Glen Mhor camp was the result of the collaboration of the Rev. Dr. John McNab and Rev. Dr. W.M. Kannawin. Dr. McNab was convenor of youth for the Synod of Toronto-Kingston, and Dr. Kannawin was the General Secretary of the Assembly’s Board of Sabbath School and Y.P.S. Together they persuaded Mr. James S. Playfair, who owned a fleet of ships in the Great Lakes, to donate land for a church summer camp. The camp was modeled after a camp Mr. Playfair visited in Pasadena, California and was named after one of Mr. Playfair’s ships – Glen Mhor, which translates to “Big Valley” in Gaelic. The camp site initially consisted of a main building, a garage, and a pump house. The first campers used surplus couches, stretchers, and beds donated by congregations in the area. In 1931 Mr. Playfair added five cabins and supplied the camp with equipment, beds, dressers, chairs, linens, and utensils. Glen Mhor continued to operate on the Lake Simcoe site until 1978, when the current site on Echo Lake in Baysville was purchased.

The Echo Lake site had a main lodge and ample land for growth. The dedication ceremony took place on June 24th, 1978. Over the years the facility was improved and renewed; new cabins were built and in 1982 the kitchen was renovated and a new washroom facility was built. The Pike Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1983, the same year the mortgage acquired to purchase the new site was burned. Throughout the 80s and 90s Glen Mhor continued to expand and evolve, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1990 with a celebratory dinner at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Scarborough and the dedication of the new craft building. Glen Mhor hosts a wide variety of camp sessions for all ages, including dedicated arts camp, dance camp, retreats, and the Leader in Training program. Glen Mhor is a part of Cairn Presbyterian Camps, which was established in 2006.