The 2011 Where To Go Camping Guide A collection of camping, hiking, and water sports locations in and around Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming Table of Contents Opening Letter iii Longs Peak Council Camps 1 Ben Delatour Scout Ranch Colorado 2 Elkhorn High Adventure Base Colorado 5 Camp Jack Nicol Cub Scout Family Camp Colorado 12 Camp Laramie Peak Wyoming 18 Chimney Park Scout Camp Wyoming 22 Camp Patiya Colorado 27 Camp Jack Wyoming 30 Hiking and Backpacking 33 Rocky Mountain National Park Info Colorado 35 Cub Lake Loop Colorado 37 Chasm Lake Colorado 39 Eugenia Mine Trail Colorado 41 American Lakes Trail Colorado 43 Brown’s Lake Trail Colorado 45 Coffee Mill TH to Roberts TH Nebraska 48 CSU Environmental Learning Center Colorado 50 Emmaline Lake Trail Colorado 51 Green Mountain Trail Colorado 52 Greyrock Trail Colorado 53 Jim Creek Trail Colorado 54 Laramie Peak Wyoming 55 Rainbow Lakes Trail Colorado 57 Sleepy Lion Trail Colorado 58 Campgrounds and Campsites 59 Buckhorn Ranger Station Colorado 60 Chalk Creek Campground Colorado 61 Fort Robinson State Park Nebraska 62 Great Sand Dunes Natl Park Colorado 63 Horsetooth Reservoir Park Colorado 64 Jack’s Gulch Colorado 65 Jackson Lake State Park Colorado 66 Lake McConaughy Nebraska 67 Long Scraggy Mountain Ranch Colorado 68 Moraine Park Campground Colorado (RMNP) 69 Pawnee Campground Colorado 70 Pike Pole/Pickeroon Campground Wyoming 71 Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area Nebraska 72 Swift Ponds Colorado 73 Toadstool Park Nebraska 74 Veedauwoo/Rout National Forest Wyoming 75 Walgren Lake State Recreational Area Nebraska 76 i | P a g e Boating, Canoeing, and Waterways 77 North Platte River Float Trip Wyoming 78 Niobrara National Scenic River Nebraska 83 National High Adventure Bases 84 Philmont Scout Ranch New Mexico 84 Northern Tier National High Adv Base Minnesota 84 Florida Sea Base Florida 84 Appendix: Forms, Flyers, and Awards 85 Gregg Boundary Trail Award Colorado (BDSR) 86 Old West Trails Hiking Award Colorado, Wyoming & Nebraska 88 The Zimmerman Stage Trail Colorado 89 Old West Trails Award Application 91 Hiking Trip Plan (blank) 92 National Outdoor Challenge Unit Award 93 Historic Trails Award & Application 95 50-Miler Award & Application 96 BDSR Reservation Form Colorado 97 Camp Laramie Peak Reservation Form Wyoming 99 Chimney Park Camp Reservation Form Wyoming 101 Camp Patiya Reservation Form Colorado 103 Camp Jack Reservation Form Wyoming 105 Shooting Sports Range Reservation Form BDSR & CLP 107 Where To Go Camping—Camping Input Form 109 Where To Go Camping—Hiking Input Form 111 ii | P a g e KOLA LODGE #464 ORDER OF THE ARROW Longs Peak Council, Greeley, Colorado My Friends! Welcome to the 2011 edition of Kola Lodge’s Where To Go Camping Guide. We in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society, hope that you will find it both useful and informative in your unit’s program. Camping and hiking have been an important part of Scouting since its inception. Indeed, it is what initially draws many Scouts to the program and what often keeps him going in the program for years to come—looking forward to that next outdoors activity with his buddies. We see this as an ongoing project to assist each unit—whether a Scout troop, a Cub Scout pack, or a Venture crew—with its planning of outdoor activities. And we hope that it will grow with each edition in the number of camping, hiking, backpacking, and water activity locations described between its covers, but its success will ultimately lie in the quality of the locations submitted by each unit to share with other units. After all, all of us are interested not only in the program each of our own unit’s Scouts receive, but in the program provided to every Scout in Longs Peak Council. So we challenge each troop, each pack, and each crew to submit one more favorite location for the next edition. Instructions for doing so can be found at our lodge’s web page on the council website: http://www.longspeakbsa.org/OA. Thank you to everyone who submitted information for this 2011 edition. Let us all keep the “outing” in Scouting! Yours in Scouting’s Service, Brad Schneider 2010 Kola Lodge Chief 0 | P a g e Longs Peak Council Camps We in Longs Peak Council are fortunate to have available to us five Scout camps that our council either owns or leases for our use. Each camp provides its own unique type of Scouting experience, from a large camp with dining hall operations, to primitive style patrol camping, to backcountry trail camping experiences, to high adventure activities, and much more. Summer camp is offered at our two largest camps, Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in northern Colorado, and Camp Laramie Peak in Wyoming. Though each offers different activities and a different type of summer camp experience, both are first rate and each year receive the highest marks from both in-council and out-of-council units. Hopefully, your unit will choose to experience each of the camps to provide some variety in your summer camp experience. Indeed, a unit could easily rotate between summer camp at Camp Jeffrey, Soaring Eagle at Camp Ruth Coffin, and Camp Laramie Peak, with older Scouts attending the Elkhorn High Adventure Base, and many Scouts will thus not repeat the same experience during their Scouting career. | P a g e 1 Ben Delatour Scout Ranch Introduction. