Jameson Ranch Camp

★Cara Reynolds

I would not recommend this camp to anyone over the age of 10-11. It is super clique and all the campers have been going there since they were very young. If you are over the age of 11, it can be very difficult to make friends since there are clique, pre-established groups that exclude new people. I attended camp for two years as a senior camper and CIT. My first year was okay, there were very clique groups of girls but there were still nice people around my age. The next year, those few nice stragglers did not return, and the clique group of girls was the only group around my age. The daughter of the owner was the only girl who was nice to me. The guys were also quite nice, but the rest of the girls bullied me. They would completely ignore me when I spoke and just generally made me feel extremely excluded. We had 1 phone for the CITs, and when I was in line the girls would cut and pass the phone to each other until the bell would ring for bedtime. I discussed this with the counselor in charge of CIT's and nothing was done. On our 30 mile mandatory hike, I placed my sleeping bag next to the daughter who was nice to me, and while I went to the bathroom it got moved to the very end of the sleeping bags. The three girls next to me ignored me, and when I went to sit with the daughter and guys, the counselor demanded I go back to my sleeping bag to sit in silence while everyone else chatted. During the 30 mile hike, I cried once, and the camp sent a rudely worded email saying that I could not be a CIT because I cried on the 30 mile hike. Multiple other campers cried on this hike and likely did not receive any such email. Furthermore, during an activity we planned, campers were getting hot and bored playing tag for 3 hours. They began coming to me and asking if they could sit under a tree and read. I asked a counselor if that was okay, and this was apparently interpreted as me and only me not wanting to participate in the activity and asking to read under a tree alone. It was an incredibly poor experience, and I would not recommend JRC to anyone above the age of 11. You kind of have to attend camp for years to truly fit in there. Or be extremely extroverted. -Written by my child

★★★★★Charlie Freund

As a summer camp for youth, JRC is a place of growth, rustic living, positivity, adventures, and nature. The Jamesons also offer family camping when there is no summer camp. It's a great getaway, providing tons of open space. Perfect for social distancing and rebooting after months at home! Looking forward to relying on the JRC for destination remote learning. We aren't going to just sit at home while the schools are online. There's so much leaning that happens here with farm animals, astronomy, fishing, and wildlife spotting.

★★★★★Austen B.Vloggin

It was amazing when I first went to camp there I had a blast its everything that a summer camp should be sleeping outdoors, fishing, mud pits, zipline, horse back riding and more, and the dogs Rex and River are awsome they hang around the camp but the best part about my time there was leaving our bunk beds grabbing our sleeping bags and sleeping under the stars. Its a great place to make friends and bring friends the camp counselors there are amazing the food is delicious with their own home grown fruits and veggies the animals are amazing to see. Its fun, energetic, active, and friendly. I rate this place a 10/10 would go again I love this place

★★★★★Kelly Marston

My 9 year old son recently returned from his second summer there and he had another wonderful year. The thoughtful and insightful letter home from his counselor showed the high caliber of the staff, the level of care, and strong community that is built. His smiles and how he has built his confidence each summer are evidence of the wonderful camp that Erica and the whole JRC team run. He can't stop talking about how great the food and the activities are. Perhaps the biggest testament to the quality of the camp is that he not only wants to go back next year, but also wants to go for a double session.

★★★★★Lizzie Bjork

Honestly, a five star rating doesn't even begin to express how amazing Jameson Ranch Camp is. I've been a camper for five years, and I've absolutely loved every day I've spent there. The activities are all really fun, especially the goofy ones like yoga on kayaks and sock wrestling, but the real reason that's kept me going back is the people. Everybody is always extremely kind and welcoming, and I've made so many friends, many of whom I keep in touch with even though they live 6 hours away. I know it sounds cliche, but camp really has made me the person I am today. I was fairly shy when I started going, and I felt really intimidated because everybody else knew each other. All the friendly JRCers drew me out of my shell and befriended me pretty darn quickly, but it took me a while to learn how to be as confident and friendly as them. Maybe you could say "camp has changed me" about any camp, so here's a list of why JRC is better than all those other camps: 1. The setting - it's an hour east of Bakersfield, up in the foothills right next to Sequioa National Forrest. It's beautiful, and there are tons of great hikes (and mandatory hike day every Wednesday). Sunday Peak is definitely the best, but it is pretty difficult. 2. It's on a working ranch, which is really fun because you can (and don't have to) watch the butchering of a cow, and some of the campers get to ride horses to round up the cows. Everybody has a chore, and occasionally there are Work Crews (made up of campers and counselors) that help out around the ranch. There's also a giant cow that campers can ride, and there are plenty of chickens to catch (chicken catching is a pretty popular activity - and it's harder than it looks!) 3. The activities are awesome, and there's something for everyone. Don't plan to ride horses very much, unless you are really good. There are always way more riders than horses, but that is literally the only flaw with JRC.There are plenty of other activities - all the normal ones like mountain biking and rock climbing, as well as tons of goofy ones. Most of the bunks go on overnights, and I know I will never forget the experience of sitting around a camp fire looking up at 5 times as many stars as I thought existed and talking and laughing with my best friends, many of whom I had met earlier that session. 4. I could have counted it as an activity, but I'm going to make Barn Dance it's own category. All of my friends from home make fun of me whenever I mention it, but it's SO fun. After 5 years I've almost gotten the hang of Monevou, but all the others are very easy to learn. The music to the "Virginia Reel" is playing in my head as I write this, and I still have no idea what the story is behind the tofu dance. Long story short, Barn Dance is a great tradition, and everybody loves it, include me (and I refuse to dance in any other setting). 5. The flexibility - I know a lot of other camps require you to sign up for activities in advance, but not JRC. There's a morning and an afternoon activity period, and the counselors just stand up and announce their activity so that the campers can pick one - and sometimes it's really hard to chose! 6. The music - Before meals and before bed, we all meet up in Rose Arbor to sing songs. Ross (who used to be the camp director) plays his guitar, and we all sing along. People braid hair or form massage trains, or just sit back and relax. Everybody loves it, and the best time of day is when the bell rings to end after-dinner activities and everybody runs down to Rose Arbor, all sweaty form playing Ultimate Frisbee or still laughing at somebody's joke. We all settle down as the light fades, and everybody KNOWS that they are in the best place on Earth. Okay, I could go on forever, but I don't know if anybody even read this far. Seriously though, the only way it is possible to not love JRC is if you have an issue with dirt, or if you don't like having fun.