Summer Camp Within 4-5 hours of NJ

[Karen_216]

There is also small troop owned camp in Valley forge pa called Jarvis that has it's own Cope course and Tower. you could do the 1- mile valley forge hike to get a medal and patch through Pennsylvania Trails program. Camp jarvis is available for weekend rental.

The Chester County Council operates boy socut camp Camp Ware on the Md border. It's on the Octorara resevoir.

[Karen_216]

-- VF hike is 10 miles.

[Karen_216]

Another oops. Ware is the Cub Camp. Horseshoe is the Boy Scout camp.

Cradle of Liberty council has several in Bucks, pa too.

[scoutmomma]

Cradle of Liberty Council has Resica Falls in the Poconos and Treasure Island, in the Delaware River, in Bucks County. Treasure Island is near Ockanickon, which is Bucks County Council's camp.

[oldsm]

Come on farther north and east. Camp Mattatuck, a Connecticut Rivers Council camp just north of Waterbury CT is excellent. It is a "traditional" scout camp with a varied program. It is not a merit badge mill. There's an excellent COPE course with a 300+ foot zip line, boating, swimming, canoeing, rowing, archery and rifle ranges, nature, mountain biking, scoutcraft...Excellent food in the dining hall. The staff is fantastic. Oh, yes, the climbing tower: it's the one featured on the cover of the current Climbing merit badge book.

For info, visit http://www.campmattatuck.org/

[cubdadinnj]

I almost hate to post this -- the camp is usually quite full and we're glad to go there. This is the 11th year our troop has gone here, for a full 2 weeks each time.

 

http://www.otetiana.org/massawepie/

 

We're located in northern NJ -- its about 6 -7 hour drive. We charter a bus and make an "event" of it.

 

/p

[mikecummings157]

Try Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rhode Island. It's a first rate camp! We come down from Central New York every summer.

 

http://www.narragansettbsa.org/yawgoog/

 

http://www.campyawgoog.org/

[PhillyScout]

I definitely recommend Treasure Island. Its an amazing camp with tons of history and tradition as the oldest camp in the US and the birthplace of the Order of the Arrow. They have recently revitalized the camp after nearly having it closed due to severe flooding 2 years in a row. Everything is close together, the program is well run, the staff is amazing, and hey...YOU'RE ON AN ISLAND! They also offer free tubing trips down the river which is very unique among scout camps. You can also go on rock climbing trips to Ralph Stover State Park, canoe trips, and bike trips off the island.

 

Its a great experience for the boys and leaders.

[fotoscout]

You know I have the hardest time understanding why people constantly sing the praises of Yawgoog. Are so many people so superficial that they can't see the forest through the trees?

 

As others have noted, one of the first things that make a good camp is the staff. Yawgoog's staff is simply arrogant, and not at all interactive with the scouts. Most scouts don't even know their MB counselors name at the end of the week heck, a significant number of scouts bailout on MB classes and are never missed because the classes are so big. Sure the PCs are nice enough, but lets not loose site of the fact that they are individually selected to interface with the adult leaders, but they have nothing to do with the youth.

 

There is nothing for the older scouts except COPE, and not everyone likes COPE. One or two oddball MB's limited by age does not make a program for older boys. How unfair to the boys that stay with the troop as they get older. No new experiences, no real outdoor challenges, nothing new to look forward to except more of the same.

 

A mass swim test that is hazardous to the younger weak swimmers in the troop.

 

Then there's the food, or shall I say dog food! Now don't get me wrong, no one expects 5 star food at scout camp, but this stuff is pitiful. I am embarrassed to sit the boys down at the table knowing what is about to be served. Their parents expect better of us!! Oh yeah, and how about the no meal on Sunday....... where is the hospitality? While I'm at it, let's not forget the dining hall program that must have been designed by the US Army Physiological Operations Division. If you've ever been exposed to or studied brainwashing techniques and thought conditioning drills, you'll know what I'm talking about! Sure some degree of camp spirit is a part of any dining hall program, but this is way out of line. How about being able to sit with your scouts and discuss the days activity? Isn't that whats supposed to happen at the table. Most camps really do allow you sit through your meal, and then the dinning hall program starts up.

 

No program on Sunday night, Monday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning (except for the self serving death march in 90-100 degree temperatures). What's going on here? Where is the respect for my time? The boys get nothing out of all this down time, while those of us that spend a great deal of time away from home engaged in scouting activities are taken advantage of. Most, almost all camps run on a Sunday Saturday program, with camp activities beginning Sunday afternoon and of course dinner on Sunday night followed by the opening campfire.

 

I could probably go on for another page but Im sure you get the point. I am thankful that I am not the one making the decision to go there, but neither are our scouts. Unfortunately its being made for them.

 

[oldsm]

Fotoscout, see my earlier comments about Camp Mattatuck near Waterbury CT: http://www.campmattatuck.org.

It will resolve ALL of the concerns you have. My troop has gone there for years, and the older boys keep coming back - actually, 4 of them opted to be CIT after our week and plan to be on staff next year. Your scouts will know their counselors' names by the end of Monday. The food is outrageously good for a scout camp - plentiful, too. Example: for the salad bar they don't use bagged iceberg lettuce - I saw the kitchen staff actually cutting up real romaine. The scouts even commented about how good the food was.

 

[bsrsakima39]

It seems that I'm getting into this a little late, but Camp Bashore of the Pennsylvania Dutch Council, near Lebanon, PA, is worth checking out. Its website is www.campbashore.org. They draw a lot of out of council troops.