Camp Mystic, where 25 little girls drowned in floods, drops its bid to reopen this season

Camp Mystic, where 25 young girls and two counselors died in catastrophic flash flooding last July, announced it will remain closed this summer a month ahead of its planned opening for its 100th anniversary.

The announcement came days after a review by Texas health investigators found the camp had failed to comply with a slate of newly enacted health and safety regulations, the New York Times reported.

The camp said that 800 girls had signed up to attend the camp starting in the spring — just months after the tragedy.

Rather than bringing the camp into compliance, however, the owners announced in a statement viewed by the outlet Thursday that it would instead “step back” from opening for the summer.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” the statement read.

The camp said the decision was “intended to remove any doubt that Camp Mystic has heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate investigating committees and citizens across our state.”

The all-girls Christian camp lost 25 campers, most of them under 10 years old, and two counselors when the Guadalupe River breached its banks overnight on July 4, 2025.

Generations of Texas girls have attended Mystic, including from the state’s most prominent families — including former first lady Laura Bush.