LOCATION + GETTING TO CAMPEvery year we reserve space at the Washington Family Ranch for our annual PKU family camp. This beautiful location is nestled between the hills in the Central Oregon high desert. The closest town is Antelope, Oregon.
Camp is a 4-5 hour drive from Portland, Oregon. The closest airport is in Redmond, Oregon, which is a 2.5 hour drive from camp. Many people fly into Portland because it is often significantly cheaper. They then rent a car to drive to camp. Directions are provided to all registered campers in the weeks leading up to camp.
LODGING
The dorm-style cabins feature bunk beds with movable walls to house anywhere from 6-14 people. Larger parties in increments of 6, 8, 12 and 14 are guaranteed a private room on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a field in the registration form where you can list other families you would prefer to share your room with.
ADA accessibility, beyond the current building code requirements, has been provided to make this camp accessible for a wide range of abilities. Each cabin has direct access to the outside. The second floor cabins are accessed from a shaded wrap-around deck.
Each room has a bathroom with a swing door, two shower stalls, electrical outlets, several bathroom stalls and two sinks. There are numerous cubbbies to store toiletries and towels.
AMMENITIES
The Creekside camp area's biggest attraction is the state-of-the-art pool area. Here you will find multiple water slides, a wading pool, and deeper pools for swimming. The pool will be open at designated times throughout the weekend.
The all-season covered activity area includes 9-hole mini-golf, bouldering walls, foosball, basketball hoops and more. Seating is close by for those parents who want to visit while keeping an eye on their kiddos.
A spacious lawn includes a sand volleyball court and typically hosts our family field game activities. Our families appreciate that the camp is designed so nothing is too far away and it's easy to keep eyes on the little ones. Regardless of age and ability, there is something for everyone at this camp!
ACTIVITIES
We share the camp schedule in the weeks leading up to camp and the number of activities will be determined based on how many volunteers we have. We generally always have a PKU cooking workshop (often Malathy from Taste Connections) and a speaker who will discuss the latest PKU research (often Dr Harding from OHSU).
In addition, we have supervised children's activities during the times we have workshops/speaker sessions. We also organize field games and other ice-break/networking type events throughout the weekend. Please contact pkunwa@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer to help us make these activities possible.
MEALS
All meals are held at the Muddy Station dining hall, a short walk from the cabins. Your registration fee includes all camp meals for PKU and non-PKU campers. This includes dinner Thursday evening, breakfast + lunch + dinner on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast Sunday morning.
We can accommodate additional dietary restrictions for vegetarians, vegans, etc. Please make a note of this as you register for camp so we are prepared for your stay.
EXTRA GOODIES
There is a coffee/snack bar and gift shop at camp as well. Please bring cash if you want to buy these extra goodies or souvenirs during your stay. Note: drip coffee and tea is available at no charge during meal times in the dining hall; dessert is included with dinner at no charge
