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About Camp Alta

Our Mission Statement

Sharing Christ's love through a boundless ministry of hospitality

Our Location

Camp Alta is located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just off Interstate 80 at Exit 146. But more than a place on a map, this land is a space set apart to seek the Lord, rest in His presence, and be shaped by His work in our lives.

Camp Alta sits tucked away in the small town of Alta, surrounded by towering cedar, pine, and fir trees, fresh mountain air, and the quiet beauty of God’s creation. Our goal is to create a setting that invites hearts to slow down, listen, and remember who they belong to. Away from the noise and distractions of everyday life, guests are given space to draw near to Christ and to one another.

Conveniently located between Sacramento and Reno, about an hour from Sacramento and just over an hour from Reno. Camp Alta is easily accessible while still offering the gift of retreat. Whether you are coming for worship, rest, discipleship, or fellowship, our prayer is that this place would serve as a gentle invitation to encounter Jesus more fully and leave renewed for the work He has set before you.
Conveniently located off Interstate 80, the camp sits between Sacramento and Reno.

Our History

Camp Alta first began as a summer camp in 1949
Camp Alta’s story began in the early 1950s, when the Lord opened the door for this land in the small mountain town of Alta, California, to be set apart for His purposes. The property was purchased from the Berkeley Girl Scouts. It was entrusted to an association of Southern Baptist churches in the Sacramento area, which shared a vision for creating a place where people could gather, rest, and grow in their faith.

From the very beginning, Camp Alta has been shaped by hospitality. What started as a simple summer camp quickly became a welcoming home for youth groups, church families, and adults seeking time away to worship, learn, and be renewed. The heart of this place has remained the same over the years: to serve God’s people with care, humility, and open arms.

For more than 65 years, hundreds of thousands of guests have walked these grounds, sharing meals, worshiping together, laughing around campfires, and encountering the Lord through community and the beauty of His creation. Over the decades, Camp Alta has grown and adapted, adding new facilities and expanding its ability to serve, while remaining anchored in Christ and committed to being a place of spiritual renewal.

Today, Camp Alta continues to welcome churches, ministries, families, and groups of all ages. Our prayer is that everyone who comes here would feel known, loved, and invited by us, and ultimately by Christ Himself. To rest, reflect, and be strengthened for the work God has placed before them.

Our Team

Randall Chastain

Randall Chastain

Camp Manager
I want to begin by simply saying thank you. I am deeply grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to serve His children here at Camp Alta. This place, and the people who come through it, mean a great deal to me. I see this role not as a position I’ve earned, but as a gift of grace, one that continually reminds me of the truth found in Scripture: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

I first came to Camp Alta in December of 2012 as the Food Service Manager, and for the past 13 years, it has been a joy to serve the camp through hospitality by creating spaces where people feel welcomed, cared for, and loved. In December of 2025, I stepped into the role of Camp Manager, working alongside our Director, Mike. My heart in this role remains the same: to serve faithfully and to reflect Christ in how we welcome, provide, and care for others. I belong to Him, and everything I do here flows from that truth.

I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Paige, and two amazing daughters, Kiah and Etta. They have recently entered their teenage years and have grown up around camp, and they love it. Camp Alta is woven into our family story, and we are truly grateful to serve here together. It is an honor to be part of what God is doing in this place, and we count it a privilege to walk in this calling by His grace.

Dena Saunders

Office Manager
Greetings from Camp Alta. My name is Dena Saunders and I serve as the Office Manager here at camp. My husband Scott and I moved to Alta more than 45 years ago. We love the area and calling this place home. In the early days, our church met on the camp grounds and we even lived here at camp for a short time. In 1995, I officially became part of the Camp Alta Family—and have never looked back. Camp Alta has seen us transition from newlyweds to grandparents—and every season has brought joy in serving the Lord! Spending time in this beautiful setting that is dedicated to the
glory of God is a gift!

Our Beliefs

At Camp Alta, our heart is simple. We love Jesus, and we love welcoming people. Everything we do flows from a desire to share Christ’s love through hospitality that feels genuine and personal.
  • We affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God and as the only basis for our beliefs.
  • We believe in one living and true God; an intelligent, spiritual and personal being who eternally exists in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspires the scriptures and illuminates human understanding of the truth. He convicts humans of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls mankind to the Savior and effects regeneration.
  • We believe man is the special creation of God, made in His own image and is loved by Him. Through sinful inheritance and choice, man is alienated and separated from God and under God’s righteous judgment.
  • Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who, through His death and resurrection, obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification and there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
  • We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God and members of the body of Christ, the one true church.
  • We believe the church is commissioned to evangelize the world by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and by living as His servants among men.