Our Mission
Camp Chatuga is a traditional summer camp for boys and girls ages 6 – 16 (rising 1st through 11th graders).
Our mission is to:
- Bring campers and staff closer to God through relationships and nature.
- Create an envelope of safety for campers both physically and emotionally.
- Teach skills in a fun and encouraging way that campers will use throughout their lives.
Watch our Core Values video to understand more about who we are and why we want your child to call Chatuga their home away from home.
Our History
After working as summer counselors at a boys’ camp in North Carolina, former Furman University roommates and basketball teammates Nield Gordon and Everette Pigg envisioned their own boys’ camp in 1956. The coaches and their wives found farm property for sale ten miles up the Blue Ridge foothills in picturesque Mountain Rest, SC. With the purchase of this property, now 60 acres completely surrounded by Sumter National Forest, they were on their way to establishing Camp Chatuga.
The farmhouse became the camp dining hall and is the only original building still on the site–with numerous additions. The cornfield with a spring-fed creek winding through it became the lake. The old apple orchard became tennis and basketball courts.
Chatuga was named for, though spelled differently from, the nearby Chattooga River and the Chattooga Ridge on which the camp is located. “Chattooga” is a word the Cherokee Indians adapted from the Creek, “Tsa-tu-ge”, which means “we crossed here.”
Since Coach Gordon had three daughters and many parents were requesting a place for their daughters to also attend camp, Chatuga added girls in 1979. Ten girls joined the boys that first coed summer. Today the numbers are evenly split between boys and girls, and many children of former Chatugans (even 3rd generation!) have enjoyed Chatuga vacations.
Coach Gordon’s daughters, Angela Gordon Sullivan and Lucy Gordon Barnett (and the late Kelly Gordon Moxley) and son-in-law Rick Moxley have now operated Camp Chatuga for over 25 years. We have also been accredited by the American Camp Association since 1990. Our love for Chatuga and commitment to continuing its tradition are reflected in the fun-filled vacations still being enjoyed by new generations of Chatugans!
Accreditations
Because Chatuga is committed to quality, we voluntarily participate in the American Camp Association’s accreditation program to ensure we are doing our best to provide your child with a safe and enriching camp experience.
Directions
Camp Chatuga is ideally located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and completely surrounded by the Sumter National Forest. We have our own private lake for swimming, waterskiing and canoeing. Our environment is a beautiful place of nature and peacefulness away from modern technology; a perfect place to be a child.
Our address: 291 Camp Chatuga Road, Mountain Rest, SC 29664
From Greenville, SC take I-85 S to exit 40. Continue on Hwy 153 to Easley. At the end of 153, take Hwy 123 S through Easley, Clemson, and to Seneca. In Seneca, take Hwy 28 W through Walhalla, then ten miles to Mountain Rest, and see below.
From Asheville, NC take Hwy 26 E to 25 S. Way before Greenville, take Hwy 11 S. Near Walhalla, turn right onto Hwy 28 W, then ten miles to Mountain Rest, and see below.
From Atlanta take I-85 N to the first SC exit which is Hwy 11 N. Near Walhalla, turn left onto Hwy 28 W, then ten miles to Mountain Rest, and see below.
ONCE YOU’RE NEAR MOUNTAIN REST: Be sure to stay left on Hwy 28 when it forks with Hwy 107 at Dollar General. Three miles past the fork, look for a camp sign (on the left) directing you to Village Creek Road on the right. Follow Village Creek Road to the next fork (signposted) and stay right on Camp Chatuga Road. At the white church turn left (signposted). Follow this road straight into the camp and park on the small field to the right. Welcome!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chatuga places importance on treating people with respect and love no matter what their beliefs. Our values are based on the Ten Commandments and we sing about God in our meal blessings and campfire songs. We offer optional worship services during the two-week sessions for both Christian and Jewish faiths.
If there are any questions you may still have that were not answered here or elsewhere on our website, please don’t hesitate to give us call.