Summer Camp 2026
Summer Camp is a core part of Scouting, and we are excited to have everyone back out at camp for the summer of 2023! Camp T. Brady Saunders has been offering an outdoor experience to the youth of Central Virginia and beyond since the summer of 1964. Our camp has amazing facilities and a diverse program offering geared toward all levels of Scouting.
Do you have questions? Please feel free to contact:
John Allen, Camp Director, John.Allen602@scouting.org
George McGovern, Scout Executive, GeorgeM.McGovern@scouting.org
2026 Program Guide (PDF)
2026 Merit Badge Guide (PDF)
Staff Application (PDF)
Medical Forms Parts A, B and C (PDF)
Campership Application (PDF)
Ranger Challenge Permission Form (PDF)
Summer Camp Swim Classification Roster (PDF)
Emergency Procedures – Brady Saunders (PDF)
Unit Roster (PDF)
Trail Blazers
First Year Camper Program throughout the week, first year campers will blaze their own path on the trail to Eagle while having the time of their lives! The Trail Blazers program will combine both rank requirements and a love of the outdoors to instill in the young Scouts a desire to achieve. It will also inspire them to look deeper into Scouting and the experiences it can bring. This program is designed to expose young Scouts to the requirements for Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First-Class ranks. Trail Blazers does not sign off on any requirements except Firem’n Chit and Totin’ Chip. The Scout must go through the troop’s advancement program to sign-off the requirements.
Our Vision
To provide young Scouts the best opportunity to experience the Scouting program at Camp T. Brady Saunders; to supply these Scouts with the tools and experiences needed to be successful in their Scouting careers; make their experience with Trail Blazers one that will be remembered and relied on for the rest of their lives; but most importantly, have fun at everything theydo! We are all excited and enthusiastic to have the opportunity to work with these future Eagle Scouts!
See our Program Guide for more information!
What is Ranger Challenge?
Ranger Challenge was developed to allow Scouts who have attended camp for several years to serve in a leadership position with their troop in the mornings and have an adventure in the afternoon and evening. All Scouts are welcome with the understanding that the program is both physically demanding and mentally challenging. A certain level of maturity and strength are a must.
Day 1: Orientation Day — We stay at camp and get to know each other, lay out the plan for the week, demonstrate and explain the necessities required to be
successful and safe. We hike to Lake Olga and practice canoeing proficiency and team building games. A bathing suit, water shoes, and water bottle are
required. Scouts are typically back to camp by 5:00 PM.
Day 2: Middle James River Trip — We leave camp and put in on the James River. We paddle canoes approximately 5 miles with numerous stops along the way. We take out and go to a Goochland location for dinner provided by council leaders and play a different game weekly, depending upon the leaders’ expertise. A
bathing suit, water shoes, and water bottle are required. The Scouts typically come back to camp by 9:00 PM.
Day 3: St Mary’s Wilderness Trip — We travel to Stuarts Draft, Virginia for an approximately 5 mile round trip hike. We have several events along the way up the river and on the mountain tops. We hike the 2 miles out in the dark and go to a local pizza parlor for dinner (please bring $20). A bathing suit, hiking shoes, water shoes, and water bottle are required. The Scouts are typically back at camp by 11:59 PM.
Day 4: White Water Trip — We will put canoes above Richmond and paddle to Reedy Creek. There are numerous rapids along the way and opportunities for adventure. After taking out, the Scouts will prepare themselves a meal at Forest Hill Park. A bathing suit, water shoes, and water bottle are required. The Scouts typically come back to camp by 9:00 PM.
Day 5: Camp Day — We will make use of the climbing tower, shoot black powder rifles, throw tomahawks, and/or other activities that the Scouts choose. Long pants, camp shoes, and a water bottle are required. Scouts are typically back to camp by 4:00 PM.
Adults are welcome to participate and assist where necessary. A Scout must be 13 years of age and be physically fit. At the end of the week, the participants can purchase the “Ranger Challenge” rattlesnake hat and/or shirt at the Trading Post, and participants will receive a special patch. The program will be altered or changed due to weather conditions. The program may run until very late on some days.
A completed consent/release form is required for participation.
CHALLENGING
OUTDOOR
PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE
Project C.O.P.E. — Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience.
