Grown-Ups Too Can Enjoy the Summer Outdoors

If your childhood memories include the smell of pine trees, the feel of cold lake water on sun-hot skin or the sound of laughter around a campfire, then you probably attended summer camp.

And if you missed camp as a child, well then, all the more reason to experience it as a grown-up.

Summer camps for adults are available in a variety of forms. So-called “family camps” will take adults unaccompanied by children. Religious camps do not ask that you be a member of their faith, but be aware that the camp will include the options of worship or Bible study. Some camps, like UCLA’s Bruin Woods, require that you become a temporary member of the sponsoring organization.

Following is a sampling of adult camps:

Bruin Woods--The UCLA Alumni Assn. family resort camp at Lake Arrowhead offers 10 one-week sessions. Housing consists of cottages and “condolets” with private baths. Dine in one of three dining rooms or on the patio. Activities include athletic tournaments, seminars, boating and tennis, or you can relax on chaise lounges by the pool. Cost for adults is $470; 7th-12th graders pay $370; 2nd-6th graders pay $290; 3 years to 1st graders pay $220; under 3 years pay $75.

UCLA Bruin Woods Family Resort, P.O. Box 160, Lake Arrowhead, Calif. 92352, telephone (714) 337-2478.

Camp Ta Ta Pochon--The West San Gabriel Valley YMCA has reserved the Fourth of July weekend for families and adults at Camp Ta Ta Pochon in the San Bernardino Mountains. Dormitory-style cabins. Activities include hiking, canoeing, swimming, campfires and mealtime celebrations. Special activities for kids will give parents time for themselves. Cost for adults is $55; children 10-17 pay $50; children 4-9 pay $40; 3 and under free.

YMCA of West San Gabriel Valley, 10 Almansor St., Alhambra, Calif. 91801, telephone (818) 576-0226, (213) 283-7466.

Mid Valley YMCA Family Camp--Camp Round Meadow in the Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino Mountains will be the site for a Y camp Sept. 3-5. A full-facility camp with cabins, Round Meadow offers swimming, crafts, fishing, hiking, campfires, archery, special events and a challenge course. Cost for adults is $50; children 3-17 pay $40; 2 and under free. Other YMCAs offer similar camping programs; check local Y for information.

Mid Valley YMCA, 6901 Lennox Ave., Van Nuys, Calif. 91405, telephone (818) 989-3800.

Montecito-Sequoia High Sierra Family Vacation Camp--Located at an elevation of 7,500 feet on Lake Homavalo near Sequoia National Park, this privately owned, 42-acre camp offers weeklong sessions for families, couples, single parents and grandparents from June 20 to Sept. 5. Lodge rooms with private baths are available. There are also cabins with a nearby bathhouse. Meals served buffet-style. Activities range from archery and aerobics to horseback riding, tennis and water-skiing. Per-person weekly rates range from $125 for a family with an infant to $525 for a single person in a single room.

Montecito-Sequoia High Sierra Family Vacation Camp, 1485 Redwood Drive, Los Altos, Calif. 94022, telephone (800) 227-9900.

Camp Stevens Sequoia Family Camp--The Episcopal dioceses of Los Angeles and San Diego offer camping the week of July 17-23 at Camp San Joaquin in Sequoia National Forest. Facilities include heated swimming pool, recreation hall, covered outdoor dining area, central bathroom and showers and tent cabins and dormitories. Families of three or less may share housing. Cost for adults is $155; children 12-18 pay $110; 5-11 pay $100; under 5 free.

Episcopal Camps Registrar, 14673 Rex St., Sylmar, Calif. 91342, telephone (818) 367-4794.

Thousand Pines Outdoor Center--A family vacation week, July 24-30, and a senior adult camp, Aug. 27-Sept. 2, are offered at an elevation of 5,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Gregory. Sponsored by the American Baptists, the 157-acre camp features swimming, volleyball, boating and fishing. Cabins or mountain lodge housing. During the family vacation week, adults pay $155; children 12-17 pay $118; ages 4-11 pay $70; 3 and under free. The senior adult camp costs $150.

American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest, 970 Village Oaks Drive, Covina, Calif. 91724, telephone (818) 915-7641.

El Camino Pines--Enjoy a family camp the weekend of July 7-10 at this Lutheran Church-sponsored mountain camp near Frazier Park in the Los Padres National Forest. Featured are A-frame cabins and a central dining hall, campfires, child care and a swimming pool. Cost is $65 per adult; for a child, $6.50 times the age of the child, with a $250 family maximum.

Lutheran Bible Camp, 13724 Fenton Ave., Sylmar, Calif. 91342, telephone (818) 367-8784.

Camp Ramah Family Camp--Adults and families are welcome Aug. 30-Sept. 4 at this camp in Ojai, operated under the auspices of the University of Judaism. Housing ranges from tent cabins with shared bathroom/shower house to air-conditioned rooms in guest lodges. Activities include swimming, tennis instruction, fishing and golf. Cost for adults starts at $165; children 2-18 pay $75; children under 2 pay $25.

Camp Ramah, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. 90077, telephone (213) 476-8571.

San Marcos Baptist Camp--Family camping the weekend of Sept. 2-5 is offered at this camp 15 miles north of Santa Barbara. Facilities include dining room, hot showers and cabins. The camp features swimming, hiking, campfires, archery and other sports and is close to Lake Cachuma and Solvang. Cost for ages 12 and over is $55; couples pay $105; children 4-11 pay $32; ages 3 and under free.

American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest, 970 Village Oaks Drive, Covina, Calif. 91724, telephone (818) 915-7641.

SCamp--The University of Southern California General Alumni Assn. sponsors three one-week camping sessions Aug. 7-27 at the River Way Ranch in Kings Canyon National Park. The camp’s air-conditioned private rooms (for eight persons) with private baths have all been reserved, but you can get on a waiting list. Rustic accommodations are still available at a lower cost. Meals are served buffet-style. Activities include water, court, field and racquet sports, horseback riding, target sports and aerobics. Adult fees are $299 to $449; children 13-17 pay $285-$400; ages 6-12 pay $260-$364; ages 4 and 5 pay $210-$286; infant-3 pay $100-$136.

USC SCamp, Parkview 304, University Park, MC 1220, Los Angeles, Calif. 90089, (213) 743-0971, ask for Carol Thueson.