There are moments in a community’s life that deserve to be marked. Not with a press release or a plaque, but with people — gathering in the place that meant something to them, with the people who were there, doing the things that made it matter in the first place.
That’s what’s happening at YMCA Camp Arbolado this September.
On the weekend of September 12th through 14th, 2026, Camp Arbolado will host its 100 Year Alumni Weekend — a once-in-a-century celebration inviting former campers, past counselors, longtime families, and first-time visitors to come together in the mountains and honor 100 years of a place that has quietly shaped thousands of lives across the greater Whittier community.
If you’ve been waiting for a reason to go back, this is it.
Where You’re Going
Camp Arbolado sits at 42500 State Highway 38 in Angelus Oaks — nestled in the breathtaking San Bernardino National Forest at the foot of the San Gorgonio Wilderness, just 90 minutes from Whittier. It is a year-round wilderness retreat that has been welcoming campers since 1925, and it looks and feels like the kind of place that reminds you what the world is like when you step away from it for a few days.
The trees are tall, the air is clean, and the moment you arrive you’ll understand why generations of families have been coming back.
What to Expect Over the Weekend
The 100 Year Alumni Weekend is designed to be exactly what it sounds like — a celebration and a reunion. Here’s what the weekend is built around:
Reconnecting with people. The heart of this event is the people. Former campers who haven’t seen each other in decades. Counselors who shaped lives and then went on to live their own. Families whose connection to Arbolado spans multiple generations. The Alumni Weekend creates the space for all of those reunions to happen — over meals, around campfires, on trails that hold shared memories.
Fun activities and outdoor adventure. This isn’t a gala in a hotel ballroom. It’s camp — which means expect the same spirit of adventure that has defined Arbolado for a century. Activities, games, and the kind of unscripted fun that only happens when you put good people in a beautiful place and let it unfold.
Honoring the history. The Camp Arbolado Alumni Association has long been dedicated to documenting the rich and important history of the camp and the thousands of lives it has touched. The centennial weekend is a living expression of that mission — a chance to celebrate the past, acknowledge the present, and commit to the future of a place that has earned its place in the Whittier community’s story.
The camp motto, lived out loud. For anyone who ever stood around a campfire at Arbolado, the words are already in your heart: “Deep in our hearts our love will grow for our comrades at Camp Arbolado.” That’s not just a saying. It’s what this weekend is made of.
Who Should Come
Everyone. Genuinely.
If you attended Camp Arbolado as a child — whether it was five years ago or fifty — this is your weekend. If you were a counselor or staff member who gave a piece of yourself to this place, you belong here. If you’re a Whittier family who has never been to Arbolado but has always been curious, this is the most welcoming possible introduction. And if you want to bring your kids to experience the place that shaped you, there is no better way to hand something meaningful down than to show them where it came from.
