Camp Bowman is a Boy Scout resident camp located on 450-acre Lake Merriweather. This is now solely a Patrol Cooking Camp. Youth sleep in two-man tents with cots. The camp is accredited annually by the BSA, and must also meet State of Virginia requirements. Scouts attend with their units and enjoy all that Scout camp has to offer.
Program
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Our standard program merit badges are as follows:
Aquatics: Canoeing, Rowing, Swimming, Lifesaving, Kayaking, Sailing (minimum 13 years old), Watersports (watersking) (minimum 14 years old), Motor Boating, BSA Lifeguard (minimum 15 years old). We also offer a variety of Adult training course, including Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat.
Scoutcraft: Orienteering, Camping, Wilderness Survival, Pioneering, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Sports, Personal Fitness, Cooking and Fire Safety.
Shooting Sports: Rifle, Archery, and Shotgun.
Handicraft: Leatherwork, Basketry, Art, Woodcarving, Theater, Architecture, and Music.
Bowman Vets: Watersports (wakeboarding), Geocaching, Search and Rescue
Our supplementary programs of interest are as follows:
Bowman Vets We are now in our fourth year of our older scout program - Bowman Vets. Through this program, scouts engage themselves in a variety of new Bowman challenges, including mountain boarding, stand-up paddle boarding, wakeboarding, action archery, and a mini-ironman. The program will also include an overnighter that will test the endurance of the scouts, as it takes them on a hike to higher altitudes and beautiful views to spend the night and return in the morning. Merit Badges include geocaching, search and rescue, and water sports. Due to physical demand, scouts are encouraged to be 14 years of age to participate in the program. Scheduling details are in the specific scheduling attachment at the bottom of the page.
Action Archery: Our Action Archery program will be in its eighth year this coming summer. The program challenges scouts to combine archery skills with a hike into the woods, yielding alternative and challenging scenarios from the typical archery range setting. We require that scouts have the merit badge, be taking it during their week at camp, or be a part of Bowman Vets to participate in this program
First Year Camper (FYC) The FYC Program is primarily designed for the Scout who has recently registered and has not been introduced to the Tenderfoot and Second Class advancement requirements. In this program, the FYC staff takes the first-years around camp to each of the different program areas and helps them earn three merit badges, as well as the skills to earn multiple Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class requirements. Scoutmaster involvement is encouraged and always welcome. Ultimately, FYