Tilikum Lodge has meeting, lodging and dining rooms all under one roof. Lodging, meals, coffee breaks, meeting rooms and audio/visual equipment are included in the standard package price. We host non-profit and for-profit groups from 15 to 58 guests including but not limited to churches, community organizations, corporate team-building, family reunions, public and private school organizations and athletic teams, and college groups. We look forward to the opportunity to provide your group with a memorable experience.

Camp Tilikum is private property—you must call ahead for availability.

Often guest groups reserve exclusive use of the property and we cannot allow visitors on the grounds. Summer availability is also limited due to exclusive use for our Summer Camp programs.

All visitors must check-in at the Main Office upon arriving and pick up a guest pass. Upon your departure, return your guest pass and sign out.
Swimming, wading, canoeing and using docks without railings are permitted only with a pre-scheduled Tilikum certified lifeguard. There is a nominal fee for this service. Contact the Administrative Office for details.
Visitors must conduct themselves in a manner that would not oppose Camp Tilikum’s basic principles. We reserve the right to ask any individual or group to leave the premises.

Tilikum is a tobacco, alcohol, weapon and pet-free facility.

A historic Schoolhouse from 1909, the Valley View School was transported to Camp TIlikum in 1989 and restored to it’s original glory. Now utilized year-round by Tilikum’s summer camps and a local academy during the school year, the schoolhouse is a beloved staple of Camp Tilikum.

We have scanned and made available the original Valley View School records (grades, courses, parents, costs) from 1909 to 1941.  Some of the files are large and take a while to download, but they are worth the wait.  If you know anyone who attended the school during those years, these documents can be very interesting!

Friends of Valley View School-1985 (PDF)

School records 1909-1912 (PDF)

School records 1915-1925 (PDF)

School records 1926-1933 (PDF)

School records 1934-1941 (PDF)

Richard Foster and his family lived at Tilikum in the 1970’s when he was on the pastoral team at Newberg Friends Church. During these years he wrote the book, Celebration of Discipline in this peaceful setting. From this connection to Tilikum, the idea came to develop a special place for Christian writers. Below is a letter from Richard Foster endorsing this project.

The cabin is situated with beautiful view of the lake at Camp Tilikum, in an ideal location for writing inspiration. This type of lakeside cabin and could easily be rented for $350 a night, yet is available to writers who have been approved for a scholarship and are working on a project with a Christian emphasis for $25 per night. The facility is also available for personal prayer retreats for $150 per night.

The deadline for applications is at least two months prior and no more than 12 months prior to your intended stay.

What you will need to prepare before beginning the application process:

Artist Statement: In a one-page Word document, write about your work, yourself and your current thinking about what you’d like to accomplish at Tilikum as clearly and concisely as possible. We want to get a sense of you as a writer and your creative process.

Work Sample: Create a Work Sample of up to 10 pages. Work samples can be a work-in-progress or already published work; whatever you feel will make for the strongest application.

Combine your Artist Statement and Work Sample into a single document. Make sure the Artist Statement is on page 1 and the Work Sample starts on Page 2. Save the document as a PDF.

Biographical Statement & Preferred Residency Dates: Write your name, contact information including address, email, phone number. Underneath write up to 2 paragraphs listing any relevant professional accomplishments such as awards, exhibitions, published works, etc.  No CV’s please.  Also, tell us how you heard about Tilikum. This is for the administrative file.

After your Biographical Statement, denote (in order of preference) the dates you would like to be in residence. Include any comments regarding availability. Please note that we cannot guarantee available times.  Reservations need to be at least two nights and less than 7 nights. A person can schedule up to a maximum of 15 nights total in a year.

Please email your application and submission questions to: [email protected]  office (503) 538-2763 ext. 103.

After you have received scholarship approval for the Writers Cabin, contact Suzanne Maki, Guest Services Director with your questions about the facilities and reservations. [email protected] or call the office (503) 538-2763 ext. 101.

Designed after an Indian longhouse, the Fawver Center is a multipurpose building situated at the east end of Lake Tilikum. The Fawver Center can be rented exclusively or as a part of a grounds use group rental. It may also be available at no additional charge in combination with a Tilikum Lodge rental. Its rustic lakeside setting and expansive space appeals to outdoor education groups, harvest parties and family reunions. It also provides an indoor space for Challenge Course groups on a rainy day.

Summer availability is limited to evenings and/or weekends due to Tilikum sponsored programs.