Summer Camp w/in 4hrs of Columbus OH?

[mlg0171]

Can anyone strongly recommend a BSA summer camp w/in 4 hours of Columbus Ohio?

 

Looking for

- well run New Scout program (not run by a 14 year old who would rather be working at the waterfront)

- not a MB factory

- decent high adventure options for older scouts.

 

Thanks

[Ohio_Scouter]

Hi mlg0171,

 

I would recommend Chief Logan Scout Reservation or Camp Falling Rock. These summer camps are run by the Simon Kenton Council out of Columbus, OH. Our troop has attended both of these summer camps over the past few years, and the guys recommend them highly. Check out their web sites here under Summer Camps:

 

http://www.skcbsa.org/

[mlg0171]

Yeah, sorry, let me clarify.

We'd like to get a little farther from Columbus but not too far. For example, Friedlander near Cincinnati or Heritage in PA.

 

[rkfrance]

Firelands Scout Reservation in the Heart of Ohio council (Lorain County).

 

Excellent 1st year program - "Trailblazers" (definitely not run by 14 year old)

 

Decent selection of MB courses with advanced staff available for special interests.

 

Can't say I know enough about the HA aspect, but we did have 3 coed Crews at camp the week our Troop was there last year that had an excellent time.

 

Details at http://www.bsa-heartofohio.org and summer camp leader guide at http://www.doubleknot.com/openrosters/DocDownload.asp?orgkey=1097&id=30701

[ASM915]

mlg,

 

Check out Seven Ranges in Buckeye Council. It is about 30-40 minutes east of Canton, Ohio. The camp has a good FROG (First Year Orientation Group) program. I'm not sure how old the counsellors are. They have a top notch Ecology program that runs a few very good tree and plant ident. programs, a good star-search program, and the 80+ year old camp honors Pipestone Program.

Their Wilderness Survival and Emergency Preparedness MB's are excellent.

 

To participate in the Pipestone Program, the scouts have to do a Good Turn Project. The camp has three weekends set aside during the spring as GTP weekends. The projects can be done at any of the Council camps, but 7 Ranges draws the bulk of the Troops on the three weekends. The projects can be done any timwe of the year by talking with the camp ranger.

 

A second requirement is that each Scout needs to bring a cubic foot of wood, (sticks between the size of your little finger and your thumb, barkless,. No smoke when burned.) This may change with the problems with the green ash bore. There are other requirements that are easily fulfilled while at camp.

 

The camp honors staff, 200 to 300 people other then the regular camp staff, use the wood for all the fires they have burning during the program which runs from around 9PM until as late as 3:30 AM. There are usually 4 simultaneous programs running at the same time in 4 identical amplitheaters within a few hundred yards of eachother around a large hill, but totally unbeknownst to the participants.

 

You can camp in main camp and use the dinning hall, or at outpost where you do your own cooking. There is a pantry set up in the pavillion and a shed with freezers and fridges to store your food in. Our kids refuse to camp in main camp. They love Outpost. Plus it is a lot cheaper then main camp.

PM me with any questions.

 

Check it out at www.7ranges.org.

 

Maybe we'll see you next summer

 

YIS,

Eric P.

[Gold Winger]

Heritage Reservation, about 1/2 hour east of Uniontown Pa is pretty nice. They offer both dining hall and patrol cooking camps.

 

 

[Bassetdad]

Mlg

 

Take a look at Camp Friedlander, its only two hours away from you.

http://www.danbeard.org/camping_boy.aspx

 

Bassetdad

 

[mlg0171]

Funny you should mention it...we booked there.

Thanks.

[Eamonn]

Westmoreland Fayette Council has Camp Conestoga in Somerset PA.

Call (724) 837-1630 and ask for details.

Eamonn.

[Lisabob]

I see you've got a camp picked out for this year. There's also Camp Manatoc in the Akron area (also within 4 hrs of Columbus). Anybody been there? I haven't yet, but the troop is going this summer.

[mlg0171]

Believe it or not, the search committee (from which I distanced myself because I have enough on my plate) started with a list of 50(!) camps, got info on all of them, and whittled down from there.

[BuffaloSR793]

Check out Camp McKee, in Jeffersonville, KY. Part of the Bluegrass Council.

 

http://campmckee.org/campindex.htm

 

 

 

[Bassetdad]

How does Camp McKee compare to Camp Crooked Creek?

[ASM915]

mlg,

Was 7 Ranges one of the camps they checked out. Just curious.

 

Lisa, I pretty much grew up at Manatoc, but that was back in the 70's. Manatoc and Camp Butler (what used to be the more primitive camp of the two) are ajoining properties using the same waterfront. Manatoc has a pool. Butler, I don't know for sure. They may still use the old waterfront for swimming. Both camps make up about 700 acres and sit within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There is plenty of hiking in the valley, and skiing in the winter. The OA's Cuyahoga Valley Trail runs through both camps and is 13.7 miles long. Kendall Lake and Ledges border Manatoc.

 

Summer-camp use to be pretty nice. the dining hall is a historical site. I was at their Council offices today. They are starting a dining hall expansion. I don't know the timeline on the construction. You might want to check.

 

Eric

[EagleInKY]

I can't say a lot about the McKee of today, since I haven't been there since I was on staff back in the 80s. But when CCC was built in the late 80s. It definitely sought to be a step-up from McKee, since their council was losing troops to McKee and other surrounding council camps.

 

As I understand it, McKee has made some physical improvements to make it competitive with CCC. So the physical facilities aren't that much different. McKee has some better trails, while CCC has several "specialty" camps.

 

McKee used to have a reputation of having a strong staff who really interacted well with the boys. The last I heard, this was still the case, and definitely an area where they are stronger than CCC.