About Emerald Bay

Emerald Bay is the furthest establishment on the West End of Catalina Island. Because of this, we have the extraordinary advantage of many hiking trails, such as Silver Peak and Arrow Point to view a more beautiful sunrise than most of your friends will ever get to see in their lifetime! In addition we are conveniently located near many secluded beaches and coves, providing excellent chances for viewing sea life. In fact, Emerald Bay is home to one of the top ten greatest snorkeling and scuba diving environments in the world! For the naturalists out there, we are fortunate enough to be the home to unique wildlife, such as the Catalina Island fox and many North American Bison. 

The recorded history of Emerald Bay dates back to the 18th and early 19th centuries when Indians, Spaniards, and even pirates occupied the land. The Johnson Brothers (hence the original name for Emerald Bay, Johnson's Landing) later occupied the land and utilized it as a ranching settlement   It wasn't until 1925 that the Crescent Bay Area Council founded the camp as a Boy Scout facility. For the next fifteen years the camp served just hundreds of scouts and scouters. In 1940 the camp was used by the Navy as an underwater demolition training center. Some of our current staff cabins were actually built to house these officers and trainees. In 1946 Camp Emerald Bay re-opened with roughly 80-100 campers and 15 staffers- a mere fraction of the number of people the camp serves today.

The camp continued to grow and now serves over 5000 scouts in a summer with a staff of roughly 150 young men and women dedicated to produce a unique, unparalleled, and unforgettable scouting experience. Additionally, the Spring and Fall Seasons have become an increasingly popular time to utilize the camp for numerous school, church, business, and organization retreats. Through the many efforts of volunteers and donors, Camp Emerald Bay has been able to positively influence the lives of children and parents, build strong character, and create lifelong memories.

Emerald Bay is indeed a beautiful and fun place to explore, but it is not simply a resort or vacation for its guests. In fact, the staff at Emerald Bay strives to provide a program incorporating Environmental Education, Marine Science Initiatives, and Ethics and Leadership Training to achieve its mission to build good people. This portion of the web page is dedicated to bringing public understanding of those three educational goals of Emerald Bay.