Absolutely love this camp!! So many wonderful cabins, platform tents and tepees for small groups to large events. The Dinky creek runs through the property which makes for the best background sounds!! Archery area Large mess hall Bathrooms -Biffys Mountain Biking Canoeing Team building Challenge course Swimming CampFire area But 100% great night sky views!!! read more

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Spend at least once a year here on a group camping trip and it is always a great time. The views are great, the creek is peaceful, and making memories is the best! The bathrooms are as clean as a bathroom in the woods can be and I have encountered far worse. The showers are heated so that is a plus. Nearby swimming pond is a short hike from the camp site and is one of the perks of staying here. Looking forward to many returned visits! read more

Camp El-O-Win - Summer Camps Near Me - Shaver Lake, California

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Sent my 9 year old daughter for girl scout camp. She was super pumped! Elevated tents were nice, location beautiful. When we arrived I got to help fix the drain pipe on one of the sinks in the loo by the mess hall! As the only dad for 10 miles I felt pretty good about that although the lady that asked for help was on the right path to getting it handled before I got in there and stole the glory! My girl is now super jacked up on horseback riding from her experience and she had not one negative thing to say, which goes against her standard attitude for sure! Staff is a Jillian super cute old ladies and the vibe is good! read more

What a great spot for the girls of the valley! I came to camp here growing up and later served as a camp counselor. As an adult, I doubly appreciate the ability to come and unplug at a camp like this. In the mornings, you hear the bullfrogs and feel the cool air hanging around the cabins. In the afternoons, the sun shines and the summer breeze cools you down while you're at the creek. In the evenings, campfire smoke billows, the smell of s'mores takes over and you can sit back and relax, listening to the symphony of the wild. When you come here, you get an authentic camping experience- dirt, sun and trees! There are showers and bathrooms, though. Don't worry :) According to the program you sign up for, your girls may be trying their hand at archery, learning how to cook in a fire, or just participating in arts/crafts and creek play. We need this type of camp more than ever. Great food, great company and lifetime memories. Can't wait to go back! read more

Camp El-O-Win - Fun in the creek! - Summer Camps Near Me - Shaver Lake, California

I had a very negative experience at camp El-O-Win as the staff at this camp (besides the kitchen staff who were wonderful) were an absolute nightmare. It started out with the camp establishing camp rules, which was understandable given the age range for the girls attending (7 years to 10 years of age). However the sharing of rules quickly turned into a fiasco, as the staff was completely unprofessional in the enforcement of the camp rules. They repeatedly employed negative tones, demeaning, and sarcastic remarks in their language to the young girls who didn't understand why they were being spoken to so disrespectfully. Additionally, they were very condescending to the Scouts who were just trying to do their best, have fun as a troop, and abide by the provided rules of the Girl Scouts, and the camp. When the camp director decided to change the structure of the rules in regards to cleanup in the dining hall (when they had originally explained a different process to the girls), when this new process wasn't followed perfectly to their standards or liking - this is after they had already established a different procedure and then changed it on the girls - the girls were verbally reprimanded and spoken to with negative, demeaning language for not following the new procedure precisely to the staff's specifications. Again, please note that these were 7, 8 and 9 year-old girls that were being held to this expectation with no grace or understanding that they may require additional direction or reminding given their age. I witnessed one of the camp staff members (also the camp nurse) behave very disrespectfully and rudely to the girls on repeated occasions. She used condescending language and actually got down in a little girls face claiming she was being funny, but proceeded to mock the Girl Scout for trying to ask her a question. This was completely unacceptable!!!! Additionally, this same camp staff member/nurse, when enforcing the rules of 'no running' also said this (word-for-word) to a Brownie Girl Scout: "Walk! Do you know how to walk? Maybe you should practice." This is just an example of the type of language, sarcasm, and demeaning remarks these girls were subjected to repeatedly throughout the weekend. Is this the type of protocol and behaviour that is considered acceptable at camp El-O-Win? Additionally the camp nurse violated HIPAA regulations when she called out a Girl Scout by first and last name in front of the group of camp attendees and shared that this specific scout failed to report to her for her medication administration. There were times where the El-O-Win staff tried to make things fun for the girls by incorporating their space theme into the lunches; however, this did not overshadow the rudeness and disrespect we were shown (the girls and chaperones) throughout the entirety of the weekend. Lastly, on the day of check out, although we've paid a significant amount to attend this camp, our troop chaperones were told that they needed to clean the entire facilities and disinfect the cabins, grounds, and the bathrooms, (which they refer to as biffys). By disinfect, I mean sweep the floors, and thoroughly clean the bathroom (which are glorified outhouses). This was completely unacceptable for us as a troop knowing that we had paid to not only attend camp, but to use the facilities. This was never explained in detail on their website prior to any payment, as their website refers to campers participating in "Housekeeping Kapers" to keep camp functioning and clean. This does not mention sanitizing bathrooms!! I have never been to a campsite or any professional facility where I am expected to thoroughly clean the bathrooms prior to leaving. If this were the case, we should not have had to pay for our stay, as we are basically volunteers earning our stay. Furthermore, 7, 8 and 9 year olds are absolutely not trained with cleaning products and chemicals, thus they have no reason to ever be handling them without the permission and supervision of their parents. Luckily a troop leader spoke on all the troops behalf and shared our resistance and refusal to do this. Unfortunately, this troop leader was made to disinfect the dining hall in place of the rest of us cleaning the bathrooms. UNACCEPTABLE!!! Additionally, I had to sanitize the mattress in the cabin that I slept on for about 10 mins, and it was still so dirty that I had to cover it with a blanket before laying my sleeping bag on it. The cabins do not seem to be regularly maintained as a fellow troop attending camp with us had rat poop covering their floors and mattresses, and rats throughout their cabins. Another troop discussed how their sleeping facilities were full of bats upon their arrival. I'll leave you with this: DO NOT ATTEND THIS CAMP! No young girl should ever be subjected to the verbal abuse, negativity, condescending, humiliating, and unprofessional behaviour that we were subjected to at camp El-O-Win. More like Camp Piece-Of-Crap!!! read more

