Camp Yorktown Bay

Camp Yorktown Bay is a Christian camp and retreat center operated by the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Nestled in the beautiful Ouachita National Forrest on the shore of Lake Ouachita, Camp Yorktown Bay is the perfect choice for your groups event.

Whether you are planning a corporate retreat, religious meeting, family reunion, wedding, or any other event, Camp Yorktown Bay will accommodate all of your needs. Camp Yorktown Bay retreat center offers many recreational activities including swimming, canoeing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, and horseback rides. Our rental rates are competitively priced to fit any group and budget. Call us today to start planning your event at Camp Yorktown Bay.

See The Fishing Tool Set Lake Ouachita Guides Recommend

For booking inquiries or more information, please contact the camp office.

PHONE: (501) 767-2333

MAILING & PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
Camp Yorktown Bay
361 Camp Yorktown Lane
Mountain Pine, AR 71956

In the summer of 1960 construction began on a youth camp by the Hot Springs Navy League Council, part of a national organization of men voluntarily seeking to keep the American public informed of our Navy’s needs, its missions, and its place in national defense, includes veterans of the various military services, and non-veterans, too.

The Hot Springs Council had about 110 members in 1960 after just three years of operation. The idea for a camp started when the League desired a training base for its sea cadets along the wooded shores of Lake Ouachita and realized that the quiet lagoon behind two small islands would permit water activities without the dangers of the open spaces of Lake Ouachita.

The establishment of Camp Yorktown Bay resulted from Hot Springs Council members recognizing that Lake Ouachita offered excellent potential as a natural facility for youth work – and from the generosity of Dierks Forests, Inc., which offered to donate 60 acres of land near the Lake and to assist with construction.
Subsequently, the U.S.Corps of Engineers which has jurisdiction over lakeshore property, agreed to lease the remaining 53 acres to the Council which is a non-profit organization.

Camp Yorktown Bay’s name came in recognition of two members of the Hot Springs Naval League who were officers aboard the Aircraft Carrier, U.S.S. Yorktown, which was bombed in 1942 off Okinawa during World War II and the town of Yorktown, Virginia, which was the scene of a major naval battle during the American Revolution. Approximately $100,000 was raised by the Navy League Council efforts from individuals, foundations, business firms, and other sources. Dierks Forests, Inc. began building the three and one-quarter miles of roads to the camp.

Camp Yorktown Bay opened its doors under the direction of the Naval League to young people during the summer of 1962 and began with 5 twelve-day camps of boys and one for girls. Because of the naval flavor of the camp’s origin, there were classes in seamanship, basic navigation, and naval terms along with the swimming, boating, hiking, nature study, first aid, softball, archery, and other sports. In late 1964 the U.S. Navy League and the Arkansas Boys’ Club officials signed an agreement turning control of Camp Yorktown Bay over to the Boys’ Club for a period of five years. In September of 1965, Camp Yorktown Bay was again passed on, this time to the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists with a 20 year lease.

When the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference began operating the camp, there were two small homes, a cafeteria, an open-air gym, rustic cabins and bathhouses. However, over the years, many changes have taken place at Camp Yorktown Bay including the addition of several new buildings.

The first new building that was constructed after the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference took ownership of Camp Yorktown Bay was The Nosworthy Lodge. Located in the center of campus, the lodge was named after P.I. Nosworthy, conference treasurer at the time the camp was donated to the church.

Town Hall was built to provide much needed additional meeting space. For many years, it was the largest space for meetings on the campus. Currently, Town Hall is home to the crafts and nature programs.

In 1991, the old dining hall was destroyed by fire. For two years, makeshift facilities installed on the side of the gym were used for meal preparations. But by 1993, construction on the new dining hall and office complex was complete and the Dining Hall became the main meeting facility on the campus. Currently, the USS Yorktown’s original bell is proudly displayed at the entrance to the Dining Hall.

Camp Yorktown Bay continues to be used by the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference in the capacity for which it was originally intended, providing a retreat for 700-800 young people each summer to come closer to God while learning to have fun in a Christian environment. During the seven weeks of summer camp, campers from the age of 7 up through age 17 enjoy activities that excite and challenge them.

The non-summer months provide opportunity for churches and youth groups to use CYB as a retreat center. Since 1965, thousands of young people at CYB have learned swimming, kayaking, wakeboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and horseback riding while enjoying the outdoor surroundings of nature, making new friends, and learning more about God.