Several years ago, when I had recently taken over as Scoutmaster for Troop One, I wanted to see what summer camp options were available for the troop. In trying to get this list, I discovered that there was that there was not a good compiled list anywhere. If you’re read any of my other blog posts, you’ll guess what that means…
Yep, made my own. And since this is all about where camps are, why not make a custom Google Map? So that’s exactly what I did.
The Guidelines
Since this was intended to see what was available for the units where I was volunteering in southwest Ohio, I decided for my own sanity to put some guardrails in place.
- I only included camps that operated Scouts BSA resident camp programs. If a council owns multiple properties, I only included the one where they operate their summer camp for the 11-17 year old program. Properties available for unit use or that are used for Cub Scout or Webelos resident camp are not on the map.
- Only looked at councils that served Ohio or it’s surrounding states (Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and “that state up north”). Theoretically that means the troops I volunteer with in southwest Ohio could get there within a day of driving, though this isn’t always the case.
- These are only official BSA properties. I know there are other resources available that are camps that are run by other organizations, but I left those off the map. This map is just for camps that are operated and fall under the BSA’s National Camp Accreditation Program.
The Resources
I relied heavily on Wikipedia, specifically the “scouting in OH / IN / KY / PA / WV / TSUN” pages, as a start. Generally, it helped to give me a list of all the local BSA councils that operated in the state. From there, I would go to that council’s website individually to look at their summer resident camp programs and determine first if they had their own council resident camp offerings, and then secondly if they did what camp and where is it located. Once determining that, I added a pin to the map.
I then used it a few times, shared it with the district on our old wiki site and possibly our Facebook group, and then promptly kind of forgot about it for the better part of a decade. Kind of like this blog, I suppose. Whoopsie!
2023 Update
So after moving to Vermont in 2019 and then back to Ohio in 2022, I was able to get active again with the troop where I used to serve (and where I was a youth member, too). I was thrilled to be able to attend resident camp this summer for the first time since 2018, and we had a great week at Camp Crooked Creek, part of Lincoln Heritage Council in Kentucky. As we always do in the summer, we began our annual planning for the following year, including where to go for summer camp in 2024. And as I’ve noticed over the years, the youth will in general not think about what’s out there beyond what they already know or have experienced. So I remembered my map! But hey, it’s been a few years. Councils have merged, BSA National has completely restructured how things work above the council level. And there’s been a pandemic and a bankruptcy. So I went back in, and made some updates. Sadly, more camps than I had hoped for had to be removed from the list.
Current Status
After the update was finished, along with any additional revisions noted at the very bottom of this article, this gives us a list of 113 Scouts BSA properties that have resident camp offerings, as well as the new Venturing layer that has 23 Venturing specific summer resident camp or high adventure offerings.
The Map
The green tent pin layer is Scouts BSA specific. Many camps will have options that help cater towards Venturing, but true Venturing resident camps are few and far between. Nor does it show Cub Scout or Webelos specific resident camps, but in general most Packs aren’t looking for interstate travel for summer camp. Perhaps future additions to the map could include Cub Scout resident camps, or possibly another layer that’s just all BSA council owned properties that are available for camping? One step at a time, I suppose.
A second layer has been created with purple mountain pins. These show either BSA properties with NCAP accredited resident camps specifically catering towards Venturing or Sea Scouting, or Scouts BSA camps that have an actual true high adventure option that doesn’t revolve around Scouts BSA advancement. In the map, you can turn off the different layers to make it easier to see one type of camp or another. They’re all on by default.
Personally, I’ve only been to resident camp programs at two of the camps on this list. Camp Friedlander, out of Dan Beard Council (my home camp), and as mentioned earlier, Camp Crooked Creek. I’ve found the staff and programs at both to be excellent. Crooked Creek has laundry at the shower houses, which as a youth may not mean much. But as an adult…game changer! Friedlander has the always fun blob, and perhaps specifically week 3, the #UPTOWNFUNK Patrol, which may be the most fun an adult can have at camp.
Anyone been to one of these other camps and have some insight on them? Got any suggestions for possible updates to the map? Leave a comment!
Hope you all can find this useful in your future annual planning for your troop or crew! No matter where you choose, just make sure you get out there and camp!
-Middletownscouter
[Edit 30-Jul-2023: Based on some immediate and overwhelming response, I have already added all six camps from councils that operate in TN to the map. I also added a new layer to the map for Venturing specific camps. I also removed Camp Trexler from Minsi Trails Council as the 2023 season was the end and the property is being sold. Somewhat similarly, I changed the icon for Fort Steuben to red because they did not operate in 2023 and they claim to be coming back in 2024 but it hasn’t been decided yet.]
[Edit 31-Jul-2023: 18 additional camps that represent all states that begin with the letter A are now on the map (AL, AK, AR, AZ). Also, have added many high adventure options to the new Venturing layer.]
[Edit 11-Aug-2023: Camps for states that begin with the letters C, D, and R (CA, CO, CT, DE, RI), and Washington D.C. have been added to the map for both the Scouts BSA (38 more properties) and Venturing (7 more properties). Several of these have red markers as they are properties that are currently closed due to wildfire damage or other concerns, but the council’s website for that camp shows that they are in a rebuilding process and intend to reopen.]
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