Camp Mystic in Texas, which lost 27 campers and staff to floods, to reopen in 2026

Camp Mystic in Texas, the all-girls summer camp that saw 27 campers and counselors die during flooding in July, is planning to reopen in 2026.

In a letter to families, camp officials said that a memorial would be erected to honor those who died in the July 4 flooding, and that Camp Mystic Cypress Lake would be reopening for 2026.

The camp is also implementing new flood safety measures mandated by a law passed in the aftermath of the flood named for the “Heaven’s 27” group of Camp Mystic victims. Camp Mystic Guadalupe River, which was ravaged by the floodwaters, is not reopening, according to the letter cited by KHOU-TV.

Some of the families of the deceased said the news came to them as a surprise.

“The families of deceased Camp Mystic campers and counselors were not consulted about and did not approve this memorial,” Blake Bonner, father of victim Lila Bonner, 9, told the New York Times.

Cici Steward, mother of the still-missing Cile Steward, 8, told the New York Times that “the truth is, Camp Mystic failed our daughters,” and that “Camp Mystic is pressing ahead with reopening, even if it means inviting girls to swim in the same river that may potentially still hold my daughter’s body.”

Matthew Childress, the father of counselor and victim Chloe Childress, echoed Mr. Bonner’s statement to the Texas Tribune and said that “we believe that all resources should be focused on reuniting Cile Steward with her family, as the last unrecovered camper lost in the waters of the Guadalupe River at Camp Mystic.”