Scout Camps - What are the BEST

[skriser]

This year we took our boys to MK Brown - It is in Texas in Wheeler County. It was a FUN Camp and I would highly recommend it to EVERYONE. We came from the Albuquerque area - 430 miles 1 way.

The price was GREAT. We took 15 boys and 2 leaders the cost was $2185 and that included Official Camp Shirts.

The downfall is the camp operates for 3 weeks. However, the offered several different types of merit badges.

Polaris - 1st year scouts - was taught by a PhD in Criminology. He was wonderful and 5 of my boys learned a lot and almost all of them advanced to at least 2nd class or 1st class.

The merit badge counselors were also good - one of them was a nature pro and taught thee Nature related merit badges. He was tough but fare on the merit badges. It wasn't show up and get a merit badge. The boys learned a lot.

The counselor for aquatics was awesome too - he was also over OA. The boys had to work hard on the aquatics merit badges.

The rest were also good. I had to remind a couple of them about some requirements that they forgot to teach.

Overall, I would recommend MK Brown to EVERYONE. It was a good experience.

http://www.goldenspread.org/index.html

Thanks
Sam Kriser
Troop 339 - Rio Rancho, NM
ASM

[Lynda J]

We just got back from Slippery Falls Scout Ranch in Tishomingo, Ok.
Loved it!! Boy had a ball. If there was any short coming it was the water front. It is on a small spring fed lake and the level was low. Badge program was wonderful. Check in a breeze. Staff GREAT. Food good and they had a wonderful salad bar at lunch and supper.

Leatherwork was taught by a man that makes indian attire for POW WOWs, and has been at this camp for 17 years. The lady doing woodcarving has been teaching for close to 40 years, atthis camp 15.

I helped with leather and was very impressed. The Indian Lore was taught by a man that is half Chickasaw, They went on a feel trip to the Chickasaw Nation Museum. They went to an indian dig for Archology.
All our boys completed all their badges. Except one that didn't show up for three classes.

The camp was simply very well run.

[pipestone1991]

Our summer camp is awesome in Ohio. As long as you send in your money before May 15th or something, it's only $165 a person. Great food, over 80 merit badges and, of course, the pipestone program!!!!!!!!!!!(please see my other thread)

[pipestone1991]

A little off topic, but, how far are you guys from Cimmaron New Mexico? I'll be in Philmont with a crew from July 31st to August 14th.

[skriser]

We live in the Albuquerque Area. I think that we are 3 hours from Philmont.

We hope to go there in 3 years.

Sam

[ancientdruid]

I read this while starting to research where our Louisiana troop will go to camp in 2007.
We have been to Camp Comer (Alabama), Camp Orr (Arkansas), Camp Avondale (near our home in Baton Rouge, LA), and Buffalo Trails (Texas) the past few years. Comer rates the best out of those. The food was awful but the climate was great! The White Water Rafting expedition on the Ocoee River in Tennessee was great on Friday. Our home camp at Avondale has slightly more rigor in its Merit Badges (especially Aquatics) but the badge selection at Comer was great.
Other camps we have heard good things about are Woodruff and Rainey Mountain in Georgia, Davy Crockett in Tenn., Daniel Boone in NC, plus one I forget the name of in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Camp Sidney Dew in northwest Georgia is reportedly a nice little camp also -- a couple of troops in our area have gone there and enjoyed it.

[BuffaloWill]

I recently moved away from Mississippi. There are two really nice camps there. Camp Ti'ak in Wiggins, MS is in the south and has a really nice program. I was on staff there for several years as a youth. It is run by the Pine Burr Area Council.

Camp Yocona is in the north and it's near Pontotoc, MS. Our troop went there this past summer. The program was great. Almost all adults (18+) teaching merit badges. The facilities are a bit nicer than Camp Ti'ak as well. The boys really had a great time. I highly reccommend it.

Camp Hood is in the Jackson, MS area. I think it's near Hazlehurst, MS. I've been there for one summer camp and didn't care for it as much as the other two.

[jr56]

Camp Tesomas at Rhinelander, WI is pretty good.
We are trying out Camp Phillips in Northwestern WI this summer, we will see how it goes.

[CellMasterChef]

if you ever want a high adventure camp, come up north to Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation. Its a fun little camp with a varity of merit badges. I'll be working there next summer as a CIT.
You guys should try to convince your troops to come to HMSR.

(Don't have seconds of yellow death[EGGS])

[KeepOnTruckin]

Thats quite funny that you would say camp comer had awful food, since the word comer in spanish means "to eat".

