CHRISTIKON

 Camp ▪ Backpack ▪ Retreat 

Awaken Faith.

Explore Creation.

Live the Adventure.

On-site Camps

Christikon is an amazing place to spend time with friends—old and new—and enjoy the rhythms of life together in shared community. We have on-site sessions for everyone in 2027: grades K-2 and their parents, grades 3-5, middle school, high school, families and volunteers. Camps are filled with games, hiking, meals, worship & bible study, art-and-craft-making, skits, singing, dancing, building, service and exploration—while we carve out moments for quiet unstructured time, too. Campers stay in rustic log cabins with other campers and counselors. Our week-long youth camps feature an overnight trip into the backcountry.

Backpacking Trips

Christikon is a leader in off-grid backpack trips! We lead two types of trips: those we call Mountaineers (moving tents each day) and those we call Wayfarers (base-camping in the backcountry and day hiking from there). Backpacking is for anyone from 6th grade on up to adults. We typically organize around age ranges: middle school groups, high school groups, and adult groups. Yet, we’ve worked out some intergenerational groups, too! Three, four and five night backcountry trips are on the 2027 season calendar. Our routes are unique as they depart directly from the camp gate at 6,500’ out into 20-30 mile circuits in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Retreat Programs

Christikon is a great place for groups to spend time together surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation. We host several retreats of various types—from Adult Continuing Education to Family Camps—and we offer space to ministry partners to run their own programs, especially as the summer season quiets down and camp space opens up for Fall. We offer contemplative artist retreats and opportunities for volunteers to work at camp while participating in the scheduled programming of the session. We’ve even worked out sabbatical time and other special scenarios for people to carve out time at Christikon.

CHRISTIKON NEWS

CHRISTIKON NEWS

Annual Event for All

Billings, MT | September 20, 2026

We recognize everyone contributes in many ways and we are SO GRATEFUL! This year the evening will feature a program of sharing and reflection by several members of the Christikon Community. We will enjoy a dinner, program, and some special surprises. Cash bar will open at 5pm, dinner at 5:30pm, and program beginning at 6:15pm. This year, we’re making the dinner a special one-time fundraiser, with the additional ticket proceeds going directly to support Christikon’s ministry.

YOU make Christikon’s ministry possible! Christikon’s network of support is wide and growing, and we are thankful.

Christikon’s annual Donor Event in Billings brings together friends, alumni, families, donors, and supporters for an evening to celebrate this ministry we share. Join us for dinner, stories from the past summer, time with the Christikon community, and a look at what’s ahead. Tickets are $75 per person, with proceeds from the evening supporting Christikon’s ministry.

Whether you’ve supported Christikon for decades or are just getting to know us, you’re invited!

Sunday, October 18, 5pm at the Yellowstone Country Club in Billings, Montana.

Registration to Open in November

Billings, MT | September 27, 2026

Christikon will open registration earlier this year! In the past we’ve opened in January. Look for registration links on this website in early November.

Our first test session is already open! Work Weekend 2027—a free camp for all volunteers who want to spend a spring weekend at camp working to get the place cleaned and opened for the season—is up under the support→volunteer menu above.

Each session will have a unique link and description. You will be able to add your selection to a cart and checkout, making a $100 deposit to hold your spot.

You can also see the draft of our season calendar now! Look for Programs→2027 season in the menu above to start planning! Sessions will include on-site camping, backpack trips, volunteer opportunities, retreats, and more. We have some new sessions as well for artists and younger campers and their caregiver.

Churches needing to register/pay for multiple campers will be able to do so.

Stay tuned for more information and open registration. We will announce on social media.

Traditions loved by campers; meaningful programs trusted by families & churches.

“It was the most supportive, genuine, and loving community I have ever been a part of. By the end of the week, I felt like I could fully be myself around my group, and they felt like family to me.”


— Youth backpacker, 2026

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“She loved her group, her counselors, the opportunity to hike and summit a mountain. She came back and (at least for a while) was reading the Bible by herself at night and journaling about it!”


— Parent of a youth camper, 2026

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“Backpacking at Christikon is always the highlight of my summer… Christikon is the place where I feel the most loved and cared for, and for the years I’ve gone, it has been my second home.”

— Youth backpacker, 2026

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❊ FAQs

Frequently Asked Christikon Questions:

  • There really aren’t many “typical” days at Christikon! Meals, daily worship, and canteen provide a familiar rhythm, but each day brings something different. Backcountry hikes, overnights under the stars, all-camp games, and opportunities to choose from a variety of “Interest Group” activities keep things fun, engaging, and full of surprises—making every day at Christikon its own memorable experience.

  • Christikon has a long history of hiring highly ambitious, caring, brilliant young leaders and adventurers from around the world. Many are current students, studying a broad range of topics from natural sciences to humanities to engineering to music. This past summer, our staff featured two international students—one from Columbia and one from Australia.

    Our staff complete three weeks of intensive training before campers arrive, preparing them to create a safe, welcoming, and caring community. Training includes CPR and Wilderness First Aid, emergency and risk-management procedures, youth care and development, and preparation for leading Christikon’s Bible study and faith-formation program. Throughout the summer, our staff are supported by experienced leadership and trained to put the safety, well-being, and belonging of every camper at the center of their work.

  • We are revamping our registration experience and with that comes new software and record-keeping. Registration opens in November and we are rebuilding our site from the ground up. Thanks for checking, we’ll add new information routinely!

  • Christikon is a Lutheran outdoor ministry affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), nestled deep in Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains, where faith, community, and adventure come together. Since 1951, generations of campers have traveled up the Boulder River for summer camp, backpacking, family and adult programs, retreats, and time away in the mountains.

    At the heart of Christikon is our mission: to awaken and nurture faith in Christ—exploring God’s creation and the adventure of life together. Through caring community, outdoor adventure, worship, conversation, and plenty of fun, we create space for people of all ages to grow in faith, build lasting relationships, explore God’s creation, and discover a place where they belong.