Get Amped for These 8 Cool Scout Camps of 2015

Pick the perfect destination for your troop’s summer adventure. Whether you go rock climbing at the nation’s highest-elevated Scout camp, canoeing in a Louisiana bayou or lobster fishing off Cape Cod, one thing’s for sure: great adventures await.

Click here to see more Scout Camps featured in previous years

CAMP SEQUOYAH

Greater Alabama Council
Delta, Alabama

GRAVITY FALLS: Camp Sequoyah’s most thrilling feature is the Sequoyah Sidewinder, a resort-quality waterslide that sends you flying toward the waterfront below. Enjoy other waterfront activities like swimming, canoeing and kayaking.

MUCK IT UP: You’ll get really dirty during Adventure Valley, the insane night obstacle course. Scouts are warned to wear clothes they never want to wear again.

DREAM ON: They call this place the Land of a Thousand Dreams, but Land of a Thousand Activities would be just as accurate. Conservation projects, shooting sports, boating, merit badges and a day hike to Alabama’s highest point, Mount Cheaha, will keep you busy.

CONTACT: 205-970-0251; 1bsa.org

CAMP STEINER

Great Salt Lake Council
33 miles east of Kamas, Utah

WHAT’S UP: At 10,400 feet, Camp Steiner is the highest-elevated Boy Scout camp in the country. It’s so high that for the first week or two of summer camp, there’s still snow on the ground.

HITTING THE WALL: Earn the Climbing merit badge in style while climbing up and rappelling down Picturesque Wall, a natural rock face named for its incredible views.

ROUGHING IT: Because of its remote location, Camp Steiner has no electricity or cellphone coverage. That means it’s a great chance for you to disconnect for a week and test your limits.

CONTACT: 801-582-3663; saltlakescouts.org

S BAR F SCOUT RANCH

Greater St. Louis Area Council
Knob Lick, Missouri

GET TREED: Tents are great, but it’s not every day you get to sleep in a treehouse. During summer camp season at S bar F, the treehouses are used for programs. But the rest of the year, your troop can rent one or all five.

HEY, NEIGHBOR: Want to visit a friend in the next treehouse over? Don’t bother climbing down. Walkways connect the treehouses so you can visit neighbors with ease.

OPTIONS GALORE: Summer camp activities include boating, swimming, paddleboarding, rock climbing, horseback riding and more. In other words: You’ll never be bored.

CONTACT: 314-361-0600; stlbsa.org

CLAYTOR LAKE AQUATICS BASE

Blue Ridge Mountains Council
Radford, Virginia

MAKE WAVES: On-the-water thrills don’t get much better than wakeboarding. It’s a mix of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing, and Claytor Lake Aquatics Base teaches you all the moves. This one’s only for Scouts 14 or older.

NEED FOR SPEED: Scouts can hop onto a personal watercraft. You’ll feel like you’re hovering above the water’s surface as you maneuver around Claytor Lake.

PADDLE POWER: Ditch the motor and create your own propulsion as you earn your Kayaking merit badge or get certified in stand-up paddleboarding.

CONTACT: 540-777-7963; bsa-brmc.org

CAMP KERN

Southern Sierra Council
Lakeshore, California

SET SAIL: Earning the Small-Boat Sailing merit badge is hardly a breeze. But you won’t find many sailing spots better than Camp Kern on Huntington Lake (elevation: 7,000 feet). The winds are strong, and the sailboats pristine.

BARGE IN: Camp Kern is so remote that there’s no road to camp. Instead, you and your troop travel in on one of five daily barges across the lake.

HIKE OUT: Leave camp on hike day to explore the 22,700-acre wilderness. The 12-mile hike to Rancheria Falls is one of the best. It combines spectacular views with plenty of chances to cool off in the creek.

CONTACT: 559-893-3387; sscbsa.org

CAMP MERIWETHER

Cascade Pacific Council
Cloverdale, Oregon

WAKE-UP CALL: The Polar Bear swim at Camp Meriwether might be the coldest of any summer camp in the Lower 48. If you’re brave enough, get up at 6 a.m. to dash into (and immediately out of) the 55-degree waters of the Pacific Ocean. That’s 15 to 25 degrees colder than temps in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.

ALL ABOARD: Try sandboarding — snowboarding’s summer cousin — for a sensational slide down sand dunes.

LIVING HISTORY: At Fort Clatsop, explore a replica of a stockade built in 1805. You’ll make candles, throw tomahawks and try your hand at blacksmithing.

CONTACT: 503-226-3423; cpcbsa.org

CAMP GREENOUGH

Cape Cod & Islands Council
Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts

NICE CATCH: Hungry for clams or lobster? On the Cape Cod Maritime Adventure Treks, Scouts age 13 or older pull in fresh catches from the Atlantic Ocean. Better grab a plate.

SET OF WHEELS: Bicycling is the main mode of transportation during your five-day Cape Cod trek. You’ll ride 20 to 30 miles a day, passing cranberry bogs, scenic villages and Atlantic Ocean beaches.

BON VOYAGE: A Cape Cod trek isn’t complete without time on the water. Board a classic schooner, ride a vintage Coast Guard rescue boat or head out for a whale-watching trip.

CONTACT: 508-362-4322; scoutscapecod.org

LOST BAYOU SCOUT CAMP

Evangeline Area Council
St. Landry, Louisiana

TIME TRAVELERS: Imagine yourself as an 18th-century French fur trader at Lost Bayou Scout Camp. You’ll paddle among giant cypress trees in what’s basically a forest within an 800-acre body of water.

NOT ALONE: Keep an eye out for bass, white perch, egrets, beavers, turtles and even the occasional cocodrie — the Cajun French word for alligator.

MODERN COMFORTS: The cypress trees are old, but the camp’s facilities are new. There’s an Olympic-size swimming pool, Louisiana’s first COPE course and a suspension bridge that leads to a private island.

CONTACT: 337-235-8551; eacbsa.org