FunKidsActivities

Sugar Pine Christian Camps

48478 Mill Canyon Rd, Oakhurst, CA 93644, USA

Overview

Category:Summer Camps
Location:Fresno, CA

Expert Summary

Detailed Insights

Sugar Pine Christian Camps offers a unique blend of active outdoor adventures and a strong spiritual retreat atmosphere, making it ideal for Christian youth groups, kids' camps, and families seeking to connect with faith and nature. Guests benefit from convenient group meals, clean facilities including warm showers, and exclusive access to a private lake and swamp.

Key Highlights

  • Diverse range of active outdoor activities including paintballing, ziplining, archery, volleyball, and canoeing.
  • Access to a private lake and a swamp for swimming, with the lake being exclusively for guests.
  • Clean communal bathrooms featuring warm, free showers, electrical outlets, and large mirrors.
  • Dedicated Christian facilities such as a large chapel (fitting hundreds), prayer pavilion, and prayer room, with bible verses placed throughout the grounds.
  • Staff are consistently described as friendly, kind, and accommodating.
  • Meals are provided and appreciated for their convenience, especially for large groups.
  • The camp grounds are clean and offer a refreshing natural environment with sounds of nature and crisp air.
  • Chapel features large garage-like doors that can be opened for air circulation.

Standout Features

  • Warm showers without requiring coins, complete with outlets and large mirrors in shower buildings.
  • All toilets at camp are flush-operated.
  • Exclusive private lake access and a swamp for swimming.
  • Large chapel with side rooms for classrooms, prayer pavilion, and prayer room for spiritual activities.
  • Ability to comfortably accommodate large groups in both the dining hall and chapel.
  • Refreshing natural environment with distinct sounds of nature and a crisp smell.
  • Benches provided in scenic areas near streams and vegetation for private prayer.

Perfect For

School-aged Children to Young Adults: Activities like paintballing, ziplining, archery, volleyball, and the deep pool are well-suited for this age range, aligning with its use for 'youth groups' and 'kids group camps'.
Adults: Successfully hosts 'Women's Retreats' and offers spiritual amenities, suggesting suitability for adult groups.
Families: A reviewer looks forward to bringing their family, implying it's suitable for families, likely with school-aged or older children who can participate in the active offerings.
Less suitable for Toddlers/Preschoolers: The strenuous hiking trails, deep pool, and focus on more active/structured activities suggest it's not primarily designed for very young children.

Ideal For

Christian youth groups, school groups, and organized kids' summer camps.
Women's retreats or other adult spiritual gatherings and community building.
Families with school-aged children or teenagers seeking a faith-based outdoor experience.
Individuals or groups looking to disconnect from daily distractions and immerse themselves in a natural, serene environment with a spiritual emphasis.
Those who enjoy active outdoor pursuits such as ziplining, paintball, canoeing, and volleyball.

💡Pro Tips from Reviews

  • **Pack appropriately for hot and humid weather:** Especially in July, bring active wear or light cotton clothing.
  • **Be prepared for steep terrain:** Most hiking trails are challenging; plan accordingly if seeking casual walks.
  • **Check cabin doors for gaps:** If sensitive to potential pests, inspect for gaps under doors.
  • **Manage food expectations:** While convenient, meal quality can vary.
  • **Embrace the spiritual focus:** The camp is permeated with a Christian atmosphere, including bible verses and prayer spots.

Things to Consider

  • Some cabins (e.g., 'Heather cabin') are noted as having cramped bunk arrangements and can get stuffy due to small windows.
  • A gap between the floor and door in one cabin led to small rodents entering.
  • Food quality can be 'hit or miss,' though generally viewed as a convenience.
  • Most hiking trails are described as 'too steep for a normal walk,' which may limit casual exploration.
  • The pool is deep, which might require extra supervision for younger or less experienced swimmers.

Price & Value

No specific pricing is mentioned in the reviews. The perceived value stems from the convenience of included meals, the variety of outdoor activities, the spiritual enrichment opportunities, and the private access to natural amenities like the lake, all within a dedicated camp setting.

Accessibility & Special Needs

  • Steep trails are noted, which could pose a challenge for individuals with mobility impairments or those using wheelchairs.
  • No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., ramps, accessible cabins/bathrooms) are mentioned in the reviews.

🍎Food & Drink Policy

  • Meals are provided and include beverages like juice, tea, coffee, milk, and water.
  • Guests are required to clean their tables after eating.
  • A small store is available for purchasing snacks and souvenirs.
  • No explicit policy on bringing outside food is mentioned, but meals are a core part of the camp experience.

