Frequently Asked Questions
City FAQs
Rebecca “Deemer” Smith is the director of Pine Cove City!
Our youth camps are broken up by age and region. In East Texas, we have the Towers (2nd-5th grades), Ranch (6th-7th grades), Timbers (8th-9th grades), and Shores (10th-12th grades). In Central Texas, we have Silverado (2nd – 5th grades), Outback (6th-8th grades), and Ridge (9th-12th grades). And in Georgia, we have the Springs (3rd-10th grades). Pine Cove City, our traveling day camp, is for campers entering 1st-6th grades. During the summer, campers are considered to be in the grade they are advancing to in the fall. So if a child has just finished 3rd grade, we’ll consider them a 4th grader at summer camp!
Absolutely! We offer the option to request that your camper be in the same group as another specific friend or up to three friends (for a group total of four). We do not allow more than four campers to request to be together in a group so that we can make sure everyone in the cabin is included, and no one feels left out. You can manage friend groups in your registration account. Read more on our blog about overnight youth camp friend requests and day camp friend requests.
This is going to vary a little bit based on when you come. Check out our Price, Dates, and Locations page for the particulars!
Our online registration system makes it very simple to pay with a debit or credit card. We offer several different automatic payment plans, from monthly to more spread out. Find out more about automatic payment plans in your online account.
A big tradition for many campers is to celebrate their arrival in some way, usually with things like car paint and confetti. We love that seriously fun energy! We just ask that you please leave any non-biodegradable silly string or confetti cannons at home. At the end of the day, all that confetti and silly string gets left behind on our grounds, and it takes our amazing team of summer staffers a long time to clean up. Instead, we suggest you celebrate with small water blasters, automatic bubble blowers, colored powder poppers, or anything else celebratory! Thank you so much for helping us keep camp clean and beautiful.
Yes, each camper is required to have a physical exam by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant within 24 months (two years) of attending camp. You will indicate that your camper has had a physical when you fill out their health form, but no extra forms or doctor signatures are required. You will fill out required health forms in your online account.
Check out our registration policies for information about all of those topics.
Pine Cove’s Tax ID is 751254353.
Pine Cove was founded in 1967!
This is going to vary a little bit based on when you come. Check out our Price, Dates, and Locations page for the particulars!
Pine Cove is a non-denominational, Gospel-based Christian ministry.
For overnight camp, campers as young as rising 2nd graders can attend. For City, our day camp, campers as young as rising 1st grade can attend.
The cost of day camp covers the cost of activities and staffing for seven hours of serious fun each day for five days.
First of all, we are so excited you will be joining us for the first time this summer. Here is a link to our Coming to Camp pages which will include all of the helpful information you need to know when getting ready for camp for the first time!
Yes, we host the same program at each of our City programs throughout the summer. They will have a different counselor but the Bible Study and activities will be the same.
Yes! You will receive a pick-up code on the first day of drop off that is specific to your camper. As long as the pick-up person has this code, they will be able to pick up your camper.
A medical professional will be onsite each day at the church location, but will not be administering medication to campers. The parent/guardian will need to make arrangements to come up to the church to administer the camper medications if necessary. If they are unable to do so, they will need to contact the church to make alternative arrangements as Pine Cove staff will not be able to administer meds.
Lunch is not provided at Pine Cove City, so you will need to pack a lunch for your camper each day! (A small number of locations will be providing lunch to campers. Check your church-specific page on our website to see if your location will be offering lunch.)
Reed “S.I.” Livesay is CEO of Pine Cove. Craig “Dutch” Langemeier is the President.
Pine Cove is a 501(c) not-for-profit organization and a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
Pine Cove is Christ-centered, others-focused, and seriously fun! Read more about our core values here.
In 1967, Bill McKenzie faithfully followed God’s direction and started a camp called Pine Cove. Now, decades later, the Lord has grown Pine Cove to 12 different physical camps in three regions. To date, more than one million people have experienced the ministry of Pine Cove.
Pine Cove’s phone number is 877-474-6326. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 5:30pm CT.
Lost and found is kept at your City locations. Contact them to see if they still have your item!
Each day at Pine Cove City begins with camper drop-off followed by Club and Bible study, activities, lunch, and then more activities!
Pine Cove does not offer financial assistance for Pine Cove City directly, but our church partners might. There will be financial assistance contact information on the location page for each our locations.
A credit card or debit card must be on your account to register campers, add camp store money, or purchase optional items. You can add new payment methods, change the expiration date on a credit card, and manage your current payment methods by logging into your account and clicking the payments button.
Please call our registration office at 877-474-6326 and one of our registrars would be happy to walk you through the process
Pine Cove City requires a $40 non-refundable deposit at time of registration.
