Camping Events

Camporees

Offered by councils and by districts, these events typically include a few troops up to a few hundred participants and generally are organized around a theme. Check the schedule of any district or council (not just your own) for a variety of locations and themes. Examples:

• Winter Treks - Annual series of weekend events offered by Green Mountain Council at Mt. Norris Scout Reservation in Eden, Vermont, featuring a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.
• Chariot Themed Camporees - For these, each patrol needs to construct a chariot (sometimes a temporarily converted Klondike sled). Usually includes a chariot race, with the chariots powered by Scouts, of course.

Klondike Derby

Offered by nearly every district in the region (Troop 54 found 19 such events in our area in 2012), a Klondike Derby is a winter camporee featuring Scouts pushing sleds from one station to the next to participate in various activities. Check the schedule of any district or council (not just your own) for a variety of locations and themes. Most of these events are held in January and February.

Jamborees

Offered by individual councils, groups of councils or by the National BSA, jamborees typically include thousands of participants. Some examples:

• ConnJam - This jamboree is organized by the Connecticut Yankee Council every three years. It was last held May 11-13, 2018. Check the Connecticut Yankee Council calendar for future events; the next one should be in 2021.
• MassJam - This is a multi-council event organized every five years over the Columbus Day weekend at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in Falmouth, MA (on Cape Cod). It was last held October 6-8, 2018, so we expect the next one to be in 2023.
• National Scout Jamboree - For this event, each council organizes one or more temporary troops comprised of its participants in the jamboree.
• New Hampshire Jamboree - Daniel Webster Council organizes this event every four years, usually at a ski resort or race track in New Hampshire. The last such event was May 4-6, 2018, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Scout Expo - This event takes place about every four years in Connecticut and was last held October 6-8, 2017 with 4,000 participants expected. See the Connecticut Rivers Council website to check for the next expo.

Scout-O

Orienteering is a sport in which you use a compass to find defined points in the woods and navigate from one such spot to another. See the Orienteering section of our Sports Particiption page for more information on Orienteering. Some orienteering events offer camping as an option.

• ScoutOrienteering.com - Find out about orienteering events for Scouts, with some focus on earning the Orienteering merit badge.
• New England Orienteering Club (NEOC) - This organization runs orienteering events. They set up the courses, print the custom course maps and track participant times. All you need to do is register in advance, show up and pay. Their Scout-O events at Hale Reservation (in Westwood, MA) and at Nobscot Scout Reservation (in Framingham, MA), offer camping as an option.

Historic Scouting Events

• Isaac Davis Camporee - Annual camporee and re-enactment march to commemorate the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The camporee takes place on a field in Action, MA. The re-enactment march follows the original path taken by the Minutemen in 1775, from Acton to Concord, MA. As of 15 Jan 2025, the event had most recently taken place in 2023 with the event's future uncertain.
• Pilgrimage & Encampment - Annual series of events to honor George Washington’s Continental Army’s winter encampments. Comprised of a Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Valley Forge National Historical Park on the Presidents' Day Weekend (in Wayne, Pennsylvania) and a Weekend Encampment and Pilgimage at Valley Forge Military Academy in March (in Wayne, Pennsylvania). This series of events is organized by the Cradle of Liberty Council which describes them as "the longest, continuous Scouting event in the world" (2019 was their 107th year).

West Point Invitational

• Annual Scoutmasters' Council Invitational Camporee - The United States Military Academy at West Point hosts this annual event, with approximately 150 troops participating (Scouts BSA, Girl Scouts, Venture). The West Point cadets run the event, and they do a great job. You will need to enter an application early for a shot at this as the participants come from across the country. Check their website and Facebook page periodically to find out the application window.

Camp Sikorsky

• Camp Sikorsky - Hosted by and held at Sikorksy Aircraft in Stratford, CT, this annual fall event combines camping, merit badges and a plant tour. Check the Connecticut Yankee Council website for event and registration details.

Page updated 1/15/25 J. Froimson