Ever wondered, what are different summer camps available in Boys scouting at your council or national level.
By this blog, I would like to share some popular camps available within California and Golden Gate Area Council (GGAC) and my own experience with one of the popular camps.
Summer camps are a core part of the Scouting experience, blending countless fun nights under the stars with fun activities each day.
What are some Scout camps in California?
- Camp Wolfeboro ( ~180 miles from San Francisco)
- Wente Scout Reservation ( ~135 miles from San Francisco)
- Camp Royaneh ( ~80 miles from San Francisco)
- Camp Emerald Bay ( ~425 miles from San Francisco)
- Hi-Sierra Scout Camp ( ~121 miles from San Francisco)
- Camp Big Horn ( ~475 miles from San Francisco)
- Camp John Mensinger ( ~175 miles from San Francisco)
- Boulder Creek Scout Reservation ( ~72 miles from San Francisco)
There are of course, many more scout camps in California and a quick google search can bring the list of additional camps closer to your location.
What are top National high adventure camps of the Boy Scouts of America?
For high adventure camps, you may need to do more research and connect with other troops. Since I didn’t do any high adventure camp yet, so will skip the details here.
I’ve been to Camp Wente a few times and would cover it in the details below. But other camps follow the similar activities and may only be different from distance and facilities perspective.
Camp Wente Scout Reservation Details
Camp Wente reservation opens up early February/March of the year but if your troop has been there in previous year then you could make an advance booking. Camp Wente is approximately 135 miles from San Francisco and its closer to small town called Willits which has decent restaurants and a big Safeway for shopping. It’s around 15 mins drive from Willits to Wente campground and last mile of the road is bit rough and dusty.
Tip: Remember, you may not get strong cell phone signals at Wente but there are few spots where you may get T-mobile, AT&T and Verizon signal to make quick phone calls or web browsing. But here is good news, the office at Wente has free Wi-Fi ONLY for adult leaders and you may collect information from the office.
Wente offers different camp sites and if you are looking for a particular site then make sure you make reservation early enough to grab the spot. My troop usually prefers 12:OO High or Oak Flats.
The Wente camp usually runs from mid-June until mid-August and it’s 6 nights camp. The troop will check-in on Sunday and check-out on Saturday so camp coordinator can prepare to onboard other troops from next Sunday. The camp activities are run from Monday to Friday only and weekend are for check-in and check-out.
If your troop decides to participate in Wente summer camp, then an adult coordinator from the troop will reach out to get the list of interested scouts and make site reservation accordingly. You can start working on your choice of Merit Badges (schedule is available on Wente site) and once enrollment opens then either your adult coordinator or you can register for your desired Merit Badges or Eagle trails.
Wow, reservation is done, I can now sit and relax! Wait, it’s not done, and next step is planning for the camp which adult leaders and senior scouts shall drive in the troop.
Typical Day at Wente
You must get up around 6 am so you are ready for breakfast before 7am and morning flag salute around 8am. After flag salute, you disperse to respective tracks (Merit badge or Eagle trail) and come back around lunch time near dinning hall. After lunch, you go back Merit badge or Eagle trail track which may run until 5pm.
You may have reserved 1-3 Merit badges in the morning and 1-3 in the afternoon and some in late evening. You may finish most of these MBs until Thursday and usually Friday is kept catching up on any missed requirements. At the end of the day, the Wente staff updates the completed requirements by scouts for each merit badge and eagle trail and puts the list on bulletin board which is very helpful to make sure you didn’t miss anything. So always, keep an eye on it
Friday afternoon, your troop leaders get the final of merit badges and eagle trail list for all the scouts and asked to verify to make sure its accurate. If any correction is required, its reported and adjusted immediately. Friday evening is full fun, and you may have ice cream social to celebrate your success.
On Saturday morning, you start heading home YAY!
Tip: For adult volunteers, there are so many activities like biking, shooting, hiking etc. and you if you decided to work, then you can go to the office which has A/C and Wi-Fi.
Ok, now I will share my own experience from Wente
What is your experience at Scout camps?
Scout camps are an extremely fun and exciting way to earn merit badges, rank up, and have fun with friends for a (usually) week-long duration. There are countless activities to do, such as swimming, biking, hiking, orienteering, and more! Scout camps also present the perfect moments to explore areas for certain merit badges. For example, When I went to Camp Wente and doing the Forestry merit badge, I got the chance to visit a lumber mill and view how logs were being refined and cut. It also allows you to meet other scouts outside of your troop who are interested in the same things and make friendships with them.
What are the benefits from Scout camps?
To start, Scout camps are usually longer than regular camping trips, meaning that newer scouts will get lots of experience in camping in just one outing. It will help make them more independent and self-sufficient staying at camp.
Next, there are many offerings for merit badges and Eagle Trails. These will help you not only rank up fast but also explore cool and interesting topics such as Space Exploration, Personal Management, and Orienteering. The first time I went to a Scout camp, I earned 4-5 merit badges, significant progress towards my next rank, and a memorable experience!
Finally, you will be able to partake in fun outdoor activities that may have been hard otherwise. Where I went, many people went to the lake to swim and play fun games that had been set up by the camp officials. Many of my friends went biking, hiking, and orienteering. Summer camps are truly a unique way to experience fun outside of our ventilated rooms.
What Scout camp did you go to?
I went to one of the larger West Coast scout camps, WSR (Wente Scout Reservation). It holds close to 15 different campgrounds with some split across two troops. It is held over multiple weeks with new batches of Scouts entering every week and old ones leaving. It offers all the activities I talked about above and more! It presents an opportunity to learn and explore about anything you want, providing us with the freedom of summer we always wished for. At the end, there is a fun (and very competitive) contest held between the different troops called the Wentathlon. It also offers campfire programs that are held by the staff which are very entertaining and funny! For those who like orienteering, Wente offers its own challenge called the Kali-Ama and the King Kali-Ama. Wente also offers Scouts the opportunity to fish in the lake that surrounds everything. There is a coherent “culture” and theme to the campground that sets it apart from anything. Finally, on the last day, all program areas turn into camp-wide games so that scouts can enjoy after finishing all of their programs.
And we’re still not done! That’s everything I will cover for now though.
Overall, I have had lots of fun at summer camps and will not be hesitant to go again! I highly encourage every scout to try to attend these camps as and when possible.
Happy Camping!
