Important Information for Guests

We anticipate a wonderful weekend of engagement and connection with alumni and friends from across the generations! We are all looking forward to a few days of fun at Camp, dancing, singing, sharing stories, and sleeping in tipis together to celebrate 85 years of Camp Nor’wester.

Our hope is that attendees will reconnect with Camp and reunite with the broader Nor’wester Community through a relaxed weekend of traditions and fun.

Note for families with children

If your family is looking for an opportunity to introduce your children to the Nor’wester camp program, we encourage you to consider our Family Camp Session (August 21st-24th), which provides a clear picture to potential campers of our day-to-day programming at Nor’wester. Family Camp activities are planned with this younger age group in mind.

Our program areas at the 85th alumni weekend event will adhere to minimum age requirements for many of the open activities on property. With that in mind, we are welcoming children 7 years or older, though it will primarily be an alumni event. Child 7 years or younger must be approved through the camp office, and you must purchase a kid’s ticket. If you have any questions about these guidelines or about Family Camp, please don’t hesitate to contact the camp office at (425) 670-1935 or info@norwester.org.

How long to visit

Guests may choose to stay for one, two, or three nights, or you may visit for just the day. Cost will depend on the length of time you choose to visit.

Overnight registrants may choose to arrive on either Friday, August 28th, or Saturday, August 29th, and may choose to leave on either Sunday, August 30th, or Monday, August 31st. We have transportation options set up to accommodate those arrivals and departures only. Overnight guests will enjoy all meals in the lodge during their stay and will sleep in tipis or platform tents at night. Overnight stay options:

  • Friday – Sunday
  • Friday – Monday
  • Saturday – Sunday
  • Saturday – Monday

Day registrants are invited to join us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the lodge and may stay into the evening as long as their vessels allow (accounting for darkness, tide changes, etc.). There is no overnight or day moorage on Johns Island. If you plan to be dropped-off for an overnight stay by private boat or sea-plane, please contact the camp office before registering.

Activities

Throughout the weekend, we will have several “Open Activities” periods where guests can participate. Program areas will include:

  • Waterfront
  • Challenge Course
  • Archery
  • Craftshop
  • Big House Tours
  • Trader Horn – many commemorative items available for purchase
  • Additional activities for Saturday include a Salmon Bake and Camp Dance
  • Additional activities for Sunday include Chapel and Musicale

Housing Options

All overnight guests will be lodged in tipis or platform tents. You (and your party, if attending in a group) will be assigned to stay in one of our unit areas. Each party may make one housing request regarding being placed with another party (i.e., “The Jones family would like to be housed near the Miller family,” or “I’d love to stay in a tipi with my former tipi mate Kate Green.”). We are not able to honor requests to be assigned to stay in a particular unit.

Island Life

A few aspects of camp life to keep in mind:

  • Camp Nor’wester prides itself on creating a safe space for campers and staff alike to build a community together. Camp Nor’wester is a drug- and alcohol-free property, and adherence to our Contraband and Dismissal policies is expected during the event. A complete description of these policies will be provided to all registrants by email prior to the event.
  • The camp property is a remote site on Johns Island. All transportation to and from the island is by charter or private vessel.
  • We will have designated medical staff on site during the event, including a doctor/nurse. All guests are responsible for their own medical expenses incurred resulting from or relating to participation in camp activities. This includes (but is not limited to) medical evacuation by boat or helicopter.
  • There is abundant wildlife on Johns Island, including birds, mice, deer, raccoons, snakes, insects, and marine life near the shorelines. We ask that you do not keep food items in your tipis and tents at any time and do not feed wildlife. We will have plenty of food and snacks available throughout the weekend to meet your appetite, and designated storage space in the kitchen will be provided if you have special dietary items that need storage.
  • There will be no internet usage for guests on Johns. Cell phone service is very limited, and calls and texts from locations on property may incur roaming charges from your provider. Emergency communications can be accommodated in the camp office during the event.

Transportation

There are a few different options for getting to Camp:

  • Boat ride from Skyline Marina in Anacortes
    • Depart Anacortes on Friday (12pm) and depart Camp on Monday (9am)
    • Depart Anacortes on Friday (12pm) and depart Camp on Sunday (2pm)
    • Depart Anacortes on Saturday (8:30am) and depart Camp on Monday (9am)
    • Depart Anacortes on Saturday (8:30am) and depart Camp on Sunday (2pm)
  • Barge run from Roche Harbor on San Juan Island
    • Depart Roche Harbor on Friday (1pm) and depart Camp on Monday (9am)
    • Depart Roche Harbor on Friday (1pm) and depart Camp on Sunday (2pm)
    • Depart Roche Harbor on Saturday (11:30am) and depart Camp on Monday (9am)
    • Depart Roche Harbor on Saturday (11:30am) and depart Camp on Sunday (2pm)
  • Drop-off by personal boats/private charters/sea planes. Overnight guests must arrive by the chartered boat/barge option available through camp, or by sea plane, and there is no overnight or day moorage on Johns Island. If you plan to be dropped-off for an overnight stay by private boat or seaplane, please contact the camp office before registering.

Availability will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Boat and barge occupancies will fill up as guests register for the event. If you plan on taking the barge from Roche Harbor, you will also need to pay for overnight parking at Roche Harbor, as well as the ferry fees to get to San Juan Island.

Ferry Reservations

It is HIGHLY recommended that you make a vehicle reservation for your ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. Ferry reservations can be made online here. We recommend that you also check the WS Ferries website regularly to ensure you have the most updated information. You may also want to create your login account ahead of time. Camp Nor’wester is not responsible for overloaded ferries during the weekend.

Schedule

A detailed schedule of the weekend’s activities is coming soon!