C.O.P.E. is comprised of group initiative games, as well as low- and highropes course activities. Some of the activities involve group challenges, while others test individual skills and agility. Participants climb, swing, balance, jump, rappel, and derive solutions to a variety of activities. Most Scouts do much more than they ever thought they could do. The underlying goals of Project C.O.P.E. are consistent with the methods of Scouting. Group activities are ideal for emphasizing the patrol method and developing leadership. Individual activities help promote personal growth. Other Scouting methods are inherent in the conducting of the program.
Project C.O.P.E. provides an opportunity for every participant to achieve success as an individual and as a member of a team. The activities are not designed to be competitive or to be a race against time. More important objectives such as building individual confidence, developing leadership, and inspiring
cooperation among team members are emphasized.
Through a generous gift from Nawakwa Lodge, Camp T. Brady Saunders operates a C.O.P.E. course. The C.O.P.E. course is, by design, geared for the older Scouts in the troop. Scouts who participate should be those who have reached a time when merit badge classes stop being as attractive and challenging. The C.O.P.E. Director will have the final say on who will participate in this program.
Each week, up to 12 Scouts will be able to participate in Project C.O.P.E.. Registration is through the Black Pug program. Scouts not meeting minimum requirements will not be allowed to participate in Project C.O.P.E.. The C.O.P.E. session is conducted from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM each day. In addition, it should be noted that due to the group dynamics involved in Project C.O.P.E., missed sessions cannot be made up. Therefore, leaving camp for baseball games, swim meets, etc. removes eligibility for participation in Project C.O.P.E..
Further, visitors are only allowed when invited by the C.O.P.E. Director. Due to the safety aspect of conducting C.O.P.E. activities, the C.O.P.E. area is OFF LIMITS to anyone without the supervision of a qualified instructor and area director. Anyone found on the C.O.P.E. course unsupervised will be dismissed from camp.
C.O.P.E. minimum requirements for participation:
– Must be at least 14 years of age by June 1 of the year of participation.
– Scouts must have sneakers. No hiking boots, work boots, Crocs, or open-toed shoes.
– Must be at least a second-year camper at summer camp
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST:
– Have a completed medical form on file in the Health Lodge.
– Complete a consent/release form.
Built on a foundation of generosity, covered entirely by donations, this project totaled $7,680 and is, by far, one of our most popular features at camp.
The Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation is located in Goochland County, Virginia. It consists of 604 acres of land and comprises three separate camps. Camp S. Douglas Fleet is a short-term camping area located near the entrance to the Reservation. Cub & Webelos Adventure Camp is a Summer Camp specifically designed for Cub & Webelos Scouts and was opened in 2002. Camp T. Brady Saunders is the oldest camp on the Reservation and provides a long-term summer camp for Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venture Scouts.
Mr. Thomas Brady Saunders of Goochland, owner of the Miller Manufacturing Company of Richmond, donated the original land to build Camp T. Brady Saunders in 1964. It replaced Camp Shawondassee, now Camp Thunderbird owned by the YMCA. Over the years, additional land for the Camp and the Reservation was acquired as gifts from Nawakwa Lodge #3 of the Order of the Arrow, Mr. Thomas Starke, III, the Chesapeake Corporation of West Point, the Boisseau Estate, and through various other purchases.
Camp T. Brady Saunders has 16 separate campsites, four shower houses with individual rooms, a large dining hall equipped with air-conditioning, a trading post, a health lodge, an aquatics program on Lake Dillon, C.O.P.E (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) Course, remote controlled multi-station shotgun range, covered archery and rifle range, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program, a 3D archery range, 10 miles of a mountain bike and hiking trails, a compass and geocaching course, a sandpit volleyball court, a Gaga Pit, a traverse wall, a nine-hole disk golf course, a 28-foot tall Wet Willy waterslide, Canoes, Kayaks, Paddleboards, Paddle boats, Sailboats, an administration building and dining hall equipped with high-speed wireless internet, Scoutmaster Lodge with Internet and a basketball court.
The Reservation is located in the Virginia Piedmont. It has deciduous and coniferous woodlands, rolling hills, lakes, and beautiful valleys. Wildlife abounds with deer, squirrel, beaver, turkey, fox, rabbit, Canada geese, ducks, and even a skunk or two.
Through the foresight of the Council Property Committee, Camping Committee, and Conservation Committee, Camp T. Brady Saunders provides a modern facility that does not detract from the natural beauty of the Reservation. Camp T. Brady Saunders provides a great outdoor experience with modern facilities and excellent program opportunities for Scouts of all ages!
