It is my great pleasure to write about the Lair of the Bear family camp, where my own family spent a week each summer for many years. Thanks to the Cal Alumni Association for sponsoring this post.
Organized by the Cal Alumni Association, but open to all, the Lair of the Bear is a vacation experience that will become a tradition for anyone who tries it. Located in Pinecrest, CA, getting to the Lair is a 3-hour drive, after which guests will be greeted with great enthusiasm by college-aged staffers who are delighted to meet you and hang out with your kids, teach them to make a lanyard, make them feel special, and entertain all of you with nightly shows.
The Lair programming is on a one-week cycle, so everyone arrives and leaves on the same day of the week. It’s a Saturday-to-Saturday all-inclusive vacation, during which you will not have to worry about shopping, cooking, or cleaning for even one second. Surrounded by nature and new friends, kids will spend most of their day away from screens playing in the woods.
Here’s how it works:
Families book a tent cabin at one of the three camps: Camp Oski, Camp Gold, or Camp Blue. Each camp has its own staff and facilities, but you can walk between them. Oski is smaller and the tent cabins are arranged in circles around a firepit which becomes your community for the week; Blue and Gold both have tennis and pickleball courts, while Oski does not. All three camps offer the same weekly programming, meals, childcare, and a heated swimming pool, so you really can’t go wrong.
At the Lair, guests of all ages are referred to as campers. The activities are designed for adults and kids, but none are mandatory.
A printed schedule will tell you all the events of the day, some of which take advantage of the natural surroundings (a hike at Pinecrest Lake or a yoga class amidst the trees) or the expertise of the staffers (hiking or archery).
How does the childcare work?
Children in grades K-12 meet up with their age group cohort twice a day for age-appropriate activities with their staffers. Elementary school-aged campers will have a spin at the pottery wheel, attend a pool party, or play outdoor games. Teens may go on a boat ride, walk to an outdoor movie at night, and attend a teen dance. Toddlers and preschoolers can also be dropped off for childcare for certain hours of the day, in a supervised environment with a nature-based playground area and sweet staffers who take good care of them.
If parents want additional childcare, for example, to free them for an all-day hike or to attend a guest speaker session in the evening, they can arrange that with a staffer. Many staffers are qualified to teach swimming instruction, too, if you want to arrange for private lessons during your time at the Lair.
Children do not have to attend their age group meet-ups. The bottom line is that everyone in the family can do as much (or as little!) as they like each day.
Watch: A video tour of the Lair of the Bear camps
What is included and not included in a week at the Lair?
A Lair tent is a one-room cabin with a canvas top. Inside the tent are twin beds with bare mattresses. Campers bring their own bedding and towels. Bathrooms with showers are around the camp. Three meals per day are included. Daily programming, age group meet-ups, swimming, and evening entertainment (think disco-themed bingo) are all part of the package. Some extra, optional outings are fee-based, such as horseback riding or boat rentals at the nearby Pinecrest Lake.
Who will be there?
The Lair is especially popular with Cal alum, but you do not need to be a Cal alum to attend the Lair. (My husband and I are not Cal alum.) While many campers are from the greater Bay Area, some devotees travel from around the world for their annual week at camp.
Campers are of all ages. Some campers started as staffers in their college days and now return with their children — and grandchildren! It’s a wonderful place for a multi-generation vacation for lovers of the great outdoors.
For those with middle-grade children, be warned: you may not see a lot of them. My children made friends and began dining at their own “kids’ table”, bonding with staffers. We spent our days without them reading by the pool, playing sports, and would reconvene with them in the evening. Everyone was happy!
How to learn more about Lair of the Bear
Look into dates and rates on their website >
East Bay families should consider attending an Open House event: February 2, 2025 at the Alumni House at UC Berkeley
Follow Lair of the Bear on Instagram
Priority Booking Period deadline for a Lair of the Bear week: February 28, 2025
Special Offer: 15% discount for new campers who attend Week 2 (June 14-21) or Week 10 (August 9-16)
Thanks to the Cal Alumni Association for sponsoring this article.
