YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit

About Camp Ohiyesa

A great escape without an ‘are-we-there-yet?’

Since 1918, youth, families, schools and retreat groups have turned to Camp Ohiyesa to explore, play and grow. Our day camp and transportation options attract campers from across Oakland, Livingston, and Washtenaw counties and our Sunday to Friday summer resident camps attract youth from around the metro region.

Our History

In the Dakota language, Ohiyesa means “always wins” and although our camp has always held that name, the man that it was named after did not. Born originally as Hakada or “pitiful last”, Dr. Charles A. Eastman grew up to be a Sioux leader, physician, author, and founder of many YMCAs. It wasn’t until adolescence, to mark a life passage from boyhood, that he was renamed the more complimentary, Ohiyesa.

Early campers of Ohiyesa saw the man himself walk the shore, swim the lake, and teach on and about the 300 acres of land and forest. It is with this same spirit, that Camp Ohiyesa continues today. We focus on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, serving youth, families, and groups. We’re accredited by the American Camp Association, for which we meet over 300 standards for health, safety, and program quality.

About Our Camp

Situated on 300 acres of land overlooking Fish Lake in western Oakland County, Ohiyesa offers a great nearby escape with cabins to house 260 campers and counselors.

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Cabins

Our comfortable, well-kept cabins are built in the traditional wood camp style. All 15 of our cabins are extremely spacious, with 14 bunks in each cabin. During overnight camp, girls stay in one village and boys stay in a separate village, with age groups separated by cabin and two counselors in each cabin. Cabins are fully enclosed with electricity, doors and windows. Cubby holes and shelves are provided for storage. Restrooms and showers are a short walk from each cabin.

Sillman Lodge

The historical Skillman Lodge sits front and center at Camp Ohiyesa with a spectacular view of Fish Lake from its vast windows and covered porch. Large enough to accommodate 250 people for dining and activities, the lodge is always filled with the aroma of freshly prepared meals. Equipped with wifi, restrooms and meeting rooms, the Skillman Lodge is perfect for a variety of happenings.

Dining

Food at camp is plentiful and hearty American fare. For breakfast, we have French toast, pancakes, omelets with sausage available. A typical lunch could be soup and deli style sandwiches or chicken tenders. Some dinners could be pizza, tacos, Thanksgiving-style turkey and potatoes, and stuffing. There are options at each meal in addition to the main dish; at breakfast there is a hot and cold cereal bar, including yogurt, fresh fruit, granola, cottage cheese etc. At each lunch and dinner, we have a full salad bar with an alternate dish. Our kitchen does a fantastic job accommodating special dietary concerns and making everyone feel comfortable at camp, as we work carefully to provide a variety of healthy nutritious alternate meals in the case of allergies or other special dietary concerns. Milk is available at each meal. Camp Ohiyesa is a peanut-free facility.

Our Staff

Ryan

Ryan Mertz, Executive Director

Ryan Mertz has 20 years of experience in YMCA Camping. Ryan has served in full-time leadership roles at three YMCA camps in Michigan, starting his career at Camp Nissokone. This journey has taken Ryan and his family all over Michigan. A graduate of Lake Superior State University with a degree in Sports and Recreation Management, he brings with him enthusiasm for camping and love for the outdoors. When he’s not at work or biking around camp, Ryan enjoys skiing, sailing, basketball, rafting, photography and coaching soccer. Ryan’s extensive program experience includes aquatics, environmental education, high adventure facilitation, and teen leadership development. Ryan is passionate about the history and future of Camps Nissokone and Ohiyesa and teaching and inspiring camp staff to create safe ‘best summer of a lifetime’ experiences for campers.

Abby

Abigail Billau, Associate Executive Director

Abby earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Eastern Michigan University with a focus in Non-Profit Administration and played soccer at a competitive level for many years. She grew up in a small town just outside of Ann Arbor, and her family also spent much time up north near the Au Sable River. Abby’s hobbies are traveling, hiking, and advocating for children’s education. She’s had the privilege of studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, skiing in Colorado, hiking in Arizona, and seeing beautiful sites in between.

