A Message About Camping Procedures & Reservations

The camp reservations calendar on our website is now a real time schedule of programs and events. As camp applications are received and processed, all approved camp applications are then entered into our website program and immediately updated on the website for everyone to see.

Units listed on the camp reservations calendar are those that are reserved. All units for each camp property can be viewed by visiting the camps webpage at www.gswcf.org. Please keep in mind that even though this site is updated daily, there are applications coming in continuously. This means that though a camp or unit may show availability when you initially check the website, we may have received an application for the same dates that you’d like to request.

Though we try our best to accommodate everyone, that is not always possible, and there are no guarantees that your troop or group will get the date, unit or camp you apply for. Camp applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Camping is available for troops to camp the second and fourth weekends of each month; the first and third (and occasional fifth) weekends are reserved for Service Units. If a Service Unit weekend is not reserved, those weekends become available to troops/groups.

If your camp application is missing a piece of information, that can keep your application from being processed. A complete troop camp application must have a troop consultant or Service Unit manager’s signature and camp fees included. Service Unit applications are to be signed by the encampment director, Service Unit manager and the community development manager.

All camp applications now consist of two pages; please be sure to send both pages as the second page will let the rangers know what facilities you plan on using and what equipment you need for your campout.

On the camp application you are given three choices in order of preference for camping; selecting a variety of different camps and dates will give you a better chance of being approved. Should your camp application not be approved for the camp, dates or units that you requested, the troop camp coordinator will contact the troop leader to negotiate other possibilities.

If you have any questions about the camp reservation process please contact Joyce Bruce at the Tampa Service Center: (813) 281-4475, ext. 256 or jbruce@gswcf.org.