About Bar 717 Ranch

Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch is a residential summer camp for kids ages 8-16 on a working ranch in Northern California. Our mission is to provide an outdoor camp experience where children have daily opportunities to have fun, develop friendships, challenge themselves, learn new skills, gain a sense of community, and make their own choices. Campers choose freely from activities that range from horseback riding, animal care, gardening, crafting, ceramics, and woodworking to backpacking trips, rock climbing, campfires, singing, and much more.

For more than 90 years, the Bar 717 Ranch has welcomed children to the beautiful mountains of Trinity County in Northern California to experience nature, form deep friendships, and have big fun. At Camp, nature is our constant companion. By taking time to appreciate the beauty of the land, by swimming in rivers and climbing mountains, by growing gardens, raising our own food, and making compost, we foster in campers a deep understanding and appreciation of the environment.

We pride ourselves on fostering an environment where every kid can create a magical camp experience based on their interests and passions. We believe that children thrive in an atmosphere where both individuality and community are nurtured with warm, seasoned leadership. Campers return home with a newfound sense of self-reliance and a deep connection to the community.

Why Work here

The staff experience is best captured by our recent staff themselves. Here are a few of the things they had to say about working at Bar 717 Ranch:

"This summer was my first on the ranch, although I know now it will be far from my last. Arriving as a new counselor I was apprehensive at first, but from the moment I stepped foot on the beautiful property and took a deep breath of the fresh air, I knew I had arrived somewhere very special. As I got to know my new Bar 717 family of counselors and staff, I soon came to know the true meaning and feeling of community that so many have come to love and appreciate about the ranch."       
- Alyssa W.

"I spent the summer working with the younger boys, and I got to witness first-hand how camp changed them. I watched them become fine young men, who not only learned new skills like woodworking but also became more conscientious, sensitive, and responsible. The independence we fostered in them while they were under our watch gave them room to develop themselves and mature, and the close, family-style way of living strengthened their character. These were kids who volunteered to clean up after themselves, who looked after each other if one of them was struggling, and who could hold a friendly conversation with any random person on camp."    - David S.

"The time spent away from the modern-day demands of a fast-paced world gave me the chance to dig my hands down into the soil every day, share a living space with interesting people from around the world who I can now call my friends, listen to the sounds of the birds and crickets, and—quite literally—smell the roses. Bar 717 Ranch and the gardens within it hold a warm place in my heart, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to spend my summer as part of such a lovely community."    - Hollyn H.

"The summer that I spent at the Bar 717 Ranch has definitely been one of the best of my life. Having grown up in a fairly built-up area in the UK the scale and sheer beauty of the ranch took my breath away from day one, and that was just the start of it. As someone training for a career in education, the ranch changed my perspective on a lot of things. I saw children learn more through the enjoyment of the wonderful environment here than in many classrooms I have been in. It has certainly made a big impact on how I plan to approach my life as a teacher.  More than that, the experiences here changed my outlook on life in general and I have taken the attitude of pitching in and working together as a big family to make things the best they can be back to my home life."    - Alex K.