SCOUTS HIGH ADVENTURE BASES
PHILMONT
Philmont Scout Ranch is the Scouting America’s oldest national high-adventure base. It covers 137,000 acres – about 214 square miles – of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico.
Thirty-four staffed camps and 55 trail camps are operated by the ranch. Philmont has high mountains dominating rough terrain with elevations ranging from 6,500 to 12,441 feet.
Philmont Scout Ranch provides an unforgettable adventure in sky-high backpacking country along hundreds of miles of rugged, rocky trails. Program features combine the best of the Old West – horseback riding, burro packing, gold panning, chuck wagon dinners, and interpretive history – with exciting challenges for today, such as rock climbing, burro racing, mountain biking, and .30-06 rifle shooting.
NORTHERN TIER
Come to Northern Tier for a whole new level of adventure, up north! From incredible canoe journeys to wild winter wilderness camping, Northern Tier promises the Scouting adventure of a lifetime in the Great North Woods of northern Minnesota and Canada.
Explore 4 million acres across the Northern Tier bases with one-of-a-kind adventures, including canoe Treks for 6-14 people – guided by an experienced staff member, winter adventures unlike anywhere else in the world, various winter activities including snowshoeing, ice fishing, and ice-camping, and specialty mushing camp and dog treks.
THE SUMMIT
Located in the wilds of West Virginia, The Summit is an adventure center for the millions of youth and adults who love the outdoors. Whether it’s paddling inflatable kayaks down whitewater rapids, racing ATVs on backcountry tracks, or sharpening archery skills — there’s a super-charged outdoor adventure waiting for everyone. With incredible facilities and amazing outdoor programs, The Summit is a place that takes your high adventure to the limits!
The 10,600-acre site near Beckley, to be named “The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve,” will realize the vision of a national center of Scouting excellence. The development of the site is made possible by a $50 million gift, the largest in Scouting America history, from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
Get ready to experience all that the Summit has to offer. Fun outdoor activities including ziplining, challenge courses, shooting opportunities, skating, specialized experiences in white water rafting down class 1-4 rapids, and multi-day ATV trekking
SEA BASE
The Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is owned and operated by the National Council of the Scouting America to offer unique educational aquatic programs to our members. Located in Islamorada and on Summerland Key in the beautiful Florida Keys, as well as Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, the heart of the Florida Keys, the near shore reefs and crystal clear waters offer unparalleled opportunities for long term and short term programs year round.
Florida Keys Base is your opportunity for scuba certification and diving adventures, sailing excursions and entire week fishing programs, water activities like kayaking, snorkeling, coral Reef restoration programs and other STEM related education adventures, and exploring the Bahamas and US Virgin Islands.
LOCATIONS MAP
Planning For High Adventure
UNIT-BASED HIGH ADVENTURE PLANNING
Planning a High Adventure trip can seem daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. We want to help every unit be able to participate in the exciting High Adventure opportunities that Scouting America has to offer!
To help units plan and execute a High Adventure trip, we have compiled several resources as a starting-point to help show that an AWESOME High Adventure experience is accessible to Scouts of all backgrounds and experience levels.
I’m sure you are asking – “But what about the cost?!” Yes – High Adventure trips are expensive, but they can be accessible and possible for youth of all financial backgrounds. The key is in how much the youth is willing to work to make the experience possible. In addition to the fundraising done at the unit level, the High Adventure bases also have financial aid available for those Scouts who demonstrate a need.
Here are some resources for you to use when planning a unit-based High Adventure trip:
- Consider joining as part of a Council Contingent for your first trip. The council offers annual council contingents to Philmont, and we have begun to offer trips to Northern Tier as well. We take much of the planning and logistics work off the unit leaders – their main responsibility becomes advising the youth attending to be sure they are physically ready for the experience, ensure their safety, and help develop them as leaders. Learn more about these opportunities further down on this page.
- If you want to plan a trip yourself to give you more flexibility, each of the High Adventure Bases has unit-based experiences to choose from throughout the year based on the base you are attending and when you want to do the trip.