About Us

Camp Woodcraft is a program of Woodcraft Rangers. 

Woodcraft Rangers was founded in 1902 by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose youth development model was the forerunner for other well-known programs, such as the Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls. However, Woodcraft has always been distinctly defined by its core values of inclusion and access.

In 1922, when Woodcraft Rangers first opened its doors to Los Angeles youth, it was a county-wide scouting and camping program known for welcoming children and families from every race, religion and socioeconomic background. True to our founding principles, Woodcraft programs are guided by the notion that youth should be active participants in defining their own paths, and need positive mentorship to guide them as they explore pathways to purposeful lives. 

Over the past century, Woodcraft has hosted camp in a number of idyllic Southern California locations, ranging from Lake Arrowhead to Big Bear and Lake Castaic. Our new home in Mountain Center near Idyllwild is nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains, and is at an altitude of 5,500 feet. This historic land was home to the Cahuilla Indians from the 1840s through the 1920s.