Did you recently attend the canoe camporee and enjoy the trip?!?! How about extending the experience to 5 days and 63 miles of paddling on the James River in Virginia with your scout friends!!! Have you heard your fellow scouts telling stories and laughing about when they went on the James River trip in 2023?
Scouts & Leaders who enjoy canoeing, camping, and are looking for a new experience or challenge beyond traditional resident camp next summer should continue reading and consider signing up for this memorable trip.
This 9-day trip is being scheduled for June of 2026 and will include a 5-day/4-night canoe journey on the James river, starting in the National Forest west of Lexington, VA, and continuing over 63 miles to an area near Lynchburg, VA. Under typical river conditions, rapids on this stretch are manageable for people with a little canoe experience. We are also planning to take advantage of what the area has to offer with stops (before and after the canoe portion of the trip) to visit an historic site and to explore areas of natural beauty.
Scouts who wish to attend MUST be strong swimmers (completion of the Swimming Merit Badge is REQUIRED) and have some canoeing experience. First Class rank is required and the scouts age of 14 is recommended, but age 13 may be allowed to participate based on canoeing experience and a commitment to work through shakedown activities. Parent attendance on the trip may also help support scouts who are on the low end of age or experience. Speak to Mr. Van Allen or Mr. Pape with any questions about a particular scout.
Scouts who commit to attend will join a James River patrol at the next troop re-org (Feb 2026) and will spend meetings preparing for this trip, including meal planning, learning about what gear is required and how to pack for a canoe camping excursion. Mandatory canoe and/or kayak shakedown trip(s) will be planned leading up to our big trip.
Total trip cost is estimated to be $800 per person including outfitter fees, meals, and possible activities.
Overall, this trip is a great "medium-high" adventure option for scouts and is great prep if the scouts would like a longer high adventure trip in the future. Additionally, the dates for this trip have been selected to avoid conflicting with resident summer camp, so scouts can choose to attend both if they would like.
