YMCA purchases 300-acre Camp Tahosa property

BOULDER COUNTY — YMCA of Northern Colorado has finalized the purchase of the 300-acre Camp Tahosa property near Ward, allowing the nonprofit organization to expand day and overnight camp opportunities for children and teens in Boulder County.

The YMCA will invest $7 million in the purchase of the camp, as well as improvements to the property.

The camp is being renamed YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake after the 31-acre spring-fed lake that is the centerpiece of the property, according to a press release.

YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake will begin hosting day camps on June 10 and overnight camps in the summer of 2025. The property will serve 150 day campers and 350 overnight campers each week of the summer with outdoor-adventure and nature-education programming.

“When you are looking at the lake and up at the Indian Peaks Wilderness, it is truly magical,” Chris Coker, president and CEO of the YMCA of Northern Colorado, said in a written statement. “Campers will see that view, and they will get a better understanding of their place in the world. It’s life-changing. Camping is some of the best work the Y does, and this place will facilitate that.”

The geography of the camp allows for exploration, recreation and adventure activities, including paddlesports and water play, climbing and bouldering, low and high ropes courses, archery, mountain biking, hiking and backpacking, arts and crafts, nature/STEM education, rocketry, and fishing.

The property features several buildings, including a dining hall, cabins, an amphitheater, a main lodge and several structures that will be used for programs and staff housing. The YMCA will make some upgrades and modifications to the facilities, including waterfront improvements, a new bath house and renovating the dining hall.

For its overnight camps, the YMCA will construct resort-style tents for campers. The YMCA and Boulder Rotary are hosting a volunteer work day at YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake on May 18; the public is invited.

The Boy Scouts of America have owned and run Camp Tahosa since 1938. The YMCA of Northern Colorado and the Boy Scouts will partner to ensure that the Boy Scouts of Colorado have access to the camp when YMCA programs are not in session.

Registration is open for YMCA Camp Tumbleson Lake day camp at www.ymcanoco.org/summer-camps/day-camps.

on Facebook on LinkedIn