Celebrating 52 Years!

Since 1958, Cottontail has welcomed children from Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, Nevada, across the United States and around the world.

Cottontail’s new home known as VT Ranch is set on over 200 rustic acres in a suburb of Los Angeles County, Castaic Lake.  Castaic Lake is 45 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles and 30 minutes from the San Fernando Valley.  The ranch has been used for resident camp programs over of 60 years starting with the Boy Scouts of America and now with VT Ranch. 

After working at Cottontail for 24 years, Lynn "Chuckles"  Pedroza acquired the camp in 2009 with the intention of upholding the traditions and wonderful work which the original owners had started. Cottontail continues to be ranked among the top summer camps in the world, drawing from the expertise and resources that Lynn has brought from her illustrious career as a Camp Director. Continuing to strive for excellence, we have received international acclaim. We follow all standards set by the American Camp Association. VT Ranch's accreditation through the American Camp Association is one we are proud and recognize as a commitment to being the best we can be.

Our Mission

Camp Cottontail is a summer camp committed to the highest standards of camping excellence, safety, and values, where children and young adults are strengthened for lives with purpose, self esteem and leadership.

What is it that makes Camp Cottontail such a special place? Our caring, fun, enthusiastic staff of course! With a ratio of 1 staff to each 5 campers and as low as 1 to 3 at certain activities you can be assured that your child is being supervised. Each one of our staff is handpicked from hundreds of applicants. They are screened for experience with children, their teaching abilities, and good character. Each member of our instructional and counseling staff has received certification in CPR and 1st Aid. Background checks and reference checks are made on all staff.

Our Director, Lynn Pedroza has spent most of her adult life working at Cottontail. Lynn began as a counselor in 1984 while attending UCLA. After graduating with a degree in Psychology, she continued her education as a graduate student studying Counseling Psychology at Loyola Marymount University. Over the years, she held many positions at Camp Cottontail and in 1988 she came on full time and has been running the camp ever since. Lynn is active in the camping community and has held board positions with both the Western Association of Independent Camps (WAIC) and the Southern California section of the American Camping Association (ACA). With her many years of experience, her hands on knowledge as a parent of two children, she is committed to bringing children of the best experiences available in camping.