Camp Jones Gulch

The Camp Jones Gulch property was originally part of Rancho San Gregorio, a stretch of land granted by Governor Juan Alvarado to Antonio Buelna. A portion of the land grant, which stretched nearly 18,000 acres, was later sold to Henry Wilkins, who, in 1857, sold the property to Jones & Franklin, a small milling operation. One of the company's owners, David Jones, for whom the gulch and camp is named, constructed a saw mill on the site, which stood where the present-day Dining Hall now sits. By the 1930s, Mrs. S. M. Black owned the property, and looked to sell her property to a non-profit organization to create a camp for boys and girls. Richard Perkins, then the General Secretary for the YMCA of San Francisco, negotiated a deal in 1934 to acquire the camp property.[1]

In addition to weekend retreats and visits by other youth programs, Camp Jones Gulch has been used for environmental education programs since the mid-20th century. In the summer of 1965, Gus Xerogeanes, a natural sciences teacher for the San Bruno Park School District, organized a weeklong summer field trip for a group of sixth grade students, which expanded to a district-wide program for San Bruno students in the spring of 1966.[2] Initially, only 60 students could attend the program due to space restrictions. In the fall of 1966, more San Mateo County school districts began participating in the program, so a county-managed San Mateo Outdoor Education program was approved in 1968 with 650 pupils.[3] Since then, more than 200,000 students have attended Outdoor Education,[4] and the program celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 9, 2019.

Similarly, in 1956, the San Joaquin Outdoor Education began as a pilot program with 49 students from Jefferson School in Tracy, California. Within three years, the program had expanded to the San Joaquin Outdoor School, the third largest environmental education program in California, serving 1,000 students from 28 districts throughout San Joaquin County. In 1960, the program expanded to provide weeklong trips throughout the entire school year. To accommodate the county's growth, the program expanded to a second nearby site, Redwood Glen, in 1990, although operations ceased at the camp in 2009. In 2018, the program celebrated 60 years at the Jones Gulch site.[5] However, in January 2021, the San Joaquin County Office of Education announced plans to transfer their outdoor education programs to Sky Mountain in Placer County, California, in order to be in closer proximity to local students, ending their usage of Camp Jones Gulch.[6]

Camp Jones Gulch spans 927 acres, approximately 700 of which remain undeveloped, except for small hiking trails leading to forest viewpoints and observation points.[7] Over the years, several facilities have been added to the property, including dormitories and cabins, a wooded amphitheater ("Coyote Bowl"), a horse corral, and other activities for youth programs. Cabins, which are used as lodging for visitors throughout the year, are named for trees and birds that can be found within the area, in addition to the mining company magnate Frederick Worthen Bradley and Ohlone Native American tribe.[8] To recognize the 50th anniversary of San Mateo Outdoor Education, the YMCA renamed several cabins from traditional names to the tree names used by the Outdoor Education program during the school year.[9] As of summer 2021, the YMCA, in partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education, is renovating six older cabins, paving the main parking lot, and updating the sewer and electrical systems.

A portion of the forest, nicknamed the Valley of the Giants, is home to "Big Red" and "Dead Fred," two towering redwoods frequented by youth visitors of the camp. A garden and straw bale classroom, maintained by the San Mateo Outdoor Education program, a pond with canoes, and Buckeye Grove also lie within the camp boundaries.[10]

The gulch, and nearby Pescadero Creek County Park, sit atop a deposit of natural gas and oil. Crude oil seeps into Jones Gulch Creek on occasion, staining the rocks. Oil exploration was attempted in the area in the 1970s. Although it failed to hit the pool and no exploration wells have been attempted at the site, natural gas in the area has been estimated at 10 billion cubic feet.[11] Along with Jones Gulch Creek, other creeks in the area are named after families that settled within La Honda, including Hoffman, Peterson, and Blomquist creeks.[12]

YMCA Camp Jones Gulch provides traditional residential summer programs to students ages 6-16, with cabins organized by age and gender. Campers eat and participate in daily activities together, including swimming, archery, canoeing, climbing a rock wall, ziplining, arts and crafts, guided hikes, and more. There is also a day camp and specific week-long camps focused on themes including horseback riding, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting.[13] In recent years, Camp Jones Gulch has added teen leadership programs, where middle and high school students develop leadership skills while working with peers and participating as counselors-in-training in cabins with younger campers. Counseling staff are attracted from across the globe, with many returning to work at camp after being campers themselves. Over the years, a steady YMCA Camp Jones Gulch Alumni group has developed, which organizes an annual reunion each summer.[14] These events, along with weekend family camps organized by the YMCA, enable both children and their families to experience Camp Jones Gulch. Scholarships are provided to families who could not otherwise afford camps for their children, supported through donations and grants.[15] Each summer for the past 55 years, space is rented to the Hayward–La Honda Music Camp for a week, a performing arts camp with music electives, master classes, and performances to approximately 280 students in grades 6-12.[16]

The camp operates year-round, providing administrative, maintenance, and food service staff to user groups who attend during the school year. These groups include scout troops and jamborees, youth-based organizations, music camps, 4-H, Rotary Club leadership retreats, and tai-chi and yoga retreats.[17] During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Outdoor Education programs were temporarily closed, Camp Jones Gulch offered "family getaway" stays in cabins.

• Official website

37.288°N 122.271°W / 37.288; -122.271