14 Dec 2024 — Camp Workcoeman has a variety of programs taking place this winter and spring for both Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts. In addition, training opportunities and campsite/facility rentals are available. We hope to you at camp!
The waterfront at Camp Workcoeman is the finest in the council! It has all the facilities for the best aquatic programs. The camp’s fleet of boats and canoes includes many varieties of sail boats for beginners and experts. West Hill Pond is also a great place to try your hand at sailing and kayaking. The swimming opportunities are superb, offering a world of water fun and knowledge always under the utmost safety. Mile Swim, Snorkeling BSA, Kayaking BSA, and Life-Guard BSA are among the special awards instructed by our trained aquatic staff. New additions include stand-up paddle boards and a water trampoline.
Camp Workcoeman is the location of the Henry Griffin Nature Lodge. It is the center of the outdoor laboratory for all of its programs, excellent demonstration area, and examples of wilderness management. Many displays and activities let Scouts experience the need for nature and conservation. Come see all of the live exhibits in the Nature Lodge.
Rifle shooting, shotgun shooting, and archery are always popular activities. Older Scouts can participate in the pilot Pistol Shooting Program. Muzzle loading rifle shooting and tomahawk throwing are a great part of the Shawtown Wilderness Trek for older Scouts.
This is the camp’s center for fitness development. Activities are inter-troop, patrol, or individually centered. Our basketball court is a real hit. Other popular activities include gaga ball and earth ball.
The Scoutcraft Program offers patrols and troops a wide variety of outdoor activities. These programs encourage self-reliance and foster an appreciation of the environment, all while having fun. Many of these activities include demonstrations that show Scouts the techniques of camping, ranging from basic cooking to advanced survival. The Scoutcraft Staff offers training for both youth leaders and Scouters, with a special emphasis on Leave No Trace. Most Scoutcraft activities occur at the Sturge B. Shields Campcraft Area, located near the beginning of the Red Trail; however, many activities can be conducted in your campsite.
The Handicraft area offers a choice of formal or informal programs for those Scouts who just like to try their hand at a specific craft. The Trading Post carries a large variety of craft supplies, in addition to the materials on hand in the Handicraft area. You are always welcome to bring your own supplies and finished work to show others.
Refurbished and expanded for the 2016 season, Workcoeman has a four-sided, 32' tall rock climbing and rappelling wall for Scouts 13 years and older. The climbing wall is located at the Sports Field, where Scouts are shown the proper use of technical climbing equipment, including climbing harnesses, ropes, and belay devices. Scouters are welcome to give it try too!
Project COPE is a national program of the Boy Scouts of America. Challenge your Scouts with group initiative games, trust elements, low-course events, and high-course events. Some activities involve a group challenge, while others develop individual skills and agility. Participants climb, swing, balance, jump, rappel, and devise solutions to a variety of problems. Most participants achieve much more than they imagined they could. Workcoeman has a low ropes course, and the COPE program often uses the high ropes course at nearby Camp Mattatuck.
Camp Workcoeman is located in the hills of northwest Connecticut in scenic New Hartford and Barkhamsted. The camp consists of approximately 427 acres on the shore of beautiful West Hill Pond, possibly the cleanest in Connecticut.
Established in 1924, it is one of the oldest continuously operated Scout camps in the country. For 100 years, thousands of Scouts and Scouters have had unforgettable Scouting experiences at Camp Workcoeman. This fine tradition of Scouting continues today.