About the Lair

Discover our exciting and affordable family vacation in the mountains.

Since 1949, the Cal Alumni Association’s Lair of the Golden Bear has provided memorable summer vacations for generations of Cal alumni families and friends of the University. Located just three hours east of the Bay Area at 5,600 feet in beautiful Pinecrest, California, the Lair’s fresh air, sunshine, and surrounding natural beauty provide our guests with an amazing mountain playground.

The beauty of the Lair is that campers are able to unwind at their own speed. Some choose everyday to dive into the region with reckless abandon—others might relax by the pool with a good book. Perhaps most importantly of all, you don’t need to worry about cooking, cleaning, or what to do with the kids—they’ll be in their age group programs with our outstanding staff. The hardest decision you’ll face all week may just be which activity to try next! By the time departure day arrives, you will surely have fallen in love with our special nook in the Sierra Nevada!

A Camp for Everyone

Lair campers of all ages enjoy a multitude of staff led activity options during each day of your stay. Others find adventure on their own. You will experience:

  • campfire shows, ghost stories, and sing-alongs
  • guided hikes
  • arts and crafts, including tie-dye, ceramics, and T-shirt painting
  • tennis, volleyball, and basketball
  • swimming
  • softball and kickball
  • ping-pong and horseshoes
  • paddle-tennis, shuffleboard, and tetherball
  • powerboating, fishing, golf, and horseback riding are also available at nearby independent facilities (at additional cost)

Camps Blue, Gold, and Oski

The activities and programs for children (and parents!) at each camp are nearly identical. Each has its own staff and facilities, which include a common dining hall, pool, sports courts, art area, and Kub Korral (our enclosed kids’ playground), and all three serve three hearty family-style meals a day. The primary difference is that Camps Blue and Gold have larger facilities, each hosting as many as 85 families per week. Blue and Gold campers also participate in weeklong athletic tournaments, seeking a highly coveted Lair trophy. At Camp Oski, campers receive a much smaller and intimate camp experience. Oski campers also experience a weekly camp-wide barbecue at Pinecrest Lake, tent circle campfires, and unique Lair facilities such as a lap pool and a sand volleyball court. All in all, the three Lair camps are much more similar than different!

We offer a variety of sessions tailored for an extraordinary camping experience, including popular adult specialty camps:

Great Food

Three meals a day are served family-style in our camp Dining Halls. The food is all you can eat, and typically includes a hot entrée, with side dish options. Lunches offer a full salad bar, fruit, and homemade soups. For vegetarians, there are options at every meal, and for out-of-camp hikers or day-trippers, campers have the opportunity to make a bag lunch to go. A continental breakfast is also available every day for late risers—and every night the Camp Blue and Gold Burger Shacks sell hot food and snacks.

Outstanding Staff

The Lair staff is comprised of an outstanding mix of college aged students, mostly rooted in the UC system. Without question, our staff members are the heart and soul of camp life. Your hosts lead all of the camp programming and are positive role models for your children. They provide relentless energy, creativity, and enthusiasm every moment of your stay.

So Many Conveniences

  • EMTs are on call 24 hours a day for minor injuries and illnesses. Our nurse practitioner is available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday and rotates among the three camps each day. Major hospital facilities are 30 miles away in Sonora.
  • weekly non-denominational creekside services, plus Catholic mass nearby at Pinecrest lake
  • a Camp Store, which sells the latest and greatest Lair-wear, in addition to ice-cream, snacks, art supplies, and a few sundry items
  • free washer and dryers
  • daily mail service
  • free wi-fi
  • pay phones
  • limited wheelchair access—please call 510.642.0221 for details
  • sorry, pets are not allowed

Lair Accommodations

Please visit our Accommodations page to learn more about your Lair tent amenities and some other limited lodging options.

*Please note that for Mini-Week family camp sessions, a CAA membership is required for a least one attending adult in each individual tent. CAA membership is not required for any of our adult sessions or for our Family Weekends. You do not need to be a Cal graduate to join the Cal Alumni Association (CAA). To join CAA, please call 888.CAL.ALUM.

Website photography and video by David Smith, Carrie Richards, Nate Donovan, Nancy Rubin, Deborah Hayes, Quincy Yaley, Albert Huen, Jenny Shepherd, Tim Brandabur, Laura Shields, Karen Hirtzel, and the Lair Photography Staff. Thank you!