Samish Island Campground
Bow, Washington

Directions to Samish Island Campground

Address
11633 Scott Road., Bow, Wa. 98232

The following are directions for getting to the Campground once you get to Burlington Washington on I-5.

If coming North on I-5 from Seattle come off I-5 at Exit 231 and turn right over the freeway. Your now on Hwy 11. If coming South on I-5 from Vancouver BC and Bellingham come off I-5 at Exit 231 and turn left onto Hwy 11. From here on the directions are the same.

You will travel NW on Hwy 11 for 2 1/2 to 3 miles and turn left on Allen Rd. West. You will pass the WD Grocery store on the right side just before the intersection.

Stay on Allen West Rd. until you have to turn left or right. You turn right. This is Farm to Market Rd.

You will go about 1000 feet and turn left on D'Arcy Rd.

You travel on D'Arcy Rd. until you have to turn left or right. You turn right onto Bayview Edison Rd.

You travel on Bayview Edison Rd. until you have to turn left or right. You turn left onto Samish Island Rd.

You travel this road (Samish Island Rd.) for about 2 miles. You will go around a 90 degree corner to the right and a couple 45 degree bends; one to the left and then one to the right, you will then pass a small house on the right and come to a 35 MPH sign. After the 35 MPH sign you will see that the main road will make a left hand turn as it sweeps up hill into some timber. Turn right at the beginning of the curve onto Scott Rd. You will go past the church and a house on the left and some houses on the right. The Campground entrance is on the left hand side of Scott Rd. passed the Church and the house on the left. There is a big sign at the entrance.

Facilities

Facilities available for use include:

• Fully equipped and staffed kitchen facilities
• Dining hall (200 capacity)
• Multi-purpose room with 2 smaller meeting rooms below dining hall
• Multi-purpose fellowship center/gymnasium (CFC) with sound equipment*
• 47 heated cabins with built-in bunks (4-8 per cabin)
• 19 recreational vehicle spaces with full hook-ups
• 2 community restrooms/showers
• First aid cabin (user provides own nurse, if needed)
• Five classroom cabins
• Children's nursery cabin
• Outdoor gazeebo
• Seven-acre salt water lake (user provides own lifeguard)
• Amphitheater/campfire area (100 capacity)

*Public address equipment, stage, podium, recording equipment included

Samish Island GPNW Camps & Events 2008

Contact Information

Board of Directors

Board of Directors Officers - 2007
President - Glen Fishel
Vice President- John Worlund
Secretary - Keith Townsend
Treasurer - Myron Schall

Campground Documents (PDF Format)

History of Samish Island Campground

Samish Island Campground was established in 1958 when Sig and Tora Freestad gave approximately 82 acres of their property on Samish Island to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for the purpose of building a Campground. The Freestads foresaw potential for children, youth and adults to have a place to come to for worship, spiritual growth, fellowship, recreation, personal reflection and healing. The property offered opportunity for all of these blessing to be experienced because of the beautiful setting of surrounding waterways, spectacular views of mountains, forests, trails, beaches, wildlife, and location for development of living, dining, meeting places and recreation facilities.

The early reunions and camps had significantly fewer amenities than current campers enjoy. Tents, outhouses, outdoor spigots, an existing garage serving as kitchen, and a barn serving as a chapel were about the only conveniences for several years. The Church sold the Reunion grounds that had been used prior to Samish Island Campground being granted and the money plus contributions from members in the old Seattle and the British Columbia Districts provided funds to begin improving the facilities. Forty-seven family cabins, 6 classroom cabins, a nurses station, a dining hall, two bathhouses, a RV park, a playground, two caretaker homes, septic systems and a man made 7-acre lake have been built over the years to enhance the utility and serviceability of the campgrounds. A Christian Fellowship Center (CFC) was built replacing the old barn in 1991. It can seat from 400 to 500 in theater type seating with folding chairs and includes facilities for basketball and volleyball. The Campgrounds can be used now year round.

In 1984 the Samish Island Campground purchased an adjoining 7 acres from Elmond Scott which added the adjacent property on the East Point of Samish Island to the Campground. This addition provides privacy on the end of the island to protect the peaceful atmosphere that the beach, forests and wildlife offer persons on retreat.

Sig and Tora Freestad surely established the long heritage of sacrificial offering with the gift of these beautiful grounds to the Church for use in the Church camping program. Tora has shared many times that their gift was their answer to the urgings of the Spirit of Christ to make this contribution. In keeping with the spirit of their gift many many persons have given voluntarily of their time, talents and resources to build and maintain these sacred grounds. This includes the persons and families who have served as caretakers on a volunteer basis over the 46 years since it began.

Samish Island Campground is currently managed for the Church, more commonly named the Community of Christ, by an association of 33 congregations in British Columbia, Washington and Idaho. The association is the Samish Island Campground Association and a Board of elected and ex officio directors handle the administrative affairs of Campground. The Association has approved bylaws to specify how the Board of Directors is to administer the campground business. This document is the "Bylaws of Samish Island Campground" and is available in the web pages.