Camp Josepho

UPDATE: At 2:30 PM on January 8th, 2025, the Palisades Fire burned through Camp Josepho, destroying most structures, including the beautiful main lodge. It is our hope to document and commemorate more of what made the camp special in this section.

Camp Memories

Those who would like to share their memories and stories of their experiences at Camp Josepho can use the Contact Us page or by posting a comment below. They will be added to a Camp Josepho Memories page.

About The Camp

Camp Josepho is located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

The 110 acre site was donated in 1940 by Anatol Josepho (1894 – 1980). It is located in Rustic Canyon, in the Santa Monica Mountains, a short distance North of Sunset Boulevard and metropolitan Los Angeles.

The camp is unique because it provides inner-city youth with a wilderness experience a short distance from their home. A large two-story eight-inch redwood clapboard-sided structure, in the architectural style of a Craftsman lodge, was built in February 1941. It provided a program and training center, and was later named Malibu Lodge, after the Order of the Arrrow’s local Lodge in the council. The Lodge also had a large span of painted murals by famed artist Tess Razalle Carter (1888 – 1972). This mural included Crescent Bay Council Executive Alden Barber, who would later become Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.

The camp includes several buildings, archery and rifle ranges, cabins, a swimming pool, and 18 campsites.

The 1956 Area 12-E Conference, the first as Area 12-E, was held at Camp Josepho.

For more history information on Camp Josepho, see this archived link from the Crescent Bay Council History website.

Pages Contributions: Rick Breithaupt, Tom Gould, Dr. Jeffrey Morley, and Bill Topkis