Any cancellation before the end of day May 1 will be refunded everything but the non-refundable deposit. For cancellations after May 1, Pine Cove will consider refunds on a case by case basis depending on the likelihood of an empty camp spot, the circumstances of the camper, and availability.
You can find more information at the bottom of your registration portal under Terms.
We allow campers to have an active registration and be on the waitlist for up to two additional sessions.
Yes. If you register for a session and later switch to a different session, we will apply your original deposit to the new session.
When a cancellation occurs, the first camper on the waiting list will be notified that a spot is available. The spot will be offered through an email, text (if you are opted in), and later followed up with a phone call. A deadline will be given and the camper will need to be registered by the deadline or we will move on to the next camper on the waiting list. If you would like to receive a text message when the spot is available, please go to the primary account holder’s profile and sign up to receive text messages.
One of the ways we make this week one of the best weeks of the year for your camper is by preparing for them. We will pray specific prayers over your campers with this information and use it to guide our conversations. We take privacy seriously and the information you give us will only be shared with staff who will be working with your camper.
If you’re waiting for a buddy or sibling to get off the waitlist, you can decline your current waitlist offer but stay on the waitlist. Just make a note for us saying who you are waiting for so we know that for the next round of offers.
To ensure your camper is on the correct waitlist, you will need to check out of your registration cart and you will receive a confirmation email. Your waitlist number will then show up on your Pine Cove account under “My Waitlists”.
The most helpful thing is giving them an accurate picture of your camper through the profile form. Each counselor will read all the information on the profile form before their campers arrive.
All required forms are available one month before the start of your camp session and are due one week before camp starts.
Optional items are very popular and we sell out every year. Starting in late August, optional items are available for purchase online through your account by clicking on your campers registration and then selecting Optional Purchases. All packs, kits, and bags are sold on a first come, first served basis, so do it early and lock it in! Online purchases close the Friday before your camp session but if you still want one after that give us a call at 877-474-6326 and we’ll see if we can still get you one.
It all depends on what payment plan you are on. Our pay in full plan is charged at the time of registration.
Our monthly payment plan is charged at the beginning of the month each month between registering and May 1st.
For our minimum payment plan, the deposit is due at time of registration. The rest of the cost of camp is spread out over two other deadlines: October 1 and March 1.
After March 1st only pay in full or monthly payment plan options are available.
Sure thing. Log into your account online to update your payment plan or give us a call at 1–877–474–6326 anytime before March 1. Keep in mind, the earlier you start the monthly payment plan the lower your monthly payment.
For Overnight Camp & Pine Cove City: After all contacts have been added to your account, click on “Add Registration” and select the camp type, camper, and week/location.
Yes, we don’t share this information with anyone.
Camp Codes only apply for Pine Cove City campers. Camp Codes are used on Pine Cove’s website to redeem scholarships that have been awarded by church or organization partners.
To learn how to apply for a Pine Cove City Camp Code and get more information, please contact the sponsoring church or organization for your City session. It’s confusing, we know, but Camp Codes are not used for Pine Cove’s own scholarship program which offers scholarship assistance for Youth Camp and Family Camp.
Please visit our Scholarships page to learn how to apply for a Pine Cove scholarship.
Household credit is money in your Pine Cove Registration account that can be applied to other registrations, put into a camp store account, or used to purchase optional items.
We would love to help make that happen! If you and your friend register for the same camp session and are within one grade of each other and at the same camp you can complete a friend group request in your account. Check out this blog to learn more about friend groups!
You may request up to 3 friends for a group total of 4. All friends in the group must be within one grade of each other and registered for the same camp and week. We do not allow more than four campers to be together in a group to make sure all campers are included in the entire cabin group.
Call your friend and ask them! To protect the privacy of our campers, Pine Cove does not give out information about what week someone is coming to camp or other account information.
Not at all! Around half of our campers come to camp without knowing someone ahead of time.
Yes! City Campers are arranged in groups called cabins for the week. If you and your friend are within one grade of each other, you can complete a friend group request in your account.
It depends on if you are the owner of that friend group request. Only the owner of the friend group is able to invite a new camper and send the email invite.
Yes! Click on the friend group you would like to leave and at the bottom click on “Leave Group”. Once you have left the group you can then start a new group or join an existing group from a friend group invite.
There’s a few things to double check on why this could be happening!
If you are still having issues accepting your friend group invitation, please call (877) 474-6326 and one of our registrars would be happy to help.
Siblings are not automatically placed in the same cabin. In order for them to be together, they will need to be added to the same friend group. Just a reminder, all friend group policies apply, so they will need to be at the same camp and within one grade apart from each other.
If you do not want your campers to be together please email registration@pinecove.com with your request.
