Construction on the first phase is slated to begin in early June, Parker said.

Ray Beckham remembers what Aspen Grove was like before it opened as a family camp, but he says the changes over the years haven't affected the camp's overall purpose.

During World War II, Aspen Grove closed as a summer camp for students, and by 1960, BYU was considering giving the land back to its original owners. But Beckham had a different idea.

As a member of the BYU alumni association, Beckham had spent some time at the camp with his family, lugging water and sleeping in the wood lodges. He convinced BYU to allow him to transform the facility into a family camp, and from that year on, the beds have been filled.

"Taking care of families has been (Aspen Grove's) priority since the day they opened," Beckham said. "This is still the best place in the world to take your family for vacation. And once you take your family there, they just want to go back year after year after year because it is so good."

Bountiful resident Kenneth Beesley has been traveling to Aspen Grove every year for 12 years, and he says he agrees. The camp has made great improvements since he first started going, Beesley says, but the camp's organization is the reason he has returned with his family.

"Where else can you go that the food is provided and programs are provided for the kids from diaper-age up to teenagers?" Beesley said. "The kids love it, and the mothers love it, why would you choose to go anywhere else?"

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