Camp Mystic, the beloved all-girls summer camp in Kerr County, Texas, is preparing to partially reopen next summer, a year after catastrophic flash flooding on the Guadalupe River claimed the lives of 27 campers and counselors. The tragedy, which unfolded in the early hours of July 4, 2024, has left deep scars on families, the local community, and the camp itself—a place steeped in nearly a century of tradition and cherished summer memories.
In a letter sent Monday to Camp Mystic families and shared with news outlets, the camp’s owners announced that the undamaged Camp Mystic Cypress Lake site, which opened in 2020, will welcome campers again in summer 2026. However, the original site along the Guadalupe River—where the worst of the destruction occurred—will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The letter, signed by members of the Eastland family (owners of Camp Mystic), emphasized, “We continue to evaluate plans to rebuild Camp Mystic Guadalupe River. Our planning and procedures will reflect the catastrophic 1,000-year weather event that occurred on July 4, including never having campers return to cabins that had floodwaters inside them.”
The Fourth of July flooding was described by officials and environmental experts as a once-in-a-millennium event. According to ABC News, the river’s level surged from 14 feet to nearly 30 feet in just an hour, catching many off guard in the dead of night. The devastation at Camp Mystic was part of a broader disaster that killed at least 136 people across the region, but the loss of 27 young lives and staff at the camp drew particular scrutiny and heartbreak.
In the aftermath, questions swirled about the camp’s preparedness and the safety of its location. Some of Camp Mystic’s cabins, as noted by state leaders and FEMA flood maps, were built in known flood zones, their existence grandfathered in under older regulations dating back to the camp’s founding in 1926. Republican Texas Representative Gary Gates, chair of the state House’s Land & Resource Management Committee, told ABC News that many of these structures predated modern flood zone rules, complicating the question of responsibility. Still, as the flood’s toll became clear, calls for reform grew louder.
Families of victims were among the most vocal advocates for change. Michael McCown, whose eight-year-old daughter Linnie died in the flood, urged lawmakers to act. “It will hurt my family forever that, for reasons I still do not know, these protections were not in place nor thought out thoroughly for my daughter and the rest of the girls here,” McCown said in August, as reported by The New York Times. Cici Steward, whose daughter Cile remains missing, expressed her anguish and frustration: “For my family, these months have felt like an eternity. For the camp, it seems like nothing more than a brief pause before business as usual. Camp Mystic is pressing ahead with reopening, even if it means inviting girls to swim in the same river that may potentially still hold my daughter’s body.”
In response to the tragedy, Texas lawmakers moved swiftly. Weeks after the disaster, Governor Greg Abbott signed a package of tougher camp safety laws, known as the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, flanked by grieving families. The legislation bans cabins in high-risk flood zones, mandates detailed emergency plans and staff training, and requires the installation and upkeep of emergency warning systems. Additionally, $240 million from the state’s rainy day fund was allocated for disaster relief, new warning sirens, and improved weather forecasting capabilities.
Camp Mystic’s leadership has pledged to comply fully with these new requirements. “We are working to implement new safety protocols and other changes that comply with the requirements of the recently passed camp safety legislation,” camp officials wrote in their letter. They added, “We will share more details as they become available in the coming weeks.” The letter also acknowledged past communication shortcomings: “We are sorry that we have not been perfect at communicating, and we know that. The distance that has grown between some of us saddens us all, and we are here to communicate with you as much as you desire while respecting each of your individual needs.”
The camp is working closely with engineers and safety experts to determine how best to rebuild and adapt. One significant change is the commitment never to house campers in any cabin that previously experienced flooding. The camp’s officials stressed that the heart of Camp Mystic “has never stopped beating,” and that the rebuilding process is as much about emotional healing as it is about physical reconstruction. “We are not only rebuilding cabins and trails, but also a place where laughter, friendship and spiritual growth will continue to flourish,” they wrote.
Central to the camp’s plans is the creation of a memorial dedicated to the lives lost on July 4, 2024. “We hope this space will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance of these beautiful girls,” the camp’s statement read. The memorial’s design, according to the letter, will strive to “capture the beauty, kindness and grace they all shared, while focusing on the joy they carried and will always inspire in us all.”
The tragedy also took the life of Richard “Dick” Eastland, the camp’s owner, who died while trying to rescue campers during the flood. His death added another layer of grief to an already shattered community, but his family’s continued involvement in the camp’s future has been a source of comfort and continuity for many.
Not all families are ready to return. Some remain deeply critical of Camp Mystic’s past safety measures and the speed at which it is moving toward reopening. The trauma of that night, and the unanswered questions about how warnings were communicated and why evacuation didn’t occur, continue to haunt survivors and loved ones. A spokesperson for the camp’s operators admitted in the immediate aftermath that it was unclear whether the camp’s leadership had seen an urgent warning from the National Weather Service that triggered an emergency alert to phones in the area.
For others, however, the camp’s efforts to honor the victims, overhaul safety protocols, and rebuild with greater care offer a measure of hope. The reopening of Camp Mystic Cypress Lake in 2026 is being framed as a step toward healing, albeit a cautious and bittersweet one. As the camp’s letter poignantly concluded, “As we work to finalize plans, we will do so in a way that is mindful of those we have lost. You are all part of the mission and the ministry of Camp Mystic. You mean the world to us, and we look forward to welcoming you back inside the green gates.”
As summer 2026 approaches, Camp Mystic stands at a crossroads—committed to remembrance, safety, and renewal, yet forever changed by the events of that fateful July night.
