BOYS ADVENTURE CAMP - SOCAL

Date: JULY 27-AUG 1, 2025

Cost: $400

Age: boys Entering grade 3 through 9

DISCOUNT: $20 OFF IF PAID IN FULL BY MAY 1ST
Boys Adventure Camp has been providing adventure and fun for boys for more than 40 years. Parents say they love adventure camp because their boys come home having learned biblical principles they can apply in every day life. Spend one week at adventure camp and you will leave with new friends, great memories and a closer walk with Jesus.

Our new host, Camp Osito Rancho is nestled at 7400' on a beautiful forest ridge, just outside of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. Amid the pine, cedar, and fir trees campers will experience exciting games, great campfire activities each evening, awesome crafts, delicious food, swimming, canoeing, archery, and a ropes course! On top of that each camper gets to choose one adventure skill to master: Canoeing, Marksmanship (archery and BB guns), or Outdoor Living.
Adventure camp offers a unique small-group, intergenerational approach to ministry, creating the perfect environment for campers to deepen their understanding of God’s word, grow closer to Jesus Christ, embrace His good news, and grow in grace through meaningful personal discipleship.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out.

​Joshua Tallman — SoCal Camp Director
[email protected]
(209) 426-1467
Welcome Letter
Hi, Adventure Camper and Parents,

Welcome to Boy’s Adventure Camp. This year marks the 64th anniversary of Sequoia Brigade Camp. We are excited about the fun and growth that you will experience with us.

Drop-off and pickup of your camper will be at Camp Osito Rancho, located at 1801 Osita Camp Rd, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315. See the directions tab below for a map and directions.

You should arrive at camp between 3:30 and 4:30 PM Sunday afternoon. Please do not arrive earlier than 3:00 PM. Parents are invited to dinner as our guests Sunday evening. Dismissal will be after breakfast on Friday morning. Parents are encouraged to arrive at 10:00 AM to take part in the closing ceremonies and awards.
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If you would like to send mail, campers certainly appreciate it. The best way to do it is to bring it with you in a sealed envelope and slip it to us secretly when you drop off your son. Then we will deliver it to the boys in the middle of the week.

See the other tabs below for list of what to bring and more details.

​If you have any other questions, special requests, or concerns feel free to reach out.
​
Joshua Tallman
[email protected]
​(209) 426-1467
Karl Benson
​[email protected]
(209) 681-5780
What To Bring
Please mark all boy’s clothing, towels, etc with his first and last name.  Many boys do not recognize “lost and found” items, so labeling is a necessity.

    Necessary Items:
  • Sleeping bag, pillow, sleeping clothes (pajamas)
  • Toilet articles, wash cloth, bath towel(s)
  • Three or more changes of clothing, swim suit
  • Tennis shoes, sweat shirt, jacket or windbreaker
  • Bible (NIV preferred), pen or pencil, flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
  • Any necessary medication (clearly labeled, packed separately)
  • Liquid (not spray) insect repellent with DEET
  • Sunscreen, chapstick
    Optional Items:
  • Fishing gear
  • Camera (not cell phone camera!)
  • Spending money for camp store that has candy, soda, etc.. We will have SBC water bottles, T-shirts, and Bibles for sale during registration time. Money will be collected at registration time for use during camp.
  • Stockade, Royal Rangers, Pioneer Boys, Cub Scout or Awana Shirt (if you have one)
    Do Not Bring:
  • Matches, knives of any kind
  • Personal archery equipment, personal BB guns or other guns, sling shots, etc.
  • Cell or smart phone, or any electronic games or devices, etc.
Electronics Policy

CELL PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

All camps conducted by Sequoia Brigade Camp, whether in a wilderness, rural, or suburban environment, are designed to enable the camper to “break away” from the normal aspects of life, and grow closer to God, to His creation, and to fellow campers.  

With the above in mind, it is required that no camper may bring a cell phone of any kind, or any type of electronic device for recreational use. No cell phones, video game systems, music players, laptops, etc. If in doubt, don’t bring it. Cameras and flashlights are fine, but not cell phone cameras!

Camp leaders will have access to cell phones or appropriate communication devices where available in case of emergency.

If you have questions or special needs please contact the camp director or tripmaster for the camp or trip.
Electronics Philosophy

WHY DOES SEQUOIA BRIGADE CAMP NOT PERMIT ELECTRONIC DEVICES?

Electronic devices keep us tethered to outside influences - and to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—no matter where we are. But when we are at camp, these distractions can keep us from engaging with fellow campers and counselors. It is crucial to regularly spend time away from the internet, says William Powers, author of Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. Here are some further insights. When we engage in a mental activity—doing a crossword puzzle, say, or playing the piano—our brains create what are called neural pathways so we can perform that activity again more readily. “The more time you spend toggling rapidly among digital tasks, like scrolling, texting and answering emails, the more you will tend to think in a distracted way,” Powers says. To reclaim the kind of sustained attention it takes to read a book, Powers says, you have to unplug periodically. For this reason, at Sequoia Brigade Camp we use printed Bibles, rather than digital ones.
  
Taking a break from devices also enhances our ability to read emotional clues. Sixth graders who had no screen time for five days did substantially better at reading human emotions than those who had been glued to their devices for five days, according to research by developmental Psychologist Yalta T. Uhls, PhD, senior researcher at UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center. Obviously, campers and counselors need opportunity to interact where each individual can relate most effectively to each other.

An additional break from digital occurs in the area of recording experiences. Instead of photographing everything with a smartphone (and then posting it to Facebook or Twitter), “we can record in our mind and on paper,” says Craigan Usher, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University. He says “our experiences don’t need to be mediated by a Twitter update.” Questions and discussion time after camp is over help to reinforce memories and lessons learned.

Be upfront with your campers about why the rules are important. “Bring them on board so they understand in a personal way what they’ll gain by doing this radical thing,” Powers says.
Camp Osito Rancho FaCILITIES

Facilities

Camp Osito Rancho offers excellent facilities including a number of cabin villages, dining hall, pool, archery range, meadow, forest trails, a canoeing pond, ropes course, craft yurt, lots of places to gather and fellowship, tons of activities, campfire areas, and more.

camping arrangements

Our Boys Camp, Girls Camp, and Father Child Camp, are all happening concurrently with separate programs. 

Each group will be bunking in their own separate cabin villages. We all gather together for flag raising and lowering each day, and meals are shared together in the dining hall. Otherwise each program runs separately.
Directions