Psalm 23 Camp is located in Monroe County WV in the southeastern part of the state. This setting of the camp includes beautiful rolling pastoral farmland and wooded mountains in Gap Valley near the community of Gap Mills.

The main facilities of the camp are located on a foothill of the 60-mile long Peters Mountain. Elevation of the 300-acre farm/camp ranges from 2400 ft in the valley to more than 3100 ft on the mountain. You can enjoy beautiful views whether hiking on a mountain trail or just relaxing near the main facilities.

Peters Mountain is the source of excellent drinking water that is bottled and sold by five or six companies. The camp/farm alone has 10 different springs. A national magazine recently selected Monroe County as one of the top ten places to live in the United States.

In addition to the guests that are found at Psalm 23 Camp, the farm is the year round home to a herd of about 300 sheep, Border Collie sheep herding dogs and Great Pyrenees sheep guarding dogs.

Psalm 23 Camp began as a three-day youth camp in 1985 using pack tents and cooking over an open fire. A dairy barn built in the 1940’s and 50’s has been converted to a unique facility that houses the kitchen and dining area, plus rooms for recreation, meeting and lounging. Campers stay in motel-type rooms.

The main focus is the Servants-At-Work program, which includes work mission camps for teens and adults in Appalachia and also sponsored trips to Third World countries.

Gap Mills Community

This small community gets its name from the fact that it is located on both sides of a gap in a mountain, and at one time there were three flour mills plus one woolen mill, all located within one mile of the gap. The Gap Valley lies south of the gap with Peters Mountain running parallel to Gap Mountain. Psalm 23 Camp is located two miles south of the gap, the widest point in Gap Valley.

Great Eastern Divide.

Five miles east of Gap Mills is the Eastern Continental Divide that separates waters flowing to the Atlantic via the James River and the Gulf of Mexico via the New, Kanawha, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. The watershed in the Gap Valley flows through the gap, with Psalm 23 Camp located at a high elevation near the headwaters of Kitchen Creek.

Wildlife.

Guests at Psalm 23 Camp are most likely to see deer since they are quite plentiful. Additionally, wild turkey, rabbits, ground hogs, squirrels are abundant. Coyotes are also in the area, but seldom seen. They are predators that kill sheep, so guard dogs stay with our sheep flock to protect them.

Water.

A local water bottling company has won the title of “Best Tasting Water in the World” four times during the past 10 years. That same Peters Mountain water supplies the farm and camp.

Temperatures.

Summers are mild at the camp because of the high altitudes. The temperatures will reach as high as 90 degrees perhaps 2 times per summer.

Insects.
Fortunately, very few pesky insects are found in the camp environment. In fact, mosquitos are very rare and the same is true of other biting insects.

Caves.

Limestone rock is very prevalent in the area and accounts for the numerous caves nearby. While no caves at Psalm 23 Camp have entry ways large enough to explore, there are numerous “sinks” where cave roofs have collapsed.