FAQs
Here are commonly asked questions by parents. Please click a question for the answer.
We highly recommend purchasing Camp Tuition Insurance (Cancel For Any Reason Policy) to cover your expense in the event you should need to cancel. Camp Tuition Insurance is offered by Travmark (aka MHRoss, Tripmate), a 3rd party travel insurance company, and not by Mountain Camp directly. Please remember that Camp Tuition Insurance is the ONLY way to be reimbursed for camp expenses should anything unexpected come up for your family (sporting events, travel changes, positive COVID test, illness, changes in academic schedules, injury, or anything unexpected).
All cancellations or changes must be emailed to [email protected]
- You are welcome to change sessions as needed at no cost, provided there is space available in your desired session, and the session length is greater than or equal to the currently enrolled session. If you switch to a session that is shorter in length, the below policy applies.
- Cancellations made before January 1st: Any paid tuition returned
- Cancellations made between January 1st and April 1st: Any paid tuition returned, less the non-refundable deposit per session.
- Any cancellations made after April 1st: No Refund.
- This includes cancellations due to illness, family emergencies or anything unexpected.
- Campers sent home for disciplinary reason or because of homesickness: No refund.
- Camper sent home due to illness or injury: No refund.
- Camper registrations cannot be traded or exchanged. Available slots in a full session are filled from the waitlist based on date of application.
- Any credits used for camp tuition are subject to the cancellation policies above.
- If camp is forced to close or cannot operate for any reason, parents will be able to select their preferred cancellation option from our Camp Closure Policy.
If you discover that your camper left something at camp, please call our office within 2 weeks to claim your item. If found, we are happy to mail the missing item home to you. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity after 2 weeks. While we hope to reunite you with lost items, please understand that Mountain Camp is not responsible for lost items. Labeling your camper’s clothes is a great help when claiming missing items. Thank you!
Campers all arrive on Monday and drop off is between 11am and 12:30pm. Campers depart on a Saturday and pick up is between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.
The first layer of contingencies in the event of a big fire near camp is our relationship with the forest service. We are only a 5 minute drive from a fire look out tower and the fact that we have a large camper population is known to all emergency service providers in the area and we have two exit options for getting off the mountain. This is coupled with our maintenance of defensible space around camp to reduce fire risk in the area.
That all being said, there could be a situation where we are required to evacuate camp. With more than four hours notice, we would be able to evacuate in buses to the nearest shelter and/or bring campers back to the Bay Area. With less than four hours notice, we may need to evacuate campers in private cars to the nearest shelter if we cannot get buses to the site. If we are ordered to shelter in place by officials, we would shelter campers on the lake until we are able to be evacuated. We would communicate with parents immediately and coordinate camper pick-up from the evacuation location. If we were not able to evacuate with bags, we would organize a later pick up time for camper luggage.
We are also sometimes impacted by smoke from fires that are far away. We have a Purple Air Quality sensor at camp (that you can check here) so that we are continuously monitoring the air quality and are in regular communication with Deputy Health Officer for El Dorado County while making all our decisions. We also have three nurses monitoring the health of our campers daily and have campers with asthma check-in with the nurses when our air quality does start to deteriorate to make sure all is well and to help ensure campers are feeling okay.
Should the air quality at camp deteriorate, we would begin modifying our activities when the air became Unhealthy (Red) on the AQI (Air Quality Index), we would begin canceling activities as we unfortunately do not have the ability to move our activities indoors and our cabins are open-aired. We would likely have to close camp if we were to experience Hazardous (Maroon) air for 24 hours. We also have N95 masks available for every camper on site.
Over 60% of our campers return to camp each year and approximately 50% of our staff return each year.
The weather during the day ranges from the low 70s to the high 80s. At night it can cool down to the mid-50s, but is typically in the mid-60s. The water temperature is typically in the mid 60s. It’s a little cooler in the beginning of summer and a bit warmer in the end of the summer.
Our staff to camper ratio is 1:4.
The campers sleep in cabins of similar age and gender identity. Cabins sleep 8-14 campers per cabin with 2-3 counselors. The cabins have wooden style bunks with a twin mattress that has a plastic cover on it. Campers will need a sleeping bag and pillow.
When filling out the application, you will be asked to enter up to 3 bunk or cabin mate requests. In order to ensure cabin mate requests, BOTH campers must request one another and be no more than one school grade apart. Cabin mate requests can can also be sent via email after you’ve completed your camper application.
There are three shower houses at camp. A male identifying shower house on the hill side of camp which has 8 showers, toilets and sinks. A female identifying shower house on the lake side of camp with 8 showers, toilets and sinks. Our lodge shower house located in our Main Lodge which has 4 showers, toilets and sinks for each gender. We also have 2 individual bathroom/showers located outside of our healthcare center for use by any camper or staff. The showers in all of the houses are individual curtained shower stalls.
We offer a vegetarian and gluten free option at every meal. Campers will sign up to be on the vegetarian list or gluten free list at the beginning of camp. We also have a salad bar at every lunch and dinner. Any other dietary needs should be discussed with the office before your camper comes to camp.
Mountain Camp follows ACA accreditation standards. A registered nurse or doctor is a regular member of the staff and most of our staff are certified in Red Cross First Aid. Hospital service is available in Placerville, 33 miles away, if required. All medications are kept in the Healthcare Center located in the center of camp. The camper will visit the Healthcare Center and take the medication as directed on the completed medical form. Counselors are made aware of any camper medication and the healthcare team keeps a log of all medications taken.
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Unfortunately, Mountain Camp is not available for site rentals.
During the activity periods at camp, campers move within the 3 activity areas with their specific age group (Trailblazers, Trackers and Alpiners). Because age ranges vary by session, we divide the age groups into thirds based on incoming grade level.
While letters and encouraging words from home are vital to a camper’s experience, we have found that care packages can often be distracting. For these reasons, Mountain Camp will not allow care packages and encourage you to instead write letters to your camper. Care packages will be confiscated and not returned.
If your camper has forgotten something essential, please email [email protected] to make arrangements.
Mail is distributed a minimum of three times a week, please keep in mind that it can take 3-5 days for mail to arrive.
Mailing Address:
Camper’s name and cabin (if known)
Mountain Camp
P.O. Box 1348
Pollock Pines, CA 95726
Families can deposit money in the camp store online anytime under ‘View Accounts’.
Unless you request a refund (only for amounts over $10.00), any remaining store money is donated to the Mountain Camp Scholarship Fund. Campers have the opportunity to visit the store at least once during a session. The store carries many items including toiletries, batteries, postcards, stamps, sweatshirts, sweatpants, t shirts, hats, beanies & many more items. There is no food available in the camp store.
Yes! The directors have four dogs who hang out at camp. The dogs live with the directors, but can often be seen around camp and are always up to play!
Mountain Camp requires that all campers be immunized per the 2024 CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule for schools as prevention for all communicable diseases such as Measles, Whooping Cough, Chicken Pox, etc. If your child develops symptoms of any communicable diseases, they will be masked, quarantined and sent home immediately. Mountain Camp reserves the right to send unvaccinated campers home in the event of a communicable disease outbreak.
Mountain Camp is committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do—from how we hire and train our staff to how we support our campers. We know that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive camp experience is a more life-changing and successful one. We embrace diversity of background, perspective, culture, and experience, and together with our staff, work to ensure that every camper, no matter their background and lived experience, feels a sense of belonging at camp.
