Camper Registration

Camp will be held at Camp Pine Mountain, off of Highway 38, in the San Bernardino National Forest. Transportation between the campsite and Los Angeles is provided. The campsite has cabins, a lodge, kitchen, campfire circle, amphitheater, health center and more, and it’s within walking distance to Jenks Lake for our canoeing rotation.

Every camper will have their own bunk with a mattress. Restrooms and single-stall showers are available in various buildings across the campsite.

Our traditional campsite, Camp River Glen, was damaged in Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023, so we are thankful that Pine Mountain will be hosting us while we make repairs to our bridge and water system. We hope to be back at River Glen in the future!

At this time, a camper will be let off their session’s waitlist if we receive a cancellation from a registered camper. Campers may join more than one waitlist. We will keep the waitlist open until the start of the session. Feel free to email us (registration@unicamp.org) to ask about your camper’s waitlist position.

Cancellation/Refund Policy

We know your schedule this summer may be uncertain, so this is a new, more flexible refund policy. Cancellation fees cover the cost of payment processing and staff time. Email registration@unicamp.org to request a refund/transfer.

Though unlikely, if we are forced to cancel in-person camp, you will receive an option for a full refund. If your camper is unable to attend due to a recent communicable disease exposure, contact us immediately before arriving and we will work with you to move your camper’s registration to a different date at no cost.

* any remaining grace period time is shortened to 2 hours at the 48-hour mark before each session. So if you register 72 hours before the session, you’ll have a 26 hour grace period.

Every session is planned separately by the volunteers that week and counselors will frequently customize the schedule/activities during each session for their small group of campers. That being said, most sessions are structured similarly:

7am Wake up
8am Breakfast & duties
9am Activities (These are different each day/session. They typically involve swimming, mountain biking, archery, climbing, arts & crafts, yoga, dance, science, drama, initiative/teambuilding games, and more)
Noon Lunch & duties
1pm More activities
3:30pm Snack
4pm More activities
6pm Dinner & duties
7:30pm Night activity (these can be night hikes, talent shows, campfires, and more.)
9:30pm Get ready for bed
10pm Lights out

Yes! Cabin group requests can be made after you have completed your application. Once you complete the registration process, you will be able to see a “Cabin Request” section above your completed application (see image below).

Campers in the WALL or UniCorps programs will be in the same cabin with campers in their program so no need to submit a cabin request group if you’re in those programs.

Cabin requests are limited to 4 total campers, all born within 2-years of each other, and of the same gender. Requests must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to camp to be considered.

Starting a new cabin request group:

• Go to your completed application at apply.unicamp.org.
• Click on “+ Create new cabin request group”
• You’ll receive a code that you can share with other campers who want to be in your cabin request group.

Joining an existing cabin request group:

• Receive the cabin request code from the camper who started the request group.
• Go to your completed application at apply.unicamp.org.
• Copy & paste your cabin request code and click “Join existing cabin request group”

All UCLA UniCamp counselors are volunteers who go through four months of training and are overseen by more experienced counselors and UniCamp full-time staff. Volunteers are trained in behavior management, bullying prevention, appropriate boundaries, abuse prevention, and more.

We follow the “rule of three” where campers are always with two or more people, at least one of whom must be an adult. Our average supervision ratio is 3 campers to 1 counselor.

Independence is one of the important skills campers practice at camp, so we strongly discourage any direct contact with campers while they are at camp. However, feel free to put letters in your camper’s luggage. (Do NOT put any food in their luggage.)

If there is an emergency at camp, we will call you as soon as possible. We will also provide emergency contact information if you need to reach on-site UniCamp staff during your child’s week of camp.

Please reach out to us so we can discuss further to find the right fit for your camper! In many cases, campers who are 9 years old are able to attend classic camp.

Note that at this time we cannot accept campers who are 18 years old at the time of their camp session.

Please reach out to us! We believe that every camper is a valuable, unique part of the camp experience so we do our best to not turn anyone away because of special needs or abilities. The more we can work together before camp, the better we can plan for your camper to have a fulfilling week.

Camper drop-off and pick-up location will be at the Westwood Recreation Center (1350 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025).

On the first day of camp, campers will meet at the Westwood Recreation Center at 9 am. They will check-in with camp staff, go through a health screening and lice check, check in their luggage, and load the bus.

On the last day of camp, campers will be picked up from the Westwood Recreation Center at 4:30 pm. Only adults that are listed on the camper’s registration forms can pick up their campers. They will be asked to bring their ID for verification.

Please avoid bringing electronics to camp if possible to avoid them getting dirty or damaged. On the first day, campers will be asked to turn in any cell phones for safe storage throughout the week. This policy helps us focus on interpersonal connections at camp without the distraction of technology. Please reach out to us prior to camp if this will be a problem (e.g. for phone-connected glucose monitors).

It can often be good to help your campers practice going for short periods of time without technology before camp.

Maybe! If they have an open LA County DCFS case, live in LA County, and are not in an STRTP, they may qualify to attend at no cost. These camperships are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To qualify, answer the questions on the “Income Eligibility” part of the registration, including the camper’s DCFS case number, then a button to attend for free will appear on the payment step if camperships are still available.

Only one DCFS campership is allowed per child per summer (for any summer camp). The information you enter will be sent to DCFS to match up with their records to confirm the campership.

Foster youth also all automatically qualify for free/reduced lunch so they will be offered the subsidized $229 price if you don’t qualify or if you would like to register for multiple sessions/camps.

If you have already registered and paid prior to May 10, 2022, we will try to determine if you qualify for a campership and we may reach out with refund options. Contact us if you think you qualify.

If you have any questions (including if the campership option isn’t appearing), contact us by emailing registration@unicamp.org or by calling/texting 310-208-8252.

Our specific precautions will change depending on recent research, public health guidance, and local conditions at the time. Below are some strategies we may use:

• Testing & Screening: This involves tests for COVID-19, temperature checks, and symptom screenings.
• Hand Hygiene: Teaching and encouraging proper hand washing at various points during each day.
• Ventilation: All of our activities and meals are done outdoors and our cabins are open-air, with barriers between bunks.
• Sanitizing: Cleaning high-touch surfaces with EPA-approved disinfectants.
• Face masks: Masks may be required at various times throughout camp, including while getting food, doing activities close to others in their unit, and more.

Keep in mind that communicable disease is a always a risk in any social situation, so please speak to a medical professional if the camper or anyone in the camper’s household is at high risk.