Higher Ground

A Life-Changing Summer Camp Experience

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IS MY DEPOSIT REFUNDABLE?

We will refund your deposit only if you apply and there are no more openings. If you have registered and then cancel, your deposit goes into our scholarship fund to help those with needs to be able to attend.

Any additional payments will be refunded if camper cancels at least 30 days before camp. If a cancellation occurs less than 30 days, all payments are forfeited and put in our scholarship fund.

I LOST MY HEALTH FORM OR NEVER RECEIVED IT. WHAT DO I DO?

If you never received an invoice and a health form, please contact Shane Bazer at 919-859-2226 to confirm we received your registration form. You can look at or download the packing list and other camp packet items here. If you need a HEALTH FORM, you can download a copy in Word or PDF.

DO YOU OFFER GROUP DISCOUNTS?

Sorry, but our rates are already steeply discounted (about one 1/2 to 1/4 the normal summer camp rate). 

WILL MY 12 YEAR OLD BE IN A DORM WITH 18 YEAR OLDS?

The dorms are separated according to age.  In general, we put 8-11 year olds together, 12-14 year olds together and 15-18 year olds together.  We do make exceptions for friend roommate requests if they are of a similar age.

CAN YOU PROVIDE ANY PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL FOR ME TO SHARE WITH MY YOUTH GROUP?

We do have a professionally produced DVD (from our previous summer camp location) and brochures that we will mail out to youth leaders. Please contact the Operations Director using the *contact* link at the top of the page.

WHEN WILL I HAVE TO MAKE FINAL PAYMENT?

Final payment for camp will need to be received by May 31st unless other arrangements are made. If you are applying after that date, please contact Shane Bazer at 919-859-2226 to discuss arrangements for payment.

WHICH AIRPORT SHOULD I FLY INTO?

If you are flying in, you need to fly into the Asheville NC airport. Your flight needs to arrive no later than 4pm on the day of arrival and depart no sooner than 3pm on the last day of camp for us to be able to provide transportation to and from the airport.  We recommend that you use kayak.com to try to find the cheapest flight.

DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS?

We accept all major credit cards or checks. If you want to pay the deposit or the full amount with a credit card, click here.

HOW MANY CAMPERS DO YOU ACCEPT?

Only 125.  And we fill up FAST.

CAN I TRY TO ARRANGE A CARPOOL WITH OTHER PARENTS?

We would be happy to put you in touch with other parents who are in your area taking their kids to camp.

CAN PARENTS OR DRIVERS STAY?

Actually yes. But they will need to bring a tent or travel trailer to stay in. The cost for adults is $100.  Simply fill out a camper application and send in your deposit.

WHAT IF MY CHILD GETS HOMESICK?

It is natural for children to miss their family and the comforts of home. But in our experience, camp is so much fun and it is jammed pack with so many great activities that the opposite problem usually occurs - children forget to call home and in many cases would like to stay at camp forever. Our counseling staff is trained to deal with the issue of homesickness. In the younger children's dorms we usually have counselors who are moms and dads and are able to encourage the homesick youth the way a college aged counselor would not. Of course if both the child and parent agree that the child should leave camp early the parents are able to come pick him or her up.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN A CHILD WETS THE BED?

It is fairly common that youth up to age 9 or 10 will still wet the bed on occasion. And in some cases it occurs with teens. While it is no big deal to the staff, we realize that it can be a very embarrassing occurrence for the youth. We recommend that if your child is an occasional bet-wetter that he or she bring night underwear (pull-ups) in case of an accident. All the dorms have private bathrooms so they can change before bedtime privately. Our counselors are instructed that should their bedding get wet, they are to discreetly take care of the problem when all of the campers are out of the dorm. We do not allow under any circumstances youth to make fun of another camper because of this situation, should they find out.

We recommend that you note this situation on the health form so the counselor can be aware of the need for this child to discreetly get ready for bed (and perhaps not fill him or her up with drinks late at night).

DO YOU OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUTH WITH FINANCIAL NEEDS?

We have several different scholarships you can apply for. Please check out the "rates page" for details.

WHAT IS THE CAMPER TO STAFF RATIO?

We have 2 or 3 counselors with every cabin of 15 campers. The overall camper to staff ratio is less than 3:1 

I AM CONCERNED FOR MY CHILD'S SAFETY.  WHAT MEASURES DO YOU TAKE?

We have a camp nurse (sometimes more than 1) on staff and we have a rule that no staff member is allowed to be alone with any camper at any time. Of course there are other safety and security measures we have in place to provide a loving, yet safe environment for campers.

CAN I REQUEST A CERTAIN ROOMMATE?

If you (or your friend) is coming to camp for the first time, we definitely try to put him or her in a dorm with a friend or someone they know. We do our best to honor all the roommate requests but keep in mind that the campers must be a similar age to be able to do so. For example, a 12 and 13 year old probably would be able to be put in the same dorm if requested, but a 9 and 12 year old would not. 

WHAT CHRISTIAN GROUP RUNS YOUR CAMP?

Higher Ground is organized and supported by Generations Camp Ministries.  We have been running camps around the world for the past 40 years and we have had over 100,000 campers during that time.

We are a cross-denominational ministry. Our staff come from different Christian churches and at camp we focus on the simple and unifying faith of the grace and love of Jesus Christ.  All our chapel messages focus around the core of the gospel message.

WHO ATTENDS CAMP?

We are fortunate to have a camp that reflects the beautiful diversity of our country. We have youth of all colors and economic backgrounds. Some kids live in the city while others live on farms. There are Christians and youth of other faiths too. We love them all.