What a camp should be! I am fortunate to be able to take a group of students to Camp El O Win every August, and we are the "close out" group for the camp. The accommodations are comfortable, the camp is laid out logically, there is variety in the types of sleeping arrangements, the bathrooms are functional, the food is excellent! and the volunteers/staff are the best! They accommodate our varied needs and schedules, they're flexible-and they are fun! The setting is amazingly beautiful-with a beautiful bridge over Dinkey Creek. Towering trees, rippling water, quiet and safe, Camp El-O Win is my idea of a perfect camp! Thanks to the many volunteers who keep it rolling! read more

I love to attend Crafts by the Creek every year at camp. this is my favorite activity every summer. I fly down to 'my home' away from home for a great 4 days of grown up craft camp. read more

My daughter has been going to Camp El-O-Win for about five or six years, starting with the adult + kid camp & now into the residency camp where she stays by herself for a week. The environment is wholesome and wonderful--she considers it her "home away from home." Jane, Oakley, Tigger, and all the rest of the ladies that run the camp are absolutely delightful. I was very wary about leaving my precious child with strangers at first; after one camp I was convinced this is the greatest thing for my daughter's independence that I can imagine. She is confident, happy, and at peace in those woods doing all sorts of activities such as canoeing, archery, and horseback riding. In response to the other reviewer who noted that the woods were dirty, I am a very clean person and worry about germs quite a bit. Having said that, it's the woods and anytime you go camping you must sacrifice some creature comforts, else your camping becomes "glamping." Jane is one of my favorite people and I look forward to seeing her every year when I drop off and pick up my little girl scout. She is firm with safety rules and order like any good teacher--there must be boundaries so that there is not chaos. None of the rules are oppressive or abnormal--you can't keep food in your cabins because you are in the woods and animals live there. There is no alcohol permitted and personal electronics are strongly discouraged, if not forbidden (depending on the camp)--not that it matters, there's no signal for your cellular phone (I checked). Other rules are all safety related so there's nothing unsafe that the kids are doing whilst they are around campfires, arrows, horses, etc. Every year we sign up on the first day it becomes available (usually early March) & I've never had a single regret. My maximum recommendation. read more

Camp El-O-Win is the place to be for the summer! Set right on Dinkey Creek, surrounded by Forest Service protected land, it's the perfect mountain escape for your daughters for the summer! It's just what summer camp should be, nothing too fancy, keeping it real with modest structures and incredibly fun activities! Girls learn how to canoe, ride horses, do crafts, cook on a fire, ride bicycles, and make memories to last a lifetime! The staff is incredibly sweet, Jane Martin and her team are always on top of it. The food from the kitchen? Unheard of quality at a summer camp!! You won't regret visiting and sending your daughters to this paradise set in the Sierra Nevadas. read more

Camp El-O-Win is a beautiful piece of property that straddles Dinkey Creek. It is a rustic camp, so get ready to unplug and enjoy nature. The camp is run by volunteers and yet manages to provide imaginative programs and most recently a resident camp program. It is a great opportunity for girls to get away and discover that they are more confident, more creative and more capable than they ever imagined. I have been visiting Camp El-O-Win for 15 years, first with my daughter then as a volunteer. We have had so many great experiences and met so many wonderful people. It is truly a magical place! Especially for the older girls who get away from impressing boys and really learn about themselves!! I know it was a great stepping stone in my daughter's leadership experience and now as an elementary school teacher. I know many girls who have continued to connect with camp every summer into their adulthood. Send your girls - they will have the time of their lives!! read more

Went to Girl Scout at Camp E-O-Win. The camp was very dirty, cobwebs in the bathrooms with hundred of bugs in them. Toilet in our camp was filthy and smelled like ammonia. Camp leader "Jane" was militant and too old to be inspiring young campers. It wasn't necessarily what she said but how she said it. Often Felt more like boot camp then Girl Scout camp. Food was good and good food staff who were very friendly. Hailey, 2nd leader was great. She role modeled for the girls and inspired the girls. Jane kept her dogs there which became a distraction and nuisance. She would often yell at the girls if her dogs started barking. Cabins were so dirty that you couldn't walk on the floor without shoes. Cot bed Springs were completely rusted out. Not sure how that would affect our health. Couldn't use shelves in cabin, filthy and poor maintenance, many light bulbs did not work. Will not return recommend. read more