Family camp is an all-inclusive vacation, but instead of a shiny resort with a swim-up bar, your surroundings are rustic and the swimming might be in a river or a lake. Many families love it so much, they return every year to the same cabin in the same week. But newcomers are always welcome, so we’ve put together this list for you of family camp options near the Bay Area.
This post is sponsored by Feather River Camp, a family camp in Quincy, CA which is offering an additional $100 discount with promo code 510FAM25 to new campers who register before March 15. Read on for details!
What should we expect at a family camp?
Typically, you bring your own bedding and sleep in a modest cabin. Meals and family programming from ping-pong tournaments to singalongs are scheduled throughout the week. There is generally age-group programming during which the children are occupied and the adults are relaxing, hiking, or worst-case scenario, checking their messages. Everyone eats together in a dining hall-type place, and the staffers, not guests, do the dishes. As a parent, I adore this annual tradition—especially that bit about the dishes.
Some local overnight camps (aka youth sleepaway camps) run family camp sessions during specific weeks of the summer, while others are housed at dedicated family camp locations.
If you’re considering a family camp for the first time, you have many cool options to consider within a few hours’ drive of the Bay Area.
Family camps near the Bay Area
Camp Augusta
Families can use the facilities together to enjoy the outdoors. Take a canoe and paddle across Lake Vera, shoot for the bullseye on the archery range, test yourself on the ropes course, hike to the Yuba River for a swim, or mountain bike on the miles of outstanding trails. Food included.
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Where: Sierra Foothills
Dates and Prices: 2-night or 3-night sessions throughout the summer. $435 or $585 per person depending on the length of session; ages 3-6 are $100 each; children under 2 are FREE
Bay Area Country Dance Family Week
With an emphasis on folk dance and music traditions, BACDS Family Week includes 6 nights and 17 meals, age-based kids’ classes, roving babysitters, and lots of music in the backdrop of the redwoods. Most participants are housed in an indoor lodge or dorm. Teens over age 13 have the option of sleeping in the tents at Teen Town.
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Where: Sierra Foothills
Dates and Prices: One week only: June 22-28, 2025. 2024 prices were $1025 for adults, $900 for teens (13-16), $700 for kids (6-12), $350 for kids 2-5, and $50 for babies under 2.
Camp it Up! (LGBTQAI+ families)
For 35 years, Camp It Up! has been combining all the joys of family camp and recreation with LGBTQIA family support and inclusion. Camp It Up! details for 2025 are not yet posted, so visit their website for updates.
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Dates and Prices: TBD for 2025. Registration details will be here once available >
Cazadero Family Performing Arts Camp
Caz Family Camp ignites or rekindles passions for music and performing in a family camp setting, surrounded by beautiful Redwoods. Campers aged 2-5 are enrolled in Kid City for age-appropriate entertainment. Ages 6 through adults select different activities throughout the day such as Circus Arts, Piano, Chorus, Belly Dance, and more.
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Where: Russian River, CA
Dates and Prices: TBD for 2025. In 2024, it was $1,614 for adults 19-64; $1298 for youth 6-18 or seniors 65+; $953 for children 2-5; children under 2 are FREE.
Feather River Family Camp
Feather River Family Camp has provided an unforgettable nature getaway in Plumas National Forest for East Bay families for 100 years. Choose your favorite 3- or 6-night session during one of seven unique theme weeks or Labor Day Weekend. Then fill your days however you choose, from a hike along Spanish Creek, yoga, or archery to an afternoon dip in the swimming hole, arts and crafts, relaxing on the veranda with a book, or joining an evening activity such as line dancing or the famous ping pong tournament. Tot Lot, morning youth programs, Theme Week activities, meals, and tent/cabin lodging included. Horseback riding and massage available.
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Where: Quincy, CA
Dates: Seven weeks between June 8 and July 26 plus Labor Day Weekend, 2025
Pricing: Pay by the session (3 or 6 nights). Rates vary by age. Discounts for new campers and Oakland residents. Register by March 15 to receive an additional $100 discount for 510 Families. (Discount code 510FAM25 valid for new campers only and cannot be combined with promotions other than new camper and Oakland resident rates.)
