Ideas and suggestions for places to go, things to do. This page is for brainstorming. Run with it.
Ideal - have an annual plan. Book everything as soon as you make the plan.
Alternative--less ideal--but doable as 2020 has shown: plan a month or two at a time.
TBD add agenda, links, map locators, distances to each item
Drive in Saturday, stay later Sunday. Avoids late-night hike ins for some camps. Often a better experience for new campers.
Have a plan B. For weather, disease. It's going to happen. E.g. non-weather affected options - museum, game night, rec center, nearby Camp Howdy (Bryan) - Camp Arrowmoon (Hearne) - Pecan Lake (Somerville).
Go! The weather will change.
Contact Public Affairs or Emergency Managers at bases like Fort Hood. They sponsor a variety of activities.
Avenger Annual Planning requested focus on Eagle Required MB: First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Swimming, Cooking, Personal Fitness, Camping, Fishing, Geology, Architecture
Fishing at Jackson's house. Paintball requested. Dinosaur Valley requested. Guadalupe River requested.
5K thru Disaster City - Run for Remembrance
Aransas Pass
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - awesome drive and walk thru. Leave lots of time. Don't hurry this.
Drive and hike - alligators and other wildlife up close.
Observation areas for migratory birds - remote drive.
You don't camp here (the alligators are prevalent here).
Many oak trees are in their hundreds of years. Awesome shelters for people and wildlife.
Arrowmoon -Â https://camparrowmoon.org/
20 min 13 mi, just shy of Hearne.
Austin Riverside canoeing
Bat Cave
Big Bend
Bovay climbing tower
Bovay shooting range
Caddo lake - canoeing
Colorado Bend
175 mi (3 hr 15 min). Distances similar to Philmont achievable. Water feature: Co. River.
Cave tours www.cbcaves.com via Nicholas Outdoor Adventures. Kayaking too.
Davis Mtn
Disaster City - annual events at Brayton fire field TAMU watch the calendar
Often need volunteers for training dogs or to provide first aid practice.
Double Lake, Cold Springs
Enchanted rock camping, climbing, and beginner caving experience
Fort Boggy
Fort Hood
Lake Belton, ropes course, gated community, camp ground.
Cavalry, aircraft, drones, tanks : one base has simulators.
Fort Parker canoeing
Galveston - Texas Seaport Museum - Elissa (3 masted barque)
Galveston Island State Park
Galveston beach or Bolivar peninsula
Galveston - Sea Star Base
7509 Broadway St, Galveston, TX 77554
(409) 572-2560 - dedicated to teaching youth sailing, seamanship - nice facilities to overnight
Gardiner State Park - Crystal cave, hiking, swimming
Goose Island State Park
Stay here if doing things in or near Aransas.
Wear shoes in the water, if the glass doesn't cut your feet, the shells will.
Grand Canyon
MacDonald observatory Star Party
Matagorda Island
McKinney Falls - short day hike, good camping options minutes away
Monarch butterfly migration path through TX -- totally dependent sequence of warm days in the the month of Feb
Mother Neff State park Waco
Mustang island
Nimitz museum Fredericksburg.
Order of the Arrow Ordeal/Service weekend
Palmetto State Park
Pecan Lake, Somerville
1st gate: 30.28717, -96.60332
2nd gate: 30.28965, -96.60530
1st gate to the big oak is ~4900 ft. Just shy of a mile.
We usually truck in, but can hike from gate too.
Road after 1st gate sensitive to rain: 6-8 hours for water to clear the road after any heavy downpour.
Port Aransas - Jetty boat from Fishermans Wharf to San Jose Island - $12/head dep.
Hourly starting 7am jettyboat.net 361-749-5448. No services on the island!
Seminole Canyon
Sam Houston National Forest - horseback riding
Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge
Stephen F. Austin State Park - Seely / Waller
Strake
TAMU rec center climbing wall
USS Lexington, Corpus Christi - night aboard
Waco Riverside canoeing
Young Eagles is an annual event - watch the calendar
Sponsored locally by enthusiasts at Coulter Field.
Opportunity to earn Aviation MB.
Opportunity to fly.
https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/free-ye-flights
Reservations open two years in advance. No longer a lottery.
$1000/seat, minimum 2 adults, 5 youth
Must be 14 or above. Long planning time. Training recommended.
Elevations above 10000 ft. Raton region of New Mexico.
Hear there's ranching/wrangling facilities and opportunity too.
Options for winter camping with create-your-own-itinerary.
Physically demanding.
Must book a year in advance to get desired date.
Excellent hiking practice for pre-Philmont scouters: rocky terrain, camping on the trail, significant variations in elevation.
Book up to a year in advance to get desired dates.
Excellent hiking practice: rocky terrain, camping on the trail, significant variations in elevation.
Historical Fort in hiking distance > 3 miles away.
Facilities for canoing and swimming on a good-sized lake.
Book early for group camping facility. Getting more popular.
$15 for 3 hours per canoe. Includes paddles, PFDs.
Very muddy lake bottom--not ideal for shallow swimming.
Good fishing area by primitive group camp facility.
Much wildlife.
Extremely dry terrain.
Horse, biking, and hiking trails -- long distances, modest variation in elevation.
Beautiful camp, stream, facilities at the foot of the Rockies.
Well-organized staff and support.
Provides for both high-adventure (biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, ...) and varied activities for merit badge camp--riflery, archery, canoing, climbing, camping, etc.
Pikes Peak Council--not far from Colorado Springs.
Lake Bridgeport
Long distances between activity centers.
Strong on watersports, riflery, shotgun, archery.
One of few that has strong welding program.
Strong horsemanship program.
Hot.
Well-regarded high-adventure program too. Ride the lake in pontoon boats between activity centers.
Local re-enactment groups often plan their events to incorporate campers.
Heart attack hill--quite the hike up to the dining hall depending on where your camp site is.
Floods seasonally these days.
Property retired/sold.
Horseback riding.
Property retired/sold.
Hot, hot, hot. Those pines block the breeze.
Long trails cool, well-shaded.
A few bikers, but mostly joggers from the region.
Long and short trails to choose from.
Bastrop to Buescher hike between 10-15 mi.
Hiking and biking over to Nails Creek park and back again.
Awesome water feature.
Rugged terrain to hike through.
50 miles or more of canoing.
Nearby Coastguard facility can be tapped for facilities and equipment tour.
Community annually places Christmas trees to help re-establish beach.
Shipping lane for some huge boats.
Excellent introductory biking trails.
Sailing and boating can be arranged with TAMU club.
Boating, canoing place -- bring your own.
Camping. 76 miles of lake front to hike.
Distinct experiences: state park vs. corp of engineers managed land.
Always looking for service to maintain trails, equipment, bridges, pads, and environment.
Nearby. Good for a hike from home to an overnight camp.
It is not "just for Girl Scouts"!
Just shy of Hearne. ~23 mile drive there; drop-off at Rabbit Run & TX-OSR makes a good 10 mi hike.
Good for advancement.
Webelos Woods and Camporee spring and fall [recruiting] activities occur here.
Available to all youth groups in the 5 surrounding counties.
Happens to be used often by Scouts.
https://camparrowmoon.org/