Why Us
In 2025 We Are Putting The Fun Back In Scout Camp!
This summer everything is #BetterAtBarstow.
Camp Barstow is building on the rollout of our innovative merit badge program by now offering 26 bundles with 63 unique merit badges. In addition, for our older Scouts (14 years and up) we will have an a la carte option available. Our expanded bundles now include programs for all ages of Scouts including a High Adventure option. At Barstow in 2025 you only have to answer 2 questions. What do I want to do the first part of the week? What do I want to do the second part of the week? This system is easy on Scout leaders too as Scouts spend time with the same counselors over 2 1/2 days and don’t switch classes every hour!
Can we share a secret? At Camp Barstow at 4:30 PM class is over and we flip the switch to free time. All across camp every program area is wide open with staffed activities such as open shooting, tubing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, tomahawk throwing, ecology tours on our pontoon boat (oh the list goes on!). After supper we pack the schedule with more fun activities until the sun goes down. In 2025 we are truly putting the fun back in Scout camp!
News
2025 Summer Camp Registration Online
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Get A Bonus Week Of Summer Camp
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Cub Scout Adventure Camp NOVA Quest July 14-16, 2023
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Bundles
Our bundles tie together complimentary merit badges that we teach in 2 1/2 day sessions that include about 14 hours of instruction. Scouts pick any pair of bundles from the 26 we offer. Each bundle features an 8:1 Scout to Staff ratio or better.
Barstow Frontiersman
A themed program that intertwines handicraft with Native American heritage and includes classic shooting sports merit badges. The Scouts in this program will spend two days in our Muscogee Village that includes a handicraft shelter and Native American dance arbor and teepee. ....
Barstow Explorer
Bartow Explorer is an ecology themed program that happens in the unique Lake Murray habitat. Instead of learning these merit badges on a picnic table we will have them up and moving exploring our unique environment. Our program has it’s own dedicated pontoon motorboat to facilitate the Scouts exploring the upper Saluda channel of the lake as well as some uninhabited islands near camp. ....
Barstow Voyager
The Voyager program is designed for Scouts that would like to spend two days mastering their paddling skills and merit badges.
These Scouts will have the opportunity to earn complimentary aquatics badges in Kayaking, Canoeing and Rowing.
....
Barstow Outdoorsman
The Outdoorsman program is built around core Scoutcraft skill merit badges. The Scouts will complete requirements in a blended schedule where they will work in small groups on various skills. In the outdoors they will learn how to prevent and treat common first aid situations. ....
Barstow Ranger
The Ranger program is for Scouts who want a challenge working on some of the more advanced Scoutcraft merit badges. Scouts in this program will learn the various methods of lashing and build a pioneering project. Scouts will learn how to stay safe in a back country setting. They will also be exposed to everything necessary to begin a backpacking program. The culminating activity will be a 2-mile hike that ends with spending the night in a shelter that the Scout has built. ....
Barstow Angler
This program is designed for Scouts who really want to catch their limit. Lake Murray is well known for its opportunities to fish. This program includes an early morning trip out with a professional stripper guide. Another trip out will be fly fishing on the Saluda River for trout below the Lake Murray dam. The Scouts will clean and cook some of the fish some of their catch. When the Scouts return from morning fishing they will work on requirements for Fish & Wildlife Management. A conservation project is also part of the curriculum....
2025 Camp Barstow Staff
Are you prepared to spend 5 1/2 weeks this summer making friends and having the time of your life working from sun up til sun down? The staff is what makes a Scout summer camp special. It’s the secret sauce that can turn an ordinary campfire into a hilarious event that you tell your friends and parents about later. The staff are the ones that sing that favorite song that you can’t get out of your head for weeks after you return home. They are also the ones that take time to get to know your name and are there to help you learn a new skill or encourage you to finish the badge.
Complete the 2025 Staff Application Here
At Camp Barstow we are currently recruiting our 2025 staff. We have openings in some areas and would love to talk to you about your interest in joining our team. Our first year staff members are typically Counselors in Training (CIT) and we start with Scouts as young as 14 willing to work hard and help make things #BetterAtBarstow. Staff commitment begins with the opening day of staff week on Sunday June 1 and finishes on Saturday July 5. Some staff will be asked to continue on with our ROTC Camp and 4-H Camp.
Here are some highlights for you to consider.
- most youth sleep in brand new Adirondacks with electricity
- adult staff typically sleep in air conditioned cabins
- we are recruiting youth and adult female staff
- room and board covered with a weekly salary ($200-$800/week d.o.e.)
- staff shirts and swag included at no charge
- we begin CITs at age 14 with recommendations from their Scoutmaster
- we have several openings in every program area and are always looking to talk to new spirited staff prospects
- we currently have an openings for senior staff positions – Assistant Program Director, Aquatics Director, Outdoor Skills Director, Ecology Director, Dining Hall, and Quartermaster
Alumni
Camp Barstow is the local Boy Scout camp serving the midlands of South Carolina. Opened in 1930, and made possible by the generosity of philanthropist William S. Barstow, Camp Barstow has operated at three locations: 1930 – 1940 on a tract of land now part of Ft. Jackson, 1942 – 1995 in Gaston, and 1996 – present on Lake Murray near Batesburg.
Throughout this long history, the summer camp program at Camp Barstow has been delivered to Scouts by a dedicated staff who have generously given their time and talents to make summer camp at Camp Barstow an unforgettable experience in the lives of thousands of boys and young men.
The Facebook Group is for all Camp Barstow Staff members past and present. There is information about the upcoming reunion on Tripp Clark’s website.
SAVE THE DATE: 2025 Camp Staff Reunion will be Saturday June 7th, more details to come!
