Camp Mystic said it plans to open its Cypress Lake Camp in 2026, parents of victims express shock

Camp Mystic said it plans to reopen a portion of its girls’ camp next year, while acknowledging communication failures to the parents of the 25 girls and two counselors who died in the July 4 flash flood that struck the Guadalupe River in West Kerr County.

First reported by The New York Times, The Lead independently confirmed its contents on Wednesday, and the letter details the camp’s plans to reopen and to build an on-site memorial for the girls lost during the flood. The letter comes as a shock to some family members. Cici Steward, the mother of Cile Steward, one of two Kerr County victims still missing, wrote a statement to the New York Times criticizing Camp Mystic.

“For my family, these months have felt like an eternity. For the camp, it seems like nothing more than a brief pause before business as usual,” Cici steward wrote. “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.”

Intensive searches for Steward and Jeff Ramsey, who went missing near Ingram, are ongoing. The search has led to the closure of large portions of the river between Kerrville and Hunt. Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders have vowed to continue the search.

Camp Mystic Director Richard Eastland lost his life as he tried to evacuate some of the girls from the camp. Many of the girls who died were seven, eight and nine years old and swept down the river as the wall of water devastated Hunt.

Mystic and other Kerr County-based youth summer camps are facing intense scrutiny after the flood, and now fall under strict regulatory oversight that limits where campers can stay near the river. The Texas Legislature overwhelmingly passed legislation, which was later signed into law by Abbott, that essentially closes Mystic and Heart of the Hills, which suffered catastrophic damage during the flood, and places severe limitations on other camps.

Camp Waldemar, Camp Stewart and Vista Camps wrote letters saying the legislation could potentially harm their businesses. The New York Times reported that the Camp Mystic counselors wrote a letter to the state of Texas, saying the legislation was rushed and could harm the camp.

However, the Eastland family aims to press forward with reopening.

“We are writing today to share some updates related to Camp and the next summer season,” said the letter, which was signed by seven members of the family. “We have not yet shared the following information with the broader Camp family community, as we wanted you to receive it first. We are sorry that we have not been perfect at communication, and we know that. The distance that has grown between some of us saddens us all and we are here to communicate with you as much as you desire while respecting that of your individual needs.”

The Eastlands wrote that the main Mystic campus, which suffered heavy damage during the flood, would not reopen in 2026.

“We are working with engineers and other experts to determine how we will implement the changes required by Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1,” the letter read.

The letter was signed by Tweety Eastland, the widow of Richard Eastland, and the couple’s sons and their wives: Mary Liz and Edward Eastland, Catie and Britt Eastland and Leslie and Richard Eastland.

Of primary importance, we will be building a memorial at Camp Mystic dedicated to your precious daughters,” the letter said. “In the memorial’s design, we will strive to capture the beauty, kindness and grace they all shared, while focusing on the joy they carried and will always inspire in us all.”

For years, the Eastlands worked to have most of Camp Mystic removed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, which showed that most of the youth camp was situated inside the floodway — the main channel during a flood. During the flood, those maps proved accurate as billions of gallons of water overwhelmed the camp after more than a foot of rain fell in West Kerr in the early morning hours of July 4.

While the newer Cypress Lake camp, located southwest of the main camp, did not suffer damage, many of its buildings are situated within the 100-year floodplain. However, Mystic said it would work within the guidelines of the new state rules.