The New River Gorge’s paddling, hiking, biking, and climbing made it the top choice among 80 proposed locations in 28 states for the Boy Scouts of America's fourth adventure camp.
"We'll be bringing thousands of young people to West Virginia to have their lives changed forever by these wonderful mountains and these wonderful people," said Robert Mazzuca, Boy Scouts of America's Chief Scout Executive, to MetroNews.
The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve’s site awards scouts the opportunity to paddle the nearby New, Blue Stone, or Gauley rivers. The New and Gauley have some of the country's best whitewater and the Gauley River is home to Gauley Fest. The nearby Monongahela and Jefferson national forests give scouts addition hiking trails.
Besides being an adventure camp, the 10,600 acre site near Beckley, WV will host national leadership programs and become the permanent location of the National Scout Jamboree.
The goal is for the Reserve to be open in time to host the National Jamboree in 2013. The 2005 Jamboree brought over 40,000 attendents to Fort A.P. Hill near Bowling Green, VA.
The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve was named after the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation which gave the largest donation in the Boy Scouts' history, $50 million.
The Boy Scouts also have adventure camps in Florida, Minnesota, and New Mexico.
More information: Fact Sheet, John Scout, and news release.
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