Strawberry Ridge Retreat

Our Strawberry Ridge Retreat began as a Railway Stop for the Sugar Pine Rail logging industry. The Parking Area is designated by Tuolumne County as Hump Siding which means the trains would pull into the “Hump” and then begin their downhill journey to the Tuolumne River.

In the 50’s it became a lodge for skiers and the granite fireplace was built by two engineers from Hewlett-Packard. In the 1960’s it was bought by the Covenant Church and thus began the history as a year round retreat for various groups throughout the region. The facility has hosted groups of young adults for over 40 years many of whom return with their own children to show them where “I went to camp.”

We are surrounded by Stanislaus National Forest at 6,000 feet with hiking, including a scenic 1.5 mile hike around Pinecrest Lake, nearby swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding, Pinecrest-Strawberry School with basketball courts and a soccer field as well as a play structure, winter activities at Dodge Ridge Ski Resort and an on site sledding hill.

Our Lodge includes four dormitories which sleep approximately 14 people on seven sets of bunk beds. Each side of the Lodge has two dormitories separated by a large bathroom that contains three stalls, three showers and three sinks. This is very convenient for dividing groups into a boys dorm (left) and a girls dorm (right), dividing children by ages or dividing adult chaperones on youth group retreats as well. This set up allows flexibility to the sleeping arrangements.

Our kitchen is spacious with three cleaning basins, two sinks, 6-burner stove, oven, built in griddle, large restaurant style refrigerator, separate freezer, walk in pantry, pots and pans, coffee maker, cooking utensils, knives, dishes, bowls, cups and silverware to feed your entire group. There is a large counter for serving and for storing. This kitchen will allow for any meal to be prepared and cleaned with ease. Our meeting room is conveniently adjacent to the kitchen.

Our property includes a nice open space for outdoor activities including volleyball in the summer and sledding in the winter. There is parking for busses, vans and personal vehicles in the lot along the road.