Summer Camp 2024 at Owasippe Scout Reservation

For 2024, we wanted to try something new, so we headed to Owasippe Scout Reservation in Michigan for our Summer Camp trip.

Over the years, we’ve traveled to various locations for our annual summer camp trip. While occasionally revisiting specific locations, we like mixing it up and trying new things. So, for this year, we headed to Michigan to the Owasippe Scout Reservation. This camp was recommended by other troops in our area, and it lived up to the hype. We had a great time!

The First Night – Almost There

Given that this was a 7-hour one-way trip (without accounting for stops), it added some extra challenges. Rather than leaving REALLY early on Sunday to arrive during the check-in window, we decided to leave a day early and stay near the camp Saturday night. This is the same approach we took in 2022 when we went to Summit in West Virginia.

We made arrangements to stay at Hoffmaster State Park. This was convenient as it was only about 45 minutes from camp. It meant we could take our time Sunday morning as we packed up and headed for our summer camp destination.

The park was packed, but the sites were more than adequate. We had reserved several sites next to each other, so we were all in the same area.

One perk of this state park is that it is next to Lake Michigan. A short walk down a path took us to a sandy beach and water as far as we could see.

Arriving At Camp

As luck would have it, it started raining right when we arrived at camp. As with most summer camps, there’s a lot to do on the first day. We didn’t know how long the rain would last. So, rather than waiting it out, we just set up camp in the rain. It’s only water!

Sunday Evening Program

Flags for our first evening at camp was at the North Lodge. (For the rest of the week, the ceremony was held near the South Lodge.) After flags, we headed to the “fire bowl” evening program.

Daily Schedule

Monday was the first day of daily merit badge classes. The Scouts had the same schedule each day, with several classes before lunch, and several afterward.

Each day would typically start with a flag ceremony at the South Lodge.

After flags, we would head to breakfast. Camp Wolverine had two meal options. We could choose between having meals at our campsite (they would bring the food to our site), or eating in the outdoor dining tent for a “dining hall”-like experience. Our Scouts chose the latter because they wanted to have meals with other troops. This ended up being a great decision, as it also allowed us to have meals with many members of the camp staff.

Events At Other Areas

Camp Wolverine (where we camped) is just one of several camps at Owasippe. Another areas is Camp Blackhawk, where many of the waterfront/watersports activities are held. There was also a COPE area, the horse coral, and the administration center. Several of our Scouts participated in activities in these other areas, which allowed us to see various areas of Owasippe.

Daily Evening Programs

The merit badge class schedule ended in the afternoon. The exact time varied by Scout, depending on their schedule. Each day included additional activities before and after dinner. There was always something to do. We tried to do as much as we could. In hindsight, we probably tried to do too much, as we were always busy. However, we made it work, and everyone had a good time.

Here are just some of the activities we participated in…

  • Water polo
  • Belly-flop contest
  • Canoe race
  • Fishing challenge
  • Photography contest
  • Mario-Kart contest
  • Owasippe County Fair
  • Cardboard boat race

Extra Walk-Up Merit Badge Classes

One of the many positives of this camp was the availability of walk-up merit badge classes. During various times of the day, Scouts could go to “Flintlock Village” during their free time to work on various merit badges that didn’t require prior sign-up. We had several Scouts complete or almost complete numerous merit badges this way.

Order of the Arrow Callout

As with most summer camps, one evening was reserved for the OA Callout ceremony. We had two Scouts and one adult leader who were called out on Wednesday evening.

Service Project

Even though they were ALWAYS busy, our Scouts still found time to work on several service projects.

One of our Scouts helped the staff clear fallen trees from one area of the camp.

Several of our Scouts rebuilt stairs at our campsite that went down to the water. They had been there for a while and had mostly rotted away.

The Camp Cup Competition

Throughout the week, troops (Scouts and adults) could complete or compete in various activities that counted toward the Camp Cup award. Our troop took first place in the belly-flop and Mario-Cart competitions. Many of the other items mentioned above (and many more) factored into the score for this friendly competition.

It was very close, but at the closing “Fire Bowl” event, we found that our troop had won first place by half a point! The Scouts were very excited!

A Fun Week

As mentioned above, the camp offered a LOT of events and activities all week. Additionally, the staff was fantastic. They were super friendly, and always there to help us out when we needed it. We didn’t get the cool weather we were hoping for, and it of course rained as we were packing up, but that was OK. It didn’t take away from the experience. (We’re very used to hot/rainy weeks at summer camp!)

We’re not sure when we will make it there again, but it is definitely on our “visit-again” list!