🚗Parking Info

  • No information regarding parking facilities or accessibility is provided in the reviews.

👥Crowd Levels

  • The camp is well-equipped to handle 'large groups' as evidenced by the spacious dining room and chapel.
  • The pool is described as a 'great size to accommodate a crowd'.
  • No specific insights into general crowd levels during peak seasons or specific times are mentioned beyond its capacity for groups.

🛡️Safety Features

  • The overall area is described as 'clean'.
  • Showers are noted as 'great'.
  • No explicit safety protocols for activities (e.g., staff supervision ratios, first aid stations, security measures) are detailed in the reviews.
  • The mention of rodents entering a cabin due to a door gap highlights a minor comfort/maintenance concern rather than a direct safety feature.

When to Avoid

  • Families with very young children (toddlers/preschoolers) due to limited age-appropriate specific amenities and challenging terrain.
  • Guests expecting luxurious or highly modern cabin accommodations, as some are basic, cramped, and may have maintenance issues like door gaps.
  • Individuals or groups uncomfortable with a strong and pervasive Christian religious emphasis.
  • Those expecting easy, flat walking trails for casual strolls.

Pricing/Package/Events

What People Say

What's Great

  • Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
  • Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 6 reviews)
  • Spacious play areas (mentioned in 6 reviews)

Areas for Improvement

  • Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 2 reviews)

Recent Reviews

Jasmine Ovi

Jasmine Ovi

3 years ago

Came here for a youth group and it was awesome! Activities: paintballing, volleyball, zipline and archery. Pool can be deep, and great size to accommodate a crowd. Wished we couldve hiked but all trails were to steep for a normal walk. Got to walk around and explore the campground though and found nice vegetation and insect varieties. There is a swamp you could swim in, there's a private lake nearby where the public isn't allowed. Buildings:There was a good size chapel that could fit a few hundred people with side rooms that could provide as side classrooms. Chapel had large garage like doors that you could open up to let air into the chapel. Bathrooms were clean and had warm showers, no coins required. In shower buildings there are outlets and large mirrors. All toilets at camp are flush operated. There was a little store with small snacks and souveniors. We had Heather cabin, the bunks were all positioned in a cramped way compared to other cabins. All cabins have a bathroom with a sink, 2 mirrors, and outlets. It gets stuffy inside the cabins but there are small windows. Small rodents went under a door at a friends cabin because of gap between floor and door. Women cabins are separate from mens cabins but all activities were all placed behind the womans cabins. Food: Food may be a hit or miss but it's a blessing in itself that someone else prepared the food and to have a full stomach. They had juice, tea, coffee, milk and water. After you eat you must clean your tables. Large dinning room accommodated our large groups. Weather in July- it was hot and humid when we went, be prepared with active wear type clothing/light cotton clothing. Would recommend, its an awesome place to hold services and get closer to god. Everywhere were bible verses which I loved while exploring small areas of streams and vegetation. Provided benches in these areas for a good private prayer!

Julie Brennan

Julie Brennan

2 months ago

i came here for a kids group camp got told there was gonna be no snow but i saw snow on sunday! god showed us a example that things change

Ian Crow

Ian Crow

a year ago

Been going to this camp for years and have always enjoyed it. The food is great, the staff is friendly. Great camp to send kids to get away from distractions in the world. I remember when all us kids assembled at the game room for that one table that used pool balls, but wasn't a pool table.

Cherise Hogue

Cherise Hogue

3 years ago

I just spent the weekend here for our Women's Retreat and it was AMAZING!! Soooooo beautiful and refreshing. The sounds of nature and the fresh crisp smell was AMAZING! The staff was so kind! The women I met are all now my sister's in Christ! I look forward to bringing my family here ❤️💯🙏😊

Jules

Jules

7 years ago

I had a good experience at this camp. The area is clean. The showers are great. The cabins are well-designed. They accommodate all your needs and desires with a prayer pavilion and a prayer room. They have a chapel as well. There is also a nice hiking trail to a waterfall there and a small lake for canoeing. (Not to mention zip lining and paint balling was available, but I didn't try it out because I was so busy already). They also feed you right on time.

Contact Information

48478 Mill Canyon Rd, Oakhurst, CA 93644, USA

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Opening Hours

Monday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Quick Stats

Overall Rating
4.8
Total Reviews54
Recent Reviews5