Camping at Bertram

Camping at Bertram Lakes has been happening for over 100 years. The post card a friend gave me (earlier tidbit) shows a girl fishing at
the Bertram Beach in 1906. At that time, the beach was accessible by road (driveway) directly connected to County Road 39, so camping may have been more prevalent then.

From the 1960’s thru the 1990’s, the YMCA maintained several sites for camping in the beach area, mostly during the summer months. These sites were located on both sides of the beach. To the southwest, along the northeast corner of Bertram Lake, there were five to six sites available. These were located within the oak and birch trees and were the choice sites. On the west side of the beach along the trail to the old chalet, there were four to five sites available, also within the oak trees. Camping during these times was primarily tent camping with only two pull-behind camper sites.

The only fresh water source for the campers was the pump located by the beach. For convenience, the YMCA installed two porta-toilets at the north side of the parking lot for the campers. At times, these served as changing places for families using the beach.