Winter Camp
The same camp, an entirely different experience. Cold mornings, clear nights, and a lake with nobody on it.
Dates and registration are on the council calendar.
View the East Texas Area Council calendar → (opens in a new tab)
Who it's for
Scouts BSA units looking for advancement opportunities and a genuine cold-weather camping experience outside the summer season. Units camp as units, the same as any other week at GWP.
Why come in winter
- Skills you cannot practice in July. Layering, cold-weather cooking, keeping a camp dry and warm — these are real Scouting skills and East Texas winter is a fair place to learn them.
- Smaller sessions. Fewer Scouts per instructor than a full summer week.
- Merit badge progress in the months when advancement usually stalls.
- The pinewoods in winter. Anyone who has only seen the camp in summer has seen half of it.
Coming prepared
Cold-weather camping is not summer camping with a jacket. East Texas winter runs wet as well as cold, which is harder on gear and people than dry cold. A sleeping bag rated for the actual overnight lows, a ground pad, and a genuinely waterproof outer layer are not optional. Units should review cold-weather preparation with Scouts and parents before arriving.
Cost
Fees are published with the event on the council calendar each year.
Documents
Leader guides, forms and packing lists for this program are posted here as they are released. In the meantime, the council calendar (opens in a new tab) listing has the current paperwork.
Ready to sign up?
Registration for every Camp Pirtle program is handled on the East Texas Area Council event calendar.