I have been to all the camps in the blue rdge mountains, it is the blue ridge mountain scout reservation and the two summer camps are Ottari and Powhatan, and theres an aquatics only camp on claytor lake

[coneyraven]

I've heard some very good things about Camp Powhaten....also, Camp Potomac in the mountains of Western Maryland has a very good reputation....especially to those that like a camp that's a little "old fashioned" and not so commercialized like the camps in the Metro areas.....also, the price you can't be beat..I don't know what the out-of-council rate is, but in council, it's $165 pp if paid by the first Friday in May...plus the proximity of the camp to the C & O Canal Trail (between Cumberland, MD and Washington, plus, the Allegheny Highlands Trail from Cumberland to Pittsburgh is a real plus)----for more information, contact the Potomac Council service Center at (301) 729-1300.

Mark

[MDEagle]

I've heard some very good things about Camp Powhaten....

Powhaten is one of the camps that runs an all-day/every-day first year Scout program. They don't get to do any merit badges.

There's a different thread discussing the pros/cons of this approach, but it is something that should be considered.

[OldGreyBear]

The best summer camp of all? Thats easy,

Its the one where the first year scout struggles and fails the swimmers test on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday completes it on Wednesday leaving the waterfront to a standing ovation by all present and floats back to his campsite...

Where the enthusiasm of the staff is infectious and their camp spirit contagious and everyone regards everyone else as a pal...

Its the one where the scouts while walking to flag raising come across a deer and its fawn, end up missing the flag raising, but will always remember the sight of the fawn nursing on its mother...

Its the one where our dour and drab scoutmaster leads a loud silly song in the dinning hall, who knew he could be so much fun?

Its the one with the roaring closing campfire and skits by each troop that are funny and original...

Its the one where a group of friends sleep under the stars around a campfire, talking about hopes, dreams and the future and fervently wishing each day to end as this one does...

Its the one where a scout is unsure of his scout skills, but with determination earns the Pioneering meritbadge and ends up teaching the adults in his troop how to do an eye splice...

Its the one where a scout can go all week without taking a shower, because swimming in the lake counts...

Its the one where on Saturday you wish you could rewind time and do it all over again, even if it includes the bee sting on Wednesday.

Here's hoping the Camp you attend is the best ever!

[coneyraven]

Well said Old Grey Bear------I especially like the one about the fact that the lake does count as the shower...the scout that lives by that rule can sneak up on noone.....One last one that I always enjoy, when I go to camp, my stress goes away just like my cell phone signal....perhaps they're both related.....Oh, and a related note to your bee sting comment, we had a scout last year leave on Wednesday due to (we found out the next day) a bite from a Brown Recluse Spider (very common spider in these parts, and also potentially dangerous, but usually, they leave you alone if you leave them alone)----yet he still can't wait to get back to camp this summer......ya gotta love his tenacity, I have a lot of respect for that scout in particular.

[RWSmith]

Its the one where a scout can go all week without taking a shower, because swimming in the lake counts...

Well, that does count... right?

[mubydram]

Camp Ransburg ftw.

[optimist]

I've often heard that Camp Thunder of the Flint River Council is the best camp in Georgia. After 22 years as a Scout leader, I'm finally going to camp there this summer. I truly believe that my troop will have a great experience but I don't really count on it being that much better than previous summer camps. (I've been to around a dozen different Scout camps.) In truth, nearly all my summer camp experiences have been great in all the various camps I've been to and when there have been problems, it has generally been more of the troop's fault than the camp's.

Here's wishing everyone a great summer at camp

[tdfoxsr736]

My favorite is Camp Daniel Boone near Waynesville, NC. It sits in a mountain valley in the Smokeys. I wouldn't recommed it for water sports as the lake is a dammed up mountain stream and its about 52 deg. BRRRRR. Great hiking trails, nice climbing wall, good fishing. Good Whitewater on the Nantahala or Ocoee. Hardly any mosquitos.

After that, I like Skymont near Altamont, Tennessee. Excellent first year program, and High Adventure options.

If you're from an area up north with cold winters, consider Camp Avondale in Clinton Louisiana for winter camp. The food down here is excellent.

[skriser]

This year we are taking the boys to Camp Frank Rand. It is north of Sante Fe in the Pecos Wilderness,

It is a fun camp. I went there 2 years ago. They offer the climbing MB and the rock face they use makes it a fun mb to work on.

They say the climbing mb is one that people come far away to this particular camp just to work on the mb.

Sam Kriser
troop 339 - ASM

[tdfoxsr736]

I forgot that this post was started. OOPS! I have another post on the CampFire Section. Update!!! My new favorite camp is L.E. Phillips near Haugen Wisconsin. Excellent setting and even better staff!!