It may be hard for those of us who woke up to a snowstorm last week to believe, but summer really is coming, and soon. Our camp directors and rangers have been hard at work making sure our Council camps are shipshape and ready to accommodate thousands of Boy Scouts, leaders, young women, stakes, and adventure-seekers this summer. Check out the latest construction projects that are changing the face of our camps for the better:

Beaver High Adventure Base

The new well is complete at Beaver and our rangers are working to connect it to the water storage system. Thanks to this addition, Scouts will have plenty of fresh water from a reliable source for their adventures this summer.

We have also received funding from the NRA to build a second rifle range to expand the existing range facilities. This will allow twice as many Scouts to learn shooting sports and safety at Beaver this year.

Thunder Ridge Scout Camp

Thunder Ridge will be the latest home for a George S. And Dolores Dore Eccles Nature Center in the Council. Thanks to a generous donation from the Eccles Foundation, this camp will have an enclosed classroom with two attached pavilions to teach ecology and conservation. This center will be the third of its kind, joining those completed at Maple Dell and Scofield in recent years. Construction on the new Eccles Nature Center will begin in June.

Scofield Scout Camp at Frandsen Scout Ranch

Camp directors and rangers have been hard at work building new bathrooms with showers in the lodge at Scofield. Any former camp staff member who has made the long trek across camp to get to the old showers down in the valley will be thrilled to know that this year the showers will be much closer to home and actually have electric lights.

For any of you who have ever been to/worked at Scofield, you may have noticed and lamented the lack of flushing toilets. Not this year! (Except at the campsites, of course. Outhouses build character). This much-anticipated improvement to Scofield’s lodge will help campers and staff members alike this summer.

High Uintah and Bacon Park

Are getting a kitchen (trailer, that is)! This mobile kitchen will allow us to keep our hard-working staff members at both camps well fed and happy as they change the lives of the youth they serve. This kitchen will be used for other Council programs and events throughout the year, but will primarily be used to serve these two camps during the summer season.

Buck Hollow

We’re in the process of bringing water down to spigots in the area that houses Adventure Park and Webelos Wilderness Adventure, making it easier for our young Scouts to hydrate for those adventures they’re having.

Quail Creek

Our camp at Quail Creek is getting quite the makeover thanks to donations from companies and foundations across Utah. One of the biggest construction projects is the new stake pavilion that will allow large groups to use the camp for their own programs. Our Southern Utah crew has been hard at work, and the finishing touches are being put on now. The pavilion is now hosting its first Wood Badge.

Want to do a stake encampment or stake-sponsored Wood Badge course in the future? Start planning now! The stake pavilion will allow you to bring your whole group to experience the learning, growth, and fun that only the outdoors can provide. It will have an amphitheater for campfire programs, covered pavilion for activities, and a warming kitchen to heat up meals. It will also have bathrooms and showers for your group to use.

Maple Dell Scout Camp

Thanks to a grant from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, Maple Dell will also be home to a brand new stake pavilion. With some creative snow clearing, our crew has made some great progress. Dave Johnson sent this photo of work in progress. If you’ve ever been to Maple Dell, you know it is our council’s oldest camp and is full every summer with hundreds of Scouts. This new stake pavilion will let more groups use this beloved camp for stake encampments, family reunions, girls camps, and more.

Maple Dell’s Staff Lodge is also getting a construction overhaul to make it more versatile. Our rangers and construction crew are moving the kitchen and opening up more space for large group meetings. I was up with a large group this past weekend and with newly opened space we were able to better accommodate everyone.

Orem Office

Camps aren’t the only ones getting a face lift. Our Council office has also received some much-needed repairs, including a reconstruction of the warehouse area to better organize things and make more bathrooms available for customers.

We have also repaved the parking lot to make the office more accessible and help the lot last longer.

 

Author: Utah National Parks Council, Boy Scouts of America