Echo Lake & Berkeley Tuolomne Family Camp
The City of Berkeley offers a Family Camp at two sites: Berkeley Tuolomne and Echo Lake. Berkeley Tuolomne is primarily a family camp and runs all summer. Echo Lake is primarily a sleepaway camp for kids and offers select weeks for Family Camp. Sleep in tent cabins and enjoy meals prepared in a communal dining hall. Childcare and mini-camps are available starting at age two. Berkeley family camp traditions include the green chair circle, quiet hours, canoeing, the staff show, table night, theme days, tie-dye, campfires, swimming, and hiking.
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Where: You pick between Tuolomne County near Yosemite or Echo Lake near S. Lake Tahoe
Dates and Prices: TBD for 2025. In 2024, $1430 for a 3-night stay for up to 3 people mid-week, prices vary with additional campers or weekend stays
Lair of the Bear
Affiliated with Cal alumni, but open to everyone. Sleep in tent cabins and enjoy meals prepared in a communal dining hall. “The Lair” has three camps, all next to each other, each with its own swimming pool and outdoor athletic facilities. Organized children’s programming starts at age two. The Lair features a wide variety of offerings for parents looking for “me” time like hiking, music, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding on the lake, athletic competitions, and tournaments with the kids. Prices include meals, lodging, and programming. Attendance at The Lair is on a weekly cycle. Families spend seven nights, arriving on Saturday night and leaving on Saturday morning.
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Where: Pinecrest, CA
Dates and Prices: TBD for 2025. Rates are by tent size, for example, a Medium Tent is $2860 at Camp Blue or Gold. That is for all meals, activities, and lodging for a family of four for seven nights. Camp Oski is less expensive and uses a per-person fee system due to a smaller campus. See 2024 rates here >
Camp Mather
The family camp for San Francisco residents. Sleep in rustic cabins with electric lights. Meals provided. Fishing, swimming, hiking, games, and more. A good jumping-off point for other Yosemite exploration.
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Where: Groveland, CA in the High Sierra near Yosemite
Dates and Prices: TBD for 2025. Pay by the week or the night. Entering a lottery and submitting proof of residence is required.
Montecito Sequoia Family Camp
More upscale than the tent scenes of the rest of these family camps, Montecito Sequoia Lodge is designed to host families for one-week periods (six nights). It looks ideal for getting the grandparents to join in as the lodging offers en suite bathrooms. Meals and activities (private lake, horseback riding, tennis) included, plus about 6 hours of childcare daily.
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Where: Kings Canyon National Park
Dates and Prices: Ten weeks of 6-night stays between June 8 and August 16, 2025. Rates vary, but a family of four for a week will cost $5670.
SkyLake Yosemite Camp
Skylake provides each family its own rustic but comfortable bunkhouse, fabulous buffet-style meals, a gorgeous private dock on Bass Lake, and plenty of activities to keep the whole family busy. The large dining hall, lakeside porch, and recreation room provide the social center for family camp. Everyone even gets a free horseback ride included. (Note: No childcare!)
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Where: Wishon in Sierra National Forest
Dates and Prices: Skylake is an overnight camp for most of the summer, so 2025 dates for families are a collection of long weekends: May 23-26; May 29-June 1; August 14-17; August 21-24. Rates based on 3 Nights and 8 Meals (Minimum cabin charge is $950); Adults/Teens: $475; Children (5-12): $210; 4 & Under FREE
Camp Tawonga
Camp Tawonga’s weekends for families offer 4 days of relaxation for adults and fun for kids. Family Camp offers a taste of all that Tawonga has to offer: Campfires, Shabbat, boating on the lake, arts and crafts, the Challenge Course, hiking to the river, yoga, curling up with a book, stargazing, delicious food, and free-flowing Peet’s Coffee.
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Where: Sierra Mountains near Yosemite
Prices and Dates: With 8 family weekends (3 nights/ 4 days) throughout the year, several are open to all, some are limited to families with a BIPOC Jewish member, LGBTQ families, or those with children under 10. 3 years to adult: $650 to $715; 2 years and under $295 to $395 (includes childcare!)
Related post: For amazing sleep-away options for kids, our overnight camp guide for Bay Area kids might have what you’re looking for.
Thanks to Feather River Camp for sponsoring this helpful list of family camps. Use the promo code 510FAM25 to save $100 before March 15 on your 2025 family camp booking. Promotion is limited to new campers only. Additional terms may apply.
[Photos by Oakland Feather River Camp and Whitney Moss all rights reserved]
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