Plan Your Stay
![winter](https://biglake.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/winter.jpg)
We invite you to stay with us during our winter rental season, which usually runs January 1- March 31st. Our unique remote location is sure to create lasting memories for your group. Your group will be transported into camp by Sno-Cat or tracked vehicle (transport fees apply). We typically receive 5-10 feet of snow at our camp so there is lots of snow fun to be had with sledding, building snow caves, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or sitting in our three cozy main buildings sipping hot chocolate and working on puzzles with friends. Whether it be a spiritual church retreat, or an teen adventure outing we have a lot to offer! Interested in planning a retreat? Please fill out the Retreat Inquiry below and we will work on getting your group set up for a fantastic weekend experience!
*Please note that if you request a holiday weekend (MLK Jr Day-President’s Day) there is a minimum 3 night reservation requirement for your whole group.
Rental registrations for next rental season open in early May. To start your retreat requests or inquires please fill out the form below.
Request a Reservation Today
Please note that Big Lake Youth Camp is a smoke-free, alcohol-free, drug-free and pet-free facility. Our facility is not ADA-accessible during the winter months. Our facilities are available for group rentals, not individual rentals. Not all accommodations are necessarily available to all groups. Please read the following “General Requirements” to make sure your group can fulfill them.
General Requirements
- Your group must provide Big Lake Youth Camp with a Certificate of Insurance of $1,000,000 sent by your insurance company listing “Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and affiliate entities” named as the additional insured.
- Your group must provide an Oregon licensed doctor and/or nurse or EMT for the full duration of your stay. Copies of current credentials for your medical staff must be given to Big Lake Youth Camp prior to your group’s arrival. Credentials can be mailed, or emailed to rentals@biglake.org Your medical provider must bring a well appointed First Aid kit with them. This kit must be large enough to accommodate the needs of your entire group for the duration of your stay.
- As acting group leader, we request that all communication regarding your group’s reservation be done exclusively by you.
- If using the lake, certified lifeguards must be present. The rental group must provide its own lifeguards, copies of current credentials must be given to Big Lake Youth Camp prior to your group’s arrival and lifeguards must follow all Big Lake Youth Camp waterfront or water safety policies. Credentials can be mailed, or emailed to rentals@biglake.org.
- Your group will be expected to pay for any damages to the property and equipment beyond normal wear and tear, including graffiti (carving/writing/spraying on any surfaces). There is a $100 minimum charge for each incident of graffiti, plus charges for staff or hired labor and materials to rectify said damage at current industry standards.
- Your group must leave the property, including cabins and other rental buildings, in a clean condition. To accommodate this request, you are responsible for appointing a point person to oversee that each item on the cleaning checklist has been completed. If this checklist has not been completed by the time your group departs, your group will be charged a $350 cleaning fee for each occurrence.
- None of the following are permitted on the property: pets, alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, firearms, dangerous knives, fireworks, or explosives.
- Smoking is not permitted in camp.
- Your group must adhere to the guidelines Big Lake Youth Camp has stated above, posted on the grounds, or posted in published material.
- Big Lake Youth Camp is not responsible for personal property damages or car theft/vandalism.
- It is your responsibility to let Big Lake Youth Camp know upon your arrival if there are any buildings/accommodations you have reserved that you no longer need due to changes in group size.
- Rentals for holiday weekends: If your desired dates are for one of our prime holiday weekends (Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Presidents’ Day), you are required to rent for a minimum of 3 nights.
Miscellaneous Fees
- Sound system (speakers, CD, 3 microphones) – $100/weekend
- TV/DVD player – $25/weekend
- Electronic Piano – $25/weekend
- Projector – $50/weekend
- Cross Country Skis – $15/set per day
- Snowshoes – $15/set per day
- Inner tubes – $5/tube per day
We reserve the right to remove equipment rental options for groups if BLYC staff onsite deems it a danger to others OR to the BLYC equipment itself.
Transportation Info & Fees
From December through April, Big Lake Youth Camp provides transportation in and out of camp for rental groups. The fees and options for transportation are as follows:
- NEW: one-way tracked vehicle transport: $12 per person
- Round-trip tracked vehicle transport: $24 per person
- Special request: one-way Sno-cat/tube ride: $16 per person, 20 rider minimum, $320 minimum cost
- Round-trip Sno-cat/tube ride: $32 per person, 20 rider minimum, $640 minimum cost
- One-way individual transport: $19 per person
- Round-trip individual transport: $38 per person
Big Lake Youth Camp operates under a special use permit with the Forest Service which requires all vehicles to park at Ray Benson Sno-park. As such, we strongly encourage all our guests to park at Ray Benson and wait for Big Lake vehicle transportation. Please do not drive into Big Lake Youth Camp anytime during the winter months (even if the road is clear of snow). The road beyond the snow park is closed to public traffic and violators may be fined.
In certain snow conditions, Sno-cat transport may not be an option due to safety concerns. If this situation arises, Big Lake will transport the group with the best mode of transportation available for the conditions. The transportation fees do not change if conditions dictate other modes of transportation besides the Sno-cat.
To schedule your group’s transportation to camp, please contact us at rentals@biglake.org or (503) 850-3583 if you haven’t heard from us within 2 weeks of your stay.
Please note, Big Lake Youth Camp operates under a special use permit with the Forest Service which requires all vehicles to park at Ray Benson Sno-park. As such, we strongly encourage all our guests to park at Ray Benson and wait for Big Lake vehicle transportation. Please do not drive into Big Lake Youth Camp anytime during the winter months (even if the road is clear of snow). The road beyond the snow park is closed to public traffic and violators may be fined.
In certain snow conditions, Sno-cat transport may not be an option due to safety concerns. If this situation arises, Big Lake will transport the group with the best mode of transportation available for the conditions. The transportation fees do not change if conditions dictate other modes of transportation besides the Sno-Cat.
Reservation Requirements/Payment & Deposit
To confirm your reservation with Big Lake Youth Camp, a deposit equal to one night’s stay, and your signed contract must be returned to the Gladstone office (please do not send payments to our camp address). You can include a check with your returned contract. If you would like to pay with a credit card, please email debbie@biglake.org to setup a time to take that over the phone (a 3.25% service fee will apply). PLEASE NOTE: we do not offer credit card services on our reservation platform. Following your stay at Big Lake you will be issued a final itemized invoice. Final payment is due within 30 days to our Gladstone office. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, check, Visa, or MasterCard (a service fee will apply). Pro-rating building costs is not possible unless prior arrangements have been made.
Rentals for holiday weekends: if your desired dates are for one of our prime holiday weekends (Martin Luther King Jr. Day or President’s Day), you are required to rent for a minimum of 3 nights.
Food Service
BLYC does not provide food service, all food and preparation is provided by the group. The lodge (cooks for 200 people), headquarters (cooks for 50), and hillside (cooks for 30) all have kitchens. Hilltop (cooks for 6) and the Rippling waters apartments (cooks for 4) both have kitchenettes.
Cancellation Policy
Written notice (mail or email) to the Big Lake office will be required to cancel an event.
60 days+ notice/full refund of deposit
30-59 days notice/50% refund of deposit
Less than 30 days notice/no refund of deposit
Because of the remote location we operate in, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation at any time if we feel the safety of the camp, our equipment, or our staff might be in jeopardy. If a cancellation is necessary we will make every effort to reschedule your group.
Request a Reservation Today