Camp Firwood

What Camp Firwood does

Camp Firwood is a nonprofit Christian summer camp founded in 1955 and operated as a ministry of The Firs organization. It is located on a Lake Whatcom waterfront property in Bellingham, Washington, and serves youth entering grades 3 through 12 with week-long overnight summer sessions segmented by age tier (Elementary, Middle School, High School) plus a new four-day specialty Shred Camp combining wake surfing and mountain biking for grades 7-12. The camp also runs customized youth group retreats for church partners across all faith stages and operates a paid summer internship program across five disciplines (Ministry, Nursing/Medical, Media, Marketing, Culinary).

The physical asset base includes over a mile of Lake Whatcom waterfront, a multi-level aerial adventure park with zip lines, professionally built downhill mountain bike flow trails and pump track, a fleet of Nautique wake surf boats and Hobie Catamarans, an inflatable water park with a 20-foot waterslide, indoor rock climbing wall, paintball fields, outdoor laser tag, beach volleyball, an indoor game room, and arts and crafts facilities. Programming is delivered through summer staff and counselors and integrates adventure activities with Bible studies, mentorship, and Christian community building.

The revenue model combines per-camper session fees ($499-$689 per week), custom-priced church group retreats, and contributed income via Givebutter fundraising campaigns supporting camper scholarships, summer staff, and a multi-year capital expansion project (the Firwood Expansion Project) that adds dormitory housing above shower houses, infirmary and bathroom upgrades, road improvements, and lower camp amenity revitalization to enable year-round ministry capacity. Registration is managed through the CampBrain platform, and distribution is regional, concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, with digital marketing via the camp website, Facebook, Instagram, email inquiry forms, and church partnership outreach.

Name

Camp Firwood

Legal name

Camp Firwood

Website

https://campfirwood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Camp Firwood is a nonprofit Christian summer camp founded in 1955 on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, WA, offering week-long overnight sessions, adventure activities, and church group retreats for elementary through high school youth in the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Summer Camp Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA), Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA)

Keywords

• Christian summer camp
• Youth summer camp
• Overnight camp programs
• Adventure camp activities
• Faith-based camp

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Camp Firwood operates overnight Christian summer camp programs for children entering grades 3 through 12 at a lakefront property on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, Washington. Week-long and 4-day sessions combine adventure activities (wake surfing, mountain biking, high ropes, sailing, paintball, laser tag, rock climbing, water park) with Bible studies, mentorship, and faith formation. The camp also hosts customized church youth group retreats and offers paid summer internships.

Product overview

Camp Firwood is a Christian summer camp ministry operated by The Firs, located on a lakefront property on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, WA. The camp offers a comprehensive portfolio of overnight summer camp programs for elementary (entering 3rd-6th grade), middle (entering 6th-9th grade), and high school (entering 9th-12th grade) students. Core programming centers on over a dozen adventure activities including wake surfing with Nautique boats, mountain biking on professionally built trails, laser tag, a multi-level high ropes adventure park, sailing on Hobie Catamarans, rock climbing, paintball, water park features, tubing, beach volleyball, game room, and arts and crafts. The camp also offers specialized programming including the Shred Camp (a 4-day wake surf and mountain bike camp), church group programs for youth groups at all faith stages, paid summer internships (Ministry, Nursing/Medical, Media, Marketing, and Culinary), and scholarship/donation programs for camper assistance and property expansion. Camp operates on a session-based model from June through September, with staff training, multiple week-long sessions, and post-season programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Overnight Summer Camp Programs Week-long overnight Christian summer camp sessions for elementary (entering grades 3-6), middle school (entering grades 6-9), and high school (entering grades 9-12) students on Lake Whatcom waterfront in Bellingham, WA. Includes lodging, meals, adventure activities, and Bible studies.
• Shred Camp (Wakesurf + Mountain Bike Specialty Camp) Specialty 4-day adventure camp focused on wake surfing (behind state-of-the-art Nautique boats) and mountain biking for entering 7th-12th graders. Priced at $499 per camper with limited spots.
• Church Group Programs Customized summer camp weeks designed for church youth groups at all stages of faith, with skilled counselors who team up with church leaders. Pricing is custom-quoted upon inquiry. Includes access to high ropes, zip lines, and the aerial adventure park.
• Summer Internship Program (Ministry, Nursing/Medical, Media, Marketing, Culinary) Paid summer internships across five tracks: Ministry (discipleship, worship leadership, Bible studies, mentorship), Nursing/Medical (camp healthcare, first aid, emergency response), Media (photography, videography, digital storytelling), Marketing (digital marketing, social media, content creation), and Culinary (large-scale food preparation, kitchen operations).
• Camper Scholarships Donor-funded financial assistance program providing scholarships to help children who could not otherwise afford camp attend and experience a life-changing week at Camp Firwood.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The FirscoreOthersCamp Firwood is a ministry of The Firs organization. The Firs operates as the parent organization providing operational support, mission alignment, and administrative infrastructure for Camp Firwood's programs.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ross Point Camp & Conference Center: Pacific Northwest Christian camp on Puget Sound (Bainbridge Island, WA) running summer youth camps and church group retreats — competes with Camp Firwood for the same PNW church and family audience.
• Cascade Christian Camps: Faith-based multi-activity summer camp operator in Washington state serving elementary through high school campers with overnight programs — same customer base, age tiers, and activity-led value proposition as Camp Firwood.
• Camp Spalding: Interfaith-adjacent summer camp on a lake in northern Idaho offering week-long overnight programs for elementary through high school youth with similar activity and faith-formation mix to Camp Firwood.
• Camp Lutherhaven: Lutheran-affiliated year-round camp and retreat center on Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho offering overnight summer camps, school programs, and retreats — comparable mission-driven, faith-based, lakefront camp model in the broader Pacific Northwest region.
• Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center: Christian camp and conference center in Stanwood, WA offering multi-activity overnight summer camps and year-round retreats for youth and church groups — directly comparable in geography, mission, and programming mix to Camp Firwood.
• Lanakila Christian Camp: Christian summer camp serving youth and families with week-long residential programs and adventure activities — directly comparable faith-based overnight camp model and target customer as Camp Firwood.

Broad incumbents

• Kanakuk Kamps: National Christian youth camp network with multiple residential properties and broad activity programming — comparable faith-based overnight camp brand and age-tiered program structure, but operates at materially larger scale.
• Pine Cove: One of the largest Christian summer camp operators in the U.S., running multiple residential camp properties across multiple states — same faith-based overnight camp concept at much greater scale and geographic reach than Camp Firwood.

Regional players

• Cristwood Ministries: Christian camp and retreat center in the broader Pacific Northwest region offering summer camps, retreats, and church group programming — comparable mission and format though smaller scale and different specific locale than Camp Firwood.

Emerging players

• YMCA Camp Orkila: Pacific Northwest (San Juan Islands) overnight summer camp offering multi-activity programming for youth and families — competes with Camp Firwood for PNW families but is secular and broader-scope than a faith-based camp.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/campfirwood
• Instagraminstagram.com/campfirwood
• Xx.com/campfirwood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camp-firwood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Camp Firwood