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, next to the Roosevelt National Forest, this camp has much to offer Scouts of any age. Ben Delatour Scout Ranch (BDSR) is located 45 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, near the village of Red Feather Lakes (map). At an elevation between 7,200 feet and 8,000 feet, the Ranch usually enjoys dry days ranging between the high 60's and mid 80's; and cool nights reaching from the 40's to the 60's. Weather extremes are to be expected at upper altitudes. Seven camping sessions will be held in 2011, insuring each unit will have a unique experience all its own. Soaring Eagle is open for Off-Season Use, but will be closed ONE SCOUT RANCH - FOUR CAMPS! for the summer of 2011 while the The Ranch is divided into Camp Jeffrey, Soaring Eagle at Camp camp makes some additional Ruth Coffin, Elkhorn High Adventure Base, and Camp Nicol Cub program improvements Scout Resident Camp. For a traditional Boy Scout summer camp experience, it consists of one coordinated program, but two separate sleeping and eating locations (Camp Jeffrey and Soaring Eagle at Camp Ruth Coffin). Camp Jeffrey is the dining hall camp where family style meals are served three times per day. Soaring Eagle is the patrol cooking style camp where food and cooking equipment are provided so that each Scout patrol can prepare its own meals daily. All camp sites are divided into patrol sites that vary in size. Each patrol site has at least one picnic table, a fire ring, and a varying number of two-person wall tents on wooden platforms. Each camp site is equipped with a latrine, wash stand, fire extinguisher, bulletin board, and cleaning supplies that can be checked out at the commissioner service area. | P a g e 2 Camp Jeffrey and Soaring Eagle Program Highlights Trail to First Class! For your newer scouts, we have the Trail to First Class program which focuses on rank advancement requirements leading to First Class. The program takes up only half the day, so the scout can work on other merit badges as well. The program has been around for a couple years and has been tremendously successful. It is highly recommended for newer scouts looking to hit the Trail to Eagle running. Merit Badges Galore! With over thirty merit badges to select from, Scouts can work toward the completion of the following: Archeology, Archery, Astronomy, Basketry, Bird Study, Camping, Canoeing, Climbing, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, First Aid, Fish & Wildlife Management, Fishing, Fly Fishing, Forestry, Geology, Horsemanship, Indian Lore, Leatherwork, Mammal Study, Nature, Orienteering, Pioneering, Reptile & Amphibian Study, Rifle Shooting, Rowing, Shotgun Shooting, Soil & Water Conservation, Space Exploration, Weather, Wilderness Survival, Woodcarving Also Available! Open Handicrafts, Open Shooting, Trout Fishing, Conservation Projects, WØBSA amateur radio station, Volleyball Older Scout Programs! For the older Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturer, and for some Scouts aspiring to greater adventure (some age restrictions may apply!), the following programs are available: C.O.P.E. and Advanced C.O.P.E. - two ropes courses available with low and high elements! Gregg Boundary Trail Hike of 12 miles Horseback Trail Rides Whitewater Rafting on the Cache La Poudre River Climbing Ascent Trek! Looking for something exciting and challenging for your older Scouts while your Troop is at BDSR? Participants spend the whole week backpacking in the BDSR backcountry, doing climbs that most people never see! This program is available each week of camp, and is operated out of the Elkhorn High Adventure Base at BDSR. Adult Programs! Adult leaders are invited to participate in a number of special programs and training sessions during their stay: Youth Protection Training Safe Swim Defense / Safety Afloat Leave No Trace Climb on Safely Trek Safely Wilderness First Aid Scoutmaster vs Staff Volleyball Contest Scoutmaster vs Staff Shootoff | P a g e 3 Special Scout and Unit Awards! Individual Scouts will have an opportunity to earn the following special awards: C.O.P.E. Achievement * Rock Climbing Achievement * Gregg Boundary Trail medal * or patch * Project SOAR Award * (Save Our American Resources) Mountaineer Award * These awards are available for purchase at the trading post. Units will be awarded a special ribbon for attending the Ranch, but they will also have an opportunity to earn the BDSR Pride Award Visit the Scouting Museum! The Armstrong Heritage Center at BDSR has many Scouting history displays from local to international events.