list of top scout camps

[scoutmaster106]

can anyone give me a website or some way of finding a list of top 10 scout camps in country..not just someone personal favorites,but official..our home camp is davy crockett...just went to camp powhatan...

[packsaddle]

Welcome to the forums, scoutmaster 106. Great topic! I see you've discovered the mystery of the double post as well. That puts you ahead of most newcomers. This smiley face is as advanced as it gets for me.

 

I also would like to know if any such survey has been taken in order to rank the camps. The best one we've been to was Goshen. But I know of a few out west that sound great as well, just haven't come up with the resources (time mostly) do go there and give 'em a try.

[eisely]

I would be surprised if there were any official ranking internal to the BSA organization. I doubt that national wants to put councils in competition with one another, although that competition exists at some levels. Camps are inspected, but I think that amounts to a pass/fail grade.

 

Here in California my own experts (sons) put Emerald Bay and Royaneh at the top of their lists.

[LPC_Thumper]

I need to be careful you guys will think I don't have a life outside of SCOUTING... Guess what? I don't!!

 

I used to be a camp inspector in the Western Region. I can tell you there is no official list. That's not how it works.

 

What does works is this. IF a camp passes the guidelines that National puts out about what a camp is, then they are "certified". You can spot a certified camp by the use of a banner with the National Camp logo on it (antlers and logo). It will also have a year on it.

 

This all said, don't fall for anyone telling you they have anything other than someone's favorite list... Good luck in your shopping.

[dsteele]

I think that there is no list because "Best Camp" is at best an opinion.

 

How do you define best? It depends on what's personally important to you?

 

Do the number of campers make it the best? Which do you prefer, high numbers, low numbers, or is staff ratio a consideration?

 

Do you want dining hall, patrol cooking, or both?

 

Is advancement the goal?

 

Open program, or scheduled classes?

 

Get my drift? There really isn't a way to quantify.

 

One of my favorite camps is exclusively patrol cooking and is very small in numbers. Another is mid-size in terms of numbers and does one day of patrol cooking and dining hall the other days.

 

Best of luck in your shopping and happy camping to you and your boys!

 

Unc.

[scoutmaster106]

hey..thanks for all the great comments...im new at this on here and love it already....ive been scoutmaster for 8 yrs now...probably right about there not being a list out there...so maybe if everyone can give their fav and where it is...would love to hear about all camps but especially in east i guess....packsaddle u said u went to Goshen...thats in same council as powhatan...how was it?...powhatan was a really nice camp..best we have been at..looking for camp that has great high adventure for older boys and venturing crew..ours goes with us....and good selection of merit badge classes for younger boys...and its alway great to have a good dining hall and other facilities....powhatan had alot to offer..great staff..older than most camps have....no camp is perfect..but let me know your favs...happy scouting

[packsaddle]

Goshen is actually several camps in one. I liked it for our boys who are on the young side, 12-14 years old mostly, because we actually camped at the camp, prepared our own meals, etc. The merit badge program was top notch and it was the first time we'd had the ability to pursue sailing and powerboating activities at a camp. Don't know too much about Powhatan so I can't compare them.

[LPC_Thumper]

OK, well if you're trying to find new camps, and you want to come west why don't you try...

 

Well first from the east would be Sea Base. Many of our guys LOVED that trip. Or you could try Philmont. That's one of those super activities that you'll love every minute of.

 

Once you get to California, now you are talking what I know. Camp Chawanakee is the target that many try to emulate. GREAT camp! Spent a week there myself, same GREAT program as always. Oljado is also a great camp in the Sierras. You could also look at Emerald Bay, or Cherry Valley. BOth of these are on Catalina Island (yes that island that Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and the gang were always talking about). You could also look into the tall ship "The Argus". My local camp, Rancho Alegra, is GREAT for young scouts, but really isn't good for older boys. The best camp for all ages, like I said is Camp Chawanakee.

 

Now, our guys that have done all these, AND have climbed both Mt. Shasta & Mt. Whitney, and crossed the Grand Canyon will tell you that the best camping they did as Boy Scouts was at Northern Tier. I have to admit it has the BEST food and we didn't even get fish.

[KoreaScouter]

If for no other reason than the setting, on Oahu's North Shore, you have to include Aloha Council's Camp Pupukea.

 

KS

[The Mighty Chief]

The way I see it, a camp is only as good as its staff who run the program. All camps have their own unique aspects and charm, so it would be nearly impossible to rank one above another without applying one's own personal experience at that camp.

 

Personally, I think that the council's Order of the Arrow lodge's involvment in maintaining the camp makes a tremendous impact on enhancing the "charm" of the camp. I recently attended summer camp at a camp whose yearly "endowment" (from the council I suppose) was about 16 million dollars, and individual troops "adopted" campsites to maintain them. Though the facilities and area of the camp were quite impressive, I can say that the best camp I've been to is one that doesn't have much of a yearly endowment and its campsites and facilities are maintained mostly by the OA lodge. That's just my opinion though...

 

Disregarding what I just said and just taking into considering the camp facilities and the program run, I would say that the best camp I've been to would be Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rhode Island.

 

[Proud Eagle]

According to the Directer of the Southern Region, Camp Roy C. Manchester is supposed to be one of the top three camps in the nation. I have no idea how he came up with this assertion. It may be based on camp inspection, or on out of council attendance, or just his personal opinion, I have no idea. But he, and others from the region office, have made this same assertion more than once.

[LPC_Thumper]

Proud Eagle,

 

To refer back to my previous stand... you can't say things like that, let me tell you why.

 

1- When a camp is inspected, all that happens is that it is determined if it meets the standard. It is not rated as better than this or that camp, just the standard.

 

2- If they are suggesting a top three camp, then my question is this... Which of the three National Camps is it better than? What about the big California Camps, or Montana Camps, or Wyoming, or ... I could make a list of camps that would be impossible to pick from (and that list is more than 3 camps)

 

I understand what others are saying, I'm just trying to say what I know.

[Proud Eagle]

I am not saying I think it is in the top 3, rather I am saying it appears the Southern Region thinks it is in the top 3. I have no idea how they came up with that idea. Maybe they say that to everyone to make them feel better. I don't know. Also, I think they limited it to council summer camps. So that would leave the national camps safe, since they are not council run.

 

Anyhow, I can very well say what I have heard various individuals from the region office say. As to weather or not they should be saying what they have said is another issue, and one that should be taken up with them, not with me.