Campus & community, Campus news

Lair of the Golden Bear: A tradition of summer camp fun

From swimming, hiking and arts and crafts for kids to tennis, gourmet cooking lessons and forest tranquility for grownups, it's all on tap at the Cal Alumni Association’s Lair of the Golden Bear summer camp, a tradition for 60-plus years amid the sugar pines of the Sierra. Registration is now open.

Lair of the Bear

Tennis lessons taught by legendary Cal coach Jan Brogan. Golfing with PGA pro Tony Murphy. A photography workshop, cooking with a Bay Area chef, yoga, pilates and dance — this is what summer camp can mean at the Cal Alumni Association’s Lair of the Golden Bear.

Canoeing on a lakeAdult-oriented sessions like the Sports and Recreation Camp described above fill out a busy summer schedule of fun for people of all ages, as the camp in the central Sierra town of Pinecrest keeps growing. The Lair has hosted legions of Cal alumni, faculty, staff and their families over its 60-plus years, with the aim of creating a sense of Cal community and connection.

Family Camp offers a mindboggling number of indoor and outdoor activities — arts and crafts, hikes, nature games, swimming, sports of all kinds, boating, story-telling, dances, creek walks, barbecues and movies among them.

In addition to the Sports and Rec Camp, special sessions include a Women’s Wellness Weekend, a Young Alumni Weekend and a College Prep Camp.

In addition to the traditional tent cabins and motel-style rooms, the Lair this year adds the Pinecrest Chalet to its accommodation options. The chalet features 22 furnished cottages and cabins set in tall pines. CAA is the new owner and operator of the Pinecrest Chalet, and is offering 50 percent discount on a one-night stay there from April 15 to May 15 (70 percent off for association members).

More information about Lair of the Golden Bear family camp programs is available on the camp’s website, or at (510) 642.0221 or [email protected]

More information about Pinecrest Chalet can be found on its website, or at (209) 965-3276 or [email protected].