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.
A Note from the Director
Welcome to Christikon!
Greetings from the mountains!
There's something so deeply special about Christikon. Maybe it's the beauty of the mountains, the friendships formed around campfires and on trails, the songs we sing together, or the space to slow down, ask questions, and discover something new about ourselves and God's presence in our lives.
I think it's all of these things, and so much more!
For 75 years, Christikon has been a place where people of all ages come together to explore God's creation, grow in faith, share adventures, and experience the joy of genuine community.
One of the things I love most about Christikon is how its story continues to unfold through people. Generation after generation, campers, staff, families, and friends have helped create this remarkable community, carrying something of Christikon with them long after they leave the mountain.
As we celebrate our history and look toward the future, I'm excited about all the ways God continues to work in and through this ministry.
Whether Christikon has been part of your story for decades or you're discovering us for the first time, there's a place for you here.
I hope you'll come experience the adventure, the community, and the beauty of this extraordinary place. We can't wait to welcome you to the mountain!
Pastor Heather Wigdahl
Executive Director
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“One of the things I love most about Christikon is how its story continues to unfold through people.”
-Pastor Heather, 2026
CHRISTIKON NEWS
CHRISTIKON NEWS
Fall Newsletter Gets Renamed
Billings, MT | October 27, 2026
Christikon typically sends twice-annual newsletters. The 2026 Fall edition recently went out across the globe!
As we refresh some of the ways we communicate and organize the work of Christikon, we’re also simplifying the language we use. Over the years, “Trailblazer” has come to mean three different things at Christikon (four, if you count the original meaning: a person who marks a trail), which can be confusing, especially for those newer to our community.
Going forward, the Trailblazer name will belong exclusively to our annual giving community, the Trailblazer Club. Our high school on-site camp will receive a new name, and the newsletter you’re reading will become From the Mountain.
Same Christikon traditions—just a little more clarity in what we call them. Download and read the latest issue below:
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 to this website for more information and registration. We will announce registration opening 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:
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Registration for the 2027 season is expected to open in early November. As you'll see on the calendar, we're excited to offer a variety of on-site, backpacking, and retreat experiences next season.
Thanks to the generosity of Christikon's donors and supporters, we're able to keep registration fees below the full cost of providing these experiences. The cost to campers will generally be $90 per night for on-site and retreat programs and $100 per night for backpacking trips.
A $100 deposit is required at registration and is fully refundable through February 1. Each camper will register individually through our website, with registration pages organized by session type available soon under the Programs menu. (Currently we only have the calendar posted…stay tuned!)
Churches wishing to reserve space for groups will also have a way to do so, though each camper will still need to complete their own individual registration.