This BSA camp was one that was recommended to us by our readers. Camp Naish consists of 900 acres owned by the Heart of America Council, Boy Scouts of America. This land consists of several rolling hills, rising up to 400 feet above the Kaw River valley nearby. Three hills on Camp Naish rise more than 1,000 feet above sea level and are the highest in Wyandotte County. The hills at Naish are mostly covered in a dense sub-climax oak/hickory forest, with an elm and dogwood understory. The camp also contains several meadows of varying sizes, mostly in areas that were at one-time plowed fields. Scouting Magazine said in their April 2019 article about the camp that, throughout June and July, Bears and their accompanying adults stay at Cub World for two days and one night of fun. Cub World, on the north end of camp, offers a castle made of stone, a simulated mine, ranges for BB guns and archery, a nature area, and a pirate-themed water park. During their time at Bear Camp, boys and girls bounce from area to area, trying as many activities as they can. Camp Naish isn’t just for Cub Scouts. Naish’s summer camp gives Scouts a chance to use the skills they’ve been practicing in their troops all year. Scouts can choose from more than 40 merit badges; spend some free time hiking, swimming or climbing; impress the judges during the dessert cook-off, and paddle it out in the cardboard kayak race. You can also explore the fascinating history of the camp, which is named for Theodore Naish, a civil engineer who died on May 7, 1915, sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat.
The camp’s website is https://www.hoac-bsa.org/camping. The address for the camp is 1100 Martinek Ln, Kansas City, KS. 66111. Camp Theodore Naish can be gotten to by following this map:https://goo.gl/maps/WyS93pnUdrZ2Mr9n8. Camp Theodore Naish is about 30 minutes SW of Kansas City, Missouri. The camp’s GPS coordinates are 39.077608 N, -94.850760W.
Summertime temperatures make it into the mid to upper 80s and fall into the low to mid 70’s overnight. Scouts are housed in canvas tents on wooden platforms. Most meals, if not all, will be prepared by the food service staff in the dining hall.
The Camp Naish Scouts BSA summer program includes a 7-day adventure with a robust merit badge curriculum that includes 42 merit badges ranging in subjects from Movie Making to Welding as well as exciting outpost programs from
sun-up to sun-down. The Camp says that we hope you will notice and take advantage of the new program elements which have been added in the last few years, including our Top Shot Powder Ball Patrol activity. We are proud to have a safe place in our storm shelters for every troop member to wait out storms as well as shelter tops above to give your troop a great working space in your campsite. For members of the Order of the Arrow, we would encourage you to visit our restored Whippoorwill council ring.
Camp Fee for the camp is $250 per Scout before May 6, 2020, and $275 after May 7th, 2020. A reservation deposit fee of $50.00 is due with each application. Because of Covid19, all summer camps are currently delayed until fall, and then subject to review. From the camp website, they say...This situation is truly unprecedented and as we look towards this summer and our camping operations, we are committed to remain proactive and make decisions that will protect the families we serve. Under the direction of local health officials, our council’s Risk Management and Camping committees are reviewing all scenarios daily in an effort to make the best recommendation possible for this summer’s camping operations. A decision on whether a camp will occur as scheduled will be made 30 days prior to the camp’s scheduled start date. Should the start date be altered or canceled, that information will be communicated via email to all unit leadership and will be posted on the council website.
If you have any registration questions, you can email Laura Campbell, at laura.Campbell@scouting.org. General questions about the camp can be answered by calling 913-422-1035. If you’ve ever been to Camp Laramie Peak, please share your experience with us in the comment section below.
