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About the Camp

Camp Grafton is nestled on beautiful Magna Bay on the North Arm of Shuswap Lake, just 1 ½ hours’ drive (100 km) from Kamloops, BC. The camp features a beautiful, natural waterfront swimming area and acres of trees and creeks, with accommodations for residential retreats and community events.

Camp Grafton offers a full range of summer camp programs for children and youth, which are accredited by both the BC Camping Association and the United Church of Canada. The shoulder seasons and some summer weeks are available for use by the community at large.

 

Our Mission

Camp Grafton is an inclusive place where everyone can:

  • Become stewards of, and deepen their connection to Nature.

  • Develop leadership skills and strengthen their bond with their community.

  • Have fun and build friendships in a rustic setting.

 

We strive to:

  • Provide campers of all ages with a camp experience that is safe, enjoyable, and challenging.

  • Encourage environmental awareness and spiritual growth in an ecumenical atmosphere.

  • Stress fairness, diversity, and tolerance.

  • Provide a facility suitable for use by other community-building organizations and individuals.

 

History

In the early nineteen-fifties, a prominent Kamloops physician, Dr. Hartley Grafton, had a dream of providing a rustic camp for the Boy Scouts, particularly for the Third Kamloops Scouts. Dr. Grafton and his family had picnicked on the Magna Bay property owned by one of his patients, who was also keen to make it available for the Scouts.

At the time, the Scouting organization was not able to hold title for property, and so Dr. Grafton arranged to donate the purchase price to the Trustees of Kamloops United Church, for the acquisition of the camp property to be held for the use of the Scouts. Over time, the Scouts wanted a more remote wilderness camp, and so in the late sixties Camp Grafton began to offer camps for boys and girls, and was administered by committees of volunteers from the two United Churches in Kamloops. In 1975, the original Panabode log dining hall collapsed under a heavy snow; in 1978 the current dining hall was completed, and four of the original cabins were replaced. By 2002, the move was made to create a Camp Grafton Society, to be comprised of members from a number of Kamloops’ denominations. The Camp Grafton Society (CGS), which now draws its members and support from the greater community, leases the property from Kamloops United Church, and the CGS has all the responsibility for the Camp’s programs and upkeep of the property and its facilities. In 2014, a new and expanded boat house was added, and the building and upgrading effort continues as donations allow.