for a “week in review” video for our Big Lake Expeditions (RAD) camps.

One-way emails are available for purchase in blocks of 5 for $5. You may purchase and send the emails by logging in to your UltraCamp Account (The account under which your camper is registered for camp). The one-way emails can be sent through the “email a camper” link Monday through Thursday each week. Please understand that printing and distributing email is a labor-intensive activity for our staff. We ask that you send no more than one email per day. And while emails are nice, campers are actually more excited about “snail mail!” The emails will be delivered daily, Monday-Thursday, to your camper. Email submissions will not be accepted after 5:00 pm Thursday.

There are limited Campership Scholarships available. Please see our scholarship page for more info.

Since Big Lake Youth Camp is an overnight camp, fees associated with it are unfortunately not tax deductible.

Please be advised that food prepared in this facility may contain the following ingredients: milk, eggs, wheat, soybean, peanuts, and tree nuts. We understand many kids have food allergies or may require a special diet. We’re more than happy do our best to accommodate these needs. Please note any food allergies or dietary restrictions when registering for camp AND on the Camper Health Form. Also, please list food allergies and dietary restrictions on your camper’s health history form. We do offer vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options on a regular basis, but our facility cannot guarantee that there will not be trace amounts of allergens. For additional assistance, please contact our summer camp office at (503) 850-3562 during the camp season, (503) 850-3583 when not during the summer, or by emailing us at: office@biglake.org.

Lost and found items are returned to our business office in Gladstone at 19800 Oatfield Road, Gladstone, OR 97027-2546. You can contact our Gladstone office at (503) 850-3583. Please check to make sure you have picked up ALL of your camper’s belongings when you pick him/her up from Big Lake Youth Camp. Kids frequently have items in plastic bags so you may want to ask them. All unclaimed items are only kept for two weeks following each week of camp. BIG LAKE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST ITEMS.

Big Lake has an RN on site and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all medical needs. We also have a physician present at camp. Our nurse cares for the distribution of medications at each meal. It is very important that your camper’s health history form is filled out and handed in during check-in at camp or at the bus stop; this is to ensure that our trained medical staff are able to administer any needed medicine or care to your camper. Some examples of common medicines that parents grant permission to use are Tylenol, decongestants and vitamin C.

Please do not bring cell phones, IPods, MP3 players, etc. We like our campers to focus on building relationships with new friends rather than isolating themselves with headphones in the corner. Due to safety and security issues we request that jewelry be left at home. Fireworks, matches, lighters, flames of all kinds, are banned during the summer months. Drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, knives, utility tools, and weapons of any kind are not allowed.

Click for our Camper Packing List

Sleeping bag, pillow, everyday clothes, underwear, long pants/jeans (required), sweater/jacket, pajamas, closed toe shoes & socks, flip flops for the shower, modest swimsuit (no bikinis for girls, no speedos for boys), beach towel, shower towel & washcloth, soap, shampoo & conditioner, comb/brush, toothbrush & toothpaste, sunscreen, water bottle, insect repellent, laundry bag, flashlight, store money (we suggest $25-$80), basic digital camera.

Kids always enjoy picking out items from the store with the help of the friendly staff at the “Big Lake Mall.”  Your campers have the opportunity to buy items that help them remember their fun-filled week at camp. They will find a wide variety of items from water bottles, t-shirts and key chains to books and stuffed animals. Many items have the Big Lake logo printed on them! There are also snack items available for purchase.

Any money left in your camper’s store account will be refunded back to the online account your camper was registered under. The funds will remain on the account for future use unless you contact our business office and request a refund. You can contact our business office, located in Gladstone, by emailing office@biglake.org or by calling (503) 850-3583. Monies will be refunded to the method used for applying the money. Exceptions would be if your credit card has expired or you have had fraud on your card since using it. Only requests made by the Primary Contact on the account will be accepted.

There will be an option during registration to allow unused store monies to be donated to help other campers attend camp. If you approve this option, you will be sent a tax deductible receipt.

Yes! We’d love to give you a tour of camp and/or have you help your camper settle into their cabin. To do this, you will need to park in one of our designated parking spaces after dropping off your camper’s luggage.

We love animals and know you love your pet. However, our policy is no pets allowed on Big Lake Youth Camp’s property. Thank you for understanding.

You will be receiving an email listing what cabin your camper is in and the drop-off and pick-up times specific for you camper’s cabin group. If you have a  Big Lake Expeditions (RAD) camper, drop-off will always be 2–2:30 p.m. If you cannot find the email we send out by Thursday right before your camper comes to camp, call our camp office at (503) 850-3562 or email headquarters@biglake.org.

Great question! No, you can drop off all campers at the RAD drop off time.

We understand things happen, and if you are needing to pick up early, please either call our camp office at (503) 850-3562 or email our headquarters director at headquarters@biglake.org as soon as you know you need to pick up early.

Please call our camp office, (503) 850-3562, to see if we can reschedule them for a different session of camp. If you are needing to cancel the reservation, we are happy to give a full refund, no matter when you cancel, if due to health reasons.

No, you do not need to do anything. That is just a list of our automated tasks that are sent out.

For drop-off, make sure all the above mentioned forms are completed, and you can have anyone drop off for you. For pick-up, you will need to make sure that the person you send to pick up your camper is listed on their Authorized Pick-Up list on their reservation account. If you have difficulties finding where to do this on your account, you can call our camp office at (503) 850-3562 or email headquarters@biglake.org and ask us to add this person to the Authorize Pick-Up list.

Typically every evening your child will head down to the campfire bowl with their cabin mates. During campfire your camper will sit back and relax as energetic staff put on a memorable program creatively presenting a character building lesson. Each year campers report this is their favorite part of camp. Campfire begins with the singing of Big Lake favorites, old and new, songs the campers take home with them when the time at camp is over. The night is capped off with a character building play presented by the talented Big Lake staff. Campfire is a fun-filled experience for all campers and will provide great memories of their time at camp.

Sometimes a return camper will request a certain counselor. Because our counselors are assigned on a random basis, rotating each week, may not have returned to work Big Lake, or may have chosen to pursue a different job calling at camp, it is not possible to honor those requests. This is a perfect opportunity for your camper to get to know someone new!

Campers registered for multiple weeks will need to be picked up from Big Lake on Friday and return on the appropriate Sunday to check-in for the next session of camp.