Billy

Billy Holmes, Resident Manager

Billy keeps everything running here at Camp Ohiyesa. Billy hails from Harrisville, MI, and has been with since 2003. He lives at camp with his wife, Cindy, and their three children, Bailey, Brooke and Will. When Billy is not at camp working, he enjoys time with his family, coaching baseball or attending choir concerts. His favorite place at camp is the Council Ring, where he has watched all of his kids do many skits and sing songs.

Craig

Craig Ruthven, Program Director

Craig has been involved with Camp Ohiyesa since 2012, starting as an international counselor from Perth, Scotland before becoming the Program Director in 2021. He studied Cell Biology at the University of Stirling and graduated in 2016. Having spent many years at camp, Craig understands the ins and outs of Ohiyesa and summer camp, making sure that nothing is left unfinished and ensuring camp is set up just right for all of our campers each day. In his spare time, Craig enjoys watching and playing sports and is also an avid gamer.

Camp Activities

When it comes to building confidence and making friends, there is no better place for campers to discover themselves than Camp Ohiyesa. Our expertly trained staff safely guides campers as they explore an array of activities, from zip lining to horseback riding to conquering the Alpine Tower. At Ohiyesa, we encourage campers to try new experiences that build character and change lives for good.

While scaling the massive Alpine Tower, climbers can choose the challenges they want to tackle, all the while building confidence and endurance.
Campers spend their arts and crafts time making, friendship bracelets, tie-dying and learning origami and other creative skills.
Played inside a waist-high octagon arena, Gaga ball is a fast-paced, safer version of dodgeball. Using only swatting motions, campers try to avoid being bumped by a ball as it bounces off the inside walls of the arena.
Campers can learn about and interact with animals at our petting farm, including chickens, goats, miniature horses, rabbits and our pony, Jack.
Come check out the 300 year-old oak tree at Pioneer Village while you make a candle out of hot wax and cook your bread on a stick. If you visit as a summer camper, you may get to make your own ice cream!
Campers love taking the plunge down our 100-foot wet willie water slide during the summer months. Like all water activities, campers are closely supervised by lifeguards and all sliders wear lifejackets.
Our zip line tower empowers campers to overcome their fears. Our well-trained high ropes staff guides participants every step–or leap–of the way.
A skill that has been practiced at Camp Ohiyesa since 1918, archery teaches campers about struggle, determination and success.
Learn how to properly load, aim and shoot BB guns under the safe, watchful supervision of our trained staff.
Campers can learn about all things nature while on a guided tour of our Bog, the 30-acre natural wonder full of bug-eating plants, 25 foot deep peat moss and secluded wildlife.
Canoeing in our tandem and voyageur canoes year-round is an exciting way to explore Fish Lake. All boating activities are supervised by our expertly trained and licensed lifeguards.
Campers navigate their way up the Climbing Tower footholds to reach their goal. Fellow members of the group team belay for the climber and encourage them to push through the burn and ring the bell.
One of the most idyllic places at camp, the Council Ring lakeside amphitheater is where campers gather to sing songs, perform skits, laugh and toast golden brown s’mores.
At the Giant Swing, campers choose how high they want to go and then yell “brace yourself” before letting go of the release mechanism and swinging through the air. It’s a great place to get photos of wacky facial reactions!
Horseback rides are a great way to learn about independence and friendship, both with humans and animals! Ohiyesa is home to 12 horses in the summer, and campers are carefully paired with a four-legged friend for supervised rides.
Take on Ohiyesa’s 9 hole Disc Golf course, winding though the many forest trails and landscapes on your quest for a hole-in-one.
Learn how to paddleboard on beautiful Fish Lake.
Many lessons on teamwork are learned at our teams courses. Participants are given a task and work their way through achieving it with the help of a counselor. After each experience, the group debriefs struggles, successes, and major takeaways.
Jump off the floating dock, build a sandcastle, improve your backstroke and cool down on a hot day at the waterfront. Camp has a long tradition of aquatic safety and campers are closely supervised by highly skilled, certified lifeguards.
arrow tag
During Arrow Tag campers engage in safe controlled games where they fire rubber ball-tipped arrows at each other while under close supervision of staff and wearing safety equipment.