Girl Scouts of Colorado camp teams have been hard at work planning for ways to get more girls outside and at camp programs for Summer 2021! Check out the new Outdoor Skills Patch or Get Outdoors Challenge patch, and visit the GSCO Events Calendar to register for Troop Boating Days or the Rock Climbing Adventure Days.
Read on for other updates from the Outdoor Program team. Questions? Email Property.Reservations@gscolorado.org.
Resident Camp (Tomahawk Ranch and Sky High Ranch)
Currently, our camps are able to operate at 55% capacity due to sleeping-quarter capacity requirements per COVID-19 guidelines set by the state. Given that limited capacity, both resident camps are almost full with only a few camper spaces remaining! We now know the sleeping quarter requirements will be in effect all summer, so our capacity will not increase. While our camp team wishes we could have more girls at camp, we will not be opening any additional resident camper spaces this summer given state restrictions. If you are already registered for camp, look for more communication to come through your CampInTouch portal with camp welcome letters, packing lists, and COVID-19-related policies.
Day Camps
Day camps are now open for registration! Check out the camp sessions listings for more information. Our volunteer-run day camps will fall under a different and more restrictive sector in the state COVID- 19 guidelines than guidelines for troops. We are still awaiting final Colorado COVID-19 guidelines that will impact capacities or possibly restrict volunteer groups’ ability to run day camps. All day camps are run by volunteers, and many use their own volunteer-run registration system. Contact day camp directors for more information on registration timelines, cancellations, and refunds.
Outdoor Adventure Club
We have some exciting summer events coming your way like waterfall hikes and paddle days! Summer programs will be announced on the OAC website on April 26. Sign up for the OAC interest list to be the first to know when registration opens for the June event.
Troop Adventure Days
Given the current restrictions on troop overnights and additional State of Colorado COVID-19 youth overnight program requirements, we have decided that our staff-led troop programs will continue to be day-only for this summer. Visit us for a Troop Adventure Day at Magic Sky Ranch, Meadow Mountain Ranch, or Lazy Acres for a full day of programming with tons of options like our high ropes course, team-building, rock climbing, archery, nature programs, crafts, badge programs, and all kinds of camp fun and games! We know that troops may want to stay overnight in a cabin at the camp property before or after the program. Currently, registration is for the day program only and when troops are permitted to have overnights, troops will have the option to book a cabin and extend their stay at camp through the whole weekend.
Read more about Troop Adventure Days on our website here and check out all the program details and registration information on the GSCO Events Calendar.
Properties and Troop Overnights
Troop Overnights
We know troops are eager to start planning summer camping trips or other overnights. While troops are now able to meet in person, overnights are not allowed yet for the following reasons:
GSUSA does not allow for councils to have overnights until the council’s state is in their final stage of reopening. Colorado is not there yet.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has released COVID–19 restrictions for youth-serving organizations for overnights, even if the overnight is exempt from childcare licensing and under 72 hours. This means that a troop overnight experience would fall under the “overnight camp” COVID-19 guidelines, even if that would typically not be considered a “camp.” These requirements could be quite burdensome on troops, including always having a registered nurse onsite during the overnight; having a communicable disease plan specific to the group that includes medical and isolation protocol, testing, and screening protocol; capacity limits; keeping groups in small cohorts; sleeping protocols; and many other requirements. We know meeting all these requirements could be challenging for the average troop, and we are continuing to work with the state to determine if it is possible for troop overnights to fall into a different category with fewer restrictions.
GSCO Property Reservations
While it may be a possibility for troops to have overnight experiences come summer, at this time we are PAUSING taking any new reservations on our properties until it is confirmed that troops can have overnights and our properties are available for troop overnight use. At this time, existing group reservations will not be canceled, but we are pausing taking any new reservations currently as we continue to work with the state on overnight guidelines. We understand this can be frustrating and thank you for your patience as we’re working hard with the state on this. We are hopeful to have an update in May and will share that in Volunteer View, on the GSCO Blog, and on the Girl Scouts of Colorado website.
We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.