As a kid, Ryan Stewart’s favorite family vacation was a summer spent at Camp Edison. The memories turned into a lifelong passion and eventually landed him a job as Southern California Edison’s senior manager of Camp Edison and Forestry.

Nestled within 20,000 acres of Sierra Nevada Forest on Shaver Lake, Camp Edison is prepping for peak season and Stewart is getting ready to spend his 20th summer at the same spot he did growing up.

Stewart’s team welcomes roughly 100,000 campers to its 252 sites each year — helping new generations fall in love with the camp just like he did.

“I think that family vacation really stood out in my mind because it was perfect,” he said. “The lake wasn't too cold, and it was clean. Growing up swimming in the ocean, you're always wondering what was going to grab you out there. There were no sharks in Shaver Lake.”

SCE originally founded the site in the 1960s to demonstrate the advantages of electricity while camping — the electric hookups offered were still a novelty when SCE equipped each campsite with clean energy cooking stations rather than the usual barbeque pits. Now, it’s evolved into one of the most popular destinations in the Shaver Lake area and a family tradition for generations of families.

“This place has a tight-knit, small-town feel where everyone knows and supports each other,” said Stewart. “We love to see so many returning faces and families each year.”

David Maisano has been visiting Camp Edison for over three decades. A family friend and former SCE lineman introduced Maisano’s family to the campground. Not avid campers originally, they were impressed with the amenities, which include clean restrooms and showers, an amphitheater, laundromats, a basketball court, boat launch and a general store.

“All the camp’s facilities meet a wide range of needs for people who may not otherwise go camping, so it makes this kind of vacationing more enjoyable for us,” said Maisano.

Maisano’s grandchildren are the third generation to play along Shaver Lake’s shores, continuing family traditions like turkey feast, campfire songs and creating connections with staff who after all these years, feel more like friends. In July, 50 of the Maisanos’ family and friends will join them for a week-long summer vacation at Camp Edison.

“Every year we look forward to our Thanksgiving-style dinner,” Maisano says. “It’s a chance for us to give thanks for what a fortunate family we are, and what a special opportunity it is to be all together.”

Stewart is personally invested in improving its grounds so future families can continue to experience all it has to offer and help them fall in love with nature. While he’s been in charge, he’s helped to update some of the 60-plus-year-old campground's safety infrastructure, including new crosswalks, road signals, painted signs, and addressing issues related to e-bikes and campfires.

“Not only is the staff here like a family unit, but we also work hard to make this feel like a comfortable, safe, family-style campground,” Stewart said. “So that when you step in here, you almost feel like you're in one of those old Disney movies camping.”

For more on SCE’s clean energy efforts: sce.com/cleanenergy.