YMCA to Sell Camp Roberts

The Sheridan County YMCA Board of Directors has announced they voted to move forward with the sale of Camp Roberts, a property that has provided youth with meaningful outdoor experiences for more than 17 years.

According to a release from the Sheridan County YMCA, while the site itself will be sold, Camp Roberts as a program and tradition will continue, offering children meaningful outdoor adventures in ways that better reflect current community needs.

Honoring the Legacy

Since opening in 2009, Camp Roberts has welcomed hundreds of campers each summer, creating lasting memories and friendships. YMCA leaders say those traditions will be honored while also recognizing the longer legacy of YMCA camping in the Bighorn Mountains, which stretches back decades before the Roberts property existed.

Why Now

Nationally and locally, attendance at overnight resident camps has steadily declined as families are less likely to send children away from home. At the same time, demand for affordable full-day camps has increased, serving both as enrichment opportunities for youth and reliable child care for working parents.

A more immediate concern has been the cost of fire insurance. Premiums for Camp Roberts increased 200% from last year and are now 23 times higher than when the YMCA first purchased the camp. Continuing to cover those premiums would require diverting funding away from other youth programs that serve significantly more children.

“We have always subsidized overnight camp so that every child could attend, regardless of family income,” said Sheridan County YMCA Executive Director Liz Cassiday. “But with insurance premiums rising so dramatically, continuing at that level would not be a responsible use of community resources. By redirecting those funds, we can reach far more children, opening the door to hundreds of new camp, enrichment and summer care experiences that families in Sheridan truly need.”

Looking Ahead: More Kids, More Camp

YMCA officials emphasized that their mission is not tied to a single property but to ensuring all youth have the opportunity to grow, learn and belong. Camp Roberts will continue as a program, offering outdoor traditions through new and expanded models designed to better meet families where they are.

Plans include expanding affordable, full-day Monday through Friday summer camps for elementary-age youth with capacity to serve more children than the Roberts property allowed, reviving historic-style programming such as backpacking, hiking and outdoor adventure trips based out of the YMCA and surrounding public lands, and pursuing partnerships and innovative models to keep outdoor adventure accessible and sustainable for future generations.

Building the Future

“Selling the Roberts property honors its legacy while making it possible for Camp Roberts as a program to continue in new, more sustainable forms,” Cassiday said. “We remain steadfast in our belief that every child deserves the chance to build camp memories, and this transition ensures that many more will.”