Camp Mather

Check In:

Come to the office to check in when you arrive at Camp Mather. The office will be open from 2:00 until 8:00 p.m. After 8:00 p.m., we will post a map on the office window with the location of your reservation circled. Please come to the office the next morning before you go to breakfast to check in and get your wristbands.

Bring the following with you to the window when you check in, no exceptions:

1. Your entire party so that we can place the bracelets on their wrists.

2. Picture ID of the main person on the Reservation Form.

3. Your confirmation papers showing that you are paid in full.

4. The make, model, color, and the license plate number of your vehicle(s) on a piece of paper for our records.

5. A note listing anything you need us to know, ie: you are planning on leaving before Saturday, part of your party is arriving later, you require ADA assistance, etc

The office staff will attach your wristbands, give you a parking pass to place on the dashboard of your car, and help you in any way they can. If necessary, the Camp Manager can be radioed for assistance.

Day Use:

will be available this year. Day Use allows access to pool, lake, and lawn area from 10am - 7pm, but no participation in programs. Meals will be sold to non-campers this year. Meals and Day Use wristbands can be purchased at the office, and must be purchased daily.

Meals:

If you have paid for a 6 person cabin with only 4 registered people, you may increase your party by 2. Contact the Camp Mather office at 831-2715 to pay for your extra guests' meals at least a week before you are scheduled to arrive. You cannot sell unused meals. If a member of your party is leaving early, there is no refund, and you may not sell those meals. If you have friends who did not get a reservation, but are staying nearby, please let them know that they can purchase meals at Camp Mather.

Bicycles:

Helmets must be worn by everyone. Bicycles are a lot of fun at Camp Mather, and many children learn to ride here. The San Francisco Bike Coalition hope to have volunteers with information at camp to educate everyone about the bike safety of properly wearing a helmet and the rules of the road. Courtesy with our bikes when not in use is mandatory. Have your family park their bikes using bike racks when available, and always park off the paved roads and lawns. Be sure to leave complete access to all stairs, ramps and gates. (Remember, big trucks ride through the camp collecting garbage and hauling the cookout equipment. Bikes have been inadvertently damaged in years past) Contact The San Francisco Bike Coalition if you can volunteer while you are here.

Cabins:

Mather staff members strive to provide campers with a clean cabin upon arrival. Report any needed repairs immediately to the office so we can make your stay as comfortable as possible. Please be kind to our crew and the next week's campers by removing your garbage and sweeping the floors before vacating your cabin by 10:00 a.m. on your last day. We have only 2 hours to dust, sweep and mop 100 cabins each Saturday.

Candles:

Fire danger is high in the Sierras in the dry summer months. Be sure to monitor your candles at all times. Unattended burning candles are a fire hazard and may be confiscated. Confiscated candles may be reclaimed at the office. Candles should be used in a leak proof container.

Garbage and recycling:

The smell of human food is very attractive to many wild animals (raccoons, bears, and squirrels, to name a few) who will do their very best to get to the food they smell. Please use the large garbage cans throughout the week rather than waiting for Saturday morning, or a surprise midnight visitor. Place your garbage in the green metal garbage cans and your recycling in the open white cans. If you have cardboard, flatten and fold it and place it next to the garbage cans. We recycle cardboard, cans, and glass and plastic bottles. Please bring any empty propane cans to the office and we will dispose of them properly. Please keep your cabin or tent area looking neat out of respect for your fellow Campers and Camp Mather. Your help in picking up our little ones' litter is greatly appreciated.

Lost and Found:

Label your possessions. If you do lose something, come to the office and fill out a loss form. You may also put a notice up on the board outside the dining hall entrance. We will return your property to you if it is found and turned in during your stay. If it is returned later, we will return it to McLaren Lodge and contact you. We register all found items. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of the summer.

Vendors:

You may negotiate with the General Store Manager for consignment sales in the General Store. Vendors are not allowed on Camp Mather property.

Tents:

Camping is not allowed on the property outside of the designated tent-camp areas. Tents may not be set up around cabins; everyone in your group must sleep inside your cabin. Mosquito net "tents" around picnic tables are allowed, and a good idea.

Hammocks:

Wrap ropes around the trees to hang hammocks. Nails and screws damage the trees, and are definitely not allowed.

Great news:

Summer 2005 FoCM donated full and twin mattresses, new 2005 FoCM t-shirts and hats, FoCM wristbands and more. Summer 2004 FoCM added 50 full mattresses, staff t-shrts and bulletin boards; Summer 2003 the camp got 30 new picnic tables that were donated by Friends of Camp Mather. The money raised during Summer 2002 with weekly raffles, bingo games, and donations also paid for the Staff T-Shirts and the Tie-Dye supplies. You will see *volunteers at Camp Mather this year, raising money for the camp with Raffles and T-Shirt sales.