For more than five decades, Camp Doublecreek has been a summer rite of passage for Austin families — a place where muddy shoes, camp songs, and bus-ride laughter quietly shape childhoods and, in many cases, entire families.
Founded in 1971 by Carter and Trudy Lester, known affectionately as “Uncle Carter” and “Aunt Trudy,” Camp Doublecreek was born from a midlife leap of faith and a shared belief in the power of camp. Trudy, a lifelong educator, fell in love with day camping while working summers in Georgetown. Carter, a salesman with a booming personality, brought warmth and humor to the vision. Together, they created a family-style day camp that mirrored the heart of an overnight experience, making camp accessible to more Central Texas children.
From its earliest days, Camp Doublecreek adapted to the changing rhythms of Austin. What began in a rural Round Rock setting with farm-inspired activities evolved as the city grew. By adopting a bus-based transportation model, Doublecreek reached families across the metro area, removing distance as a barrier to participation.
Programming has evolved alongside campers’ interests. Early staples like hay bale tosses and horny toad races gave way to rock walls, high-adventure challenges, and expanded aquatic activities. Today, Camp Doublecreek operates across three campuses, including an equine center and a high-adventure campus tucked along Old Spicewood Springs Road, allowing the camp to offer both classic activities and year-round experiences.
Through every iteration, the camp’s core values — encourage, engage, inspire, and challenge — have remained unchanged. The Carters’ grandson, now owner, Dan Neal, describes them not as slogans, but as a framework for connection.
“At the end of the day, camp is about relationships,” he said. “Those friendships and near-peer mentoring moments are where the real growth happens.”
That sense of connection is perhaps best reflected in the camp’s generational families. For Sarah Crow, a former camper and counselor who now sends her own children, the continuity is deeply personal.
“Halfway home from picking my son up, I glance in the rearview mirror and see images of my brother and me sitting in the back seat sharing the same intense excitement,” she said. “I never have to imagine how fun it is for my son… I remember how fun it was for me.”
Crow recalls spending entire days on horseback as a camper, later teaching riding as a counselor, and now seeing camp through a parent’s lens.
“It is so much more than fun activities,” she said. “It’s a daily course in companionship, learning, friendship, and enjoying the simple pleasures of childhood.”
Neal believes that balance — joy rooted in safety, tradition paired with adaptation — is what continues to set Camp Doublecreek apart. As expectations around safety and communication evolve, the camp has emphasized transparency while maintaining what Neal’s grandfather always preached: “Keep them safe while they have fun, and if they learn something, that’s icing on the cake.”
As Camp Doublecreek looks ahead, expansion is less about scale and more about stewardship — serving more families while preserving the spirit that has made the camp a beloved Austin institution for more than 50 summers.
Visit http://www.campdoublecreek.com for more information