Camping - Greater Tampa Bay Area Council

Greater Tampa Bay Area Council in-Council Free Camping.

Beginning January 1, 2022 the council program service fee will make the following free for GTBAC units at council camps:

Campsites (primitive, improved and Adirondacks)
Camp Shelters/pavilions
Council Rings

Deposits Now Required

Deposit are now needed for in-council camp reservations. This past year has seen a substantial increase in the number of units booking facilities and then no show / no call. This prevents other units from camping. A $50 deposit per facility is required at the time of booking. If the unit arrives and there are no damages, then it will be refunded within 3 weeks of the camping departure date.

Booking a Campsite

You can book a campsite and facilities anytime at our online reservation system.

Here is a guide with the recommended steps to booking a campsite for your Pack, Troop or Crew.

Booking a Council Camp Site Recommendations

Camp Facility Usage

Visit the Camp Facility Usage page to discover:

What training my leaders need to open a program area: Swimming, Shooting, Climbing, Kitchen
What activities are available to my scouts in each program area
How to get an instructor for my unit

Camping Fee Schedule

The current fees for Scouting units reserving our camps are in the online reservation system. For your reference, a fee schedule is provided below. Please note that the current online reservation system pricing will supersede any written fee schedule.

Camping Fee Schedule

Camp Activity Days

Come enjoy the camps and their amenities in an affordable a la carte way. Your unit can even camp for the weekend. Find out more about Camp Activity Days.

Cub Scout Approved Sites

Here is a list of local campgrounds that have been approved for Cub Scout Camping.

Cub Scout Pack Overnighter Approved Sites

Camper Code of Conduct

These rules are made for the safety of campers, protection of equipment, and to provide fairness to all, for the protection of our Scout units, outside groups, all adults, youth, campers, non-campers using any of facility owned by Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and must be observed at all times.

Camper Code of Conduct

Reservation Refund Policy

The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council does NOT issue refunds for camping reservations. In the event you need to cancel a reservation, your fees will be credited to another reservation within the following year. The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council does require either a 2 week or 4 week advance notice when changing a reservation. See the policies below for details.

Policy on Personal Firearms

The BSA has specific policies regarding handguns or other firearms at Scouting activities.

While various state laws have authorized individual Scouters to legally carry or conceal firearms, Scouters/parents/volunteers are not permitted to carry them while involved in Scouting activities outside of the shooting sports program.
This applies to all persons involved in the activity, as the activity should be under the control of an appropriate Scouter.
The BSA policy in the Guide to Safe Scouting in both the Shooting Sports section and the unauthorized activity listing (see p.39 for full listing) states, “Except for law enforcement officers required to carry firearms within their jurisdictions, firearms shall not be brought on camping, hiking, backpacking, or other Scouting activities except for those specifically planned for target shooting under supervision of a currently certified BSA national shooting sports director or National Rifle Association firearms instructor.”

No Pets Allowed

Except Service Animals
“Service Animal” means any ADA recognized animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Pets providing emotional support, wellbeing, or comfort companionship are not recognized service animals under ADA regulations. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is a violation of Florida State Statute.

Want to help?

Are you interested in weekend service at one of our staffed camps? Consider joining our Campmaster Corps!

Making a Reservation

Make a Reservation

Find a Reservation

For BSA groups, to make a reservation at one of our camp properties, please use the online reservation system.

For non-BSA groups, please contact Matthew.Hall@scouting.org to inquire about reserving a camp.

Free Camping for GTBAC Units

Beginning January 1, 2022 the council program service fee will make the following free for GTBAC units at council camps:

Campsites (primitive, improved and Adirondacks)
Camp Shelters/pavilions
Council Rings

Council Policies

Camps

Find Reservation

Unit Campsite Reservation Policies

Refunds and Credits

The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council does NOT offer refunds on camping reservations.
In the event we issue a credit, that credit is valid for future camp reservations.

Site Reservation

Please only book one site unless you are beyond the site capacity.
Site reservations may be moved within a camp based on size.
Units reserving more than one site may be combined into a single large site.

Reservation Blackout Windows

Reservations for camp sites must be made 2 weeks in advance.
Reservations for amenities and activity areas must be made 4 weeks in advance.

Payment and Changing Headcount

Payment for the estimated number of attendees is made at the time of booking.
The reservation headcount may be adjusted up to 2 weeks before the booking date.

Cancellations and No-Shows

A Deposit is required for in-council units for free camp facilities. No shows/no calls will result in forfeiting the deposit.
Cancellations must be made 4 weeks in advance of booking date or they may incur a 50% cancellation fee (up to $200 max).
No shows/no calls may result in a 60% cancellation fee.
Weather related cancellations will result in a full credit being issued.

Reconciliation of camping reservations

Any unit seeking a reconciliation of camping reservations must be done within 2 weeks of the reservation date.
If families on your reservation cancel due to illness or family emergency, we will give a credit for their reservation in the system. We do not credit for no-shows.
A Scout is Honest – if more people attend camp, please call the office to reconcile.
Any damage or cleaning fees will be assessed to your unit.
All bills will be paid online with the reservation system. Invoices will be sent via email.

Unit Program Areas Reservation Policies

All reservations for program areas: Shooting ranges, climbing or aquatics are for the facilities only. Your unit must provide the appropriate volunteers with credentials to the camp master or ranger to be given access to the facilities. The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council will not be able to provide individual units with staff for program areas. We are moving our efforts to providing instruction for unit volunteers to empower the units to be able to open these facilities. Having more trained volunteers will give your unit more freedom and will be beneficial to all of the Scouts in our area.

Visit the Camp Facility Usage page to discover:

What training my leaders need to open a program area
What activities are available to my scouts in each program area
How to get an instructor for my unit.

Don’t forget Council Activity Days!

Each of the program committees (shooting sports, climbing and aquatics) will be scheduling days throughout the year to open the facilities. You will be able to sign up for them as any other event. This allows our volunteers to maximize their time and serve as many youth as possible while also giving your Scouting Families more choices in activities throughout the year.

Find out more about Camp Activity Days!

Can my unit get together with other units and have our own camp?

No. Chartering organizations play an important role in the program and activities for their chartered units. Chartering organizations promote well-planned unit program for the units they charter and encourage their units to have active outdoor unit programs. Chartering organizations are not authorized to plan, promote, or deliver programs for units outside of their charter.

It is the role of councils to plan long-term or resident camps and the role of councils or districts to plan camporees (short-term camps) and other outings following National Camp Accreditation Program standards.

Units with different chartered organizations that wish to hold activities together must have council approval. In addition, some states require such activities to be licensed.

Should your troop, crew or ship decide to conduct a long-term camping program for your unit (Cub Scouting units are prohibited from this activity) please note that the Scouter Code of Conduct and relevant program safety and training requirements are still in place, e.g., Safe Swim Defense, Hazardous Weather, Wilderness First Aid, etc.

In Scouts BSA can a parent and a Scout sleep in the same tent?

No. Family camping is for Cub Scouts only. In Scouts BSA youth must sleep separate from adults, even if they are members of the same family. Likewise, only Scouts of the same gender can share a tent, even if they are siblings. These are a part of Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse in Scouting.

Have questions or feedback about this page? Last updated April 11, 2023

Please contact the page author with your feedback:

Jason Borton

Director of Camping and Scoutreach

Email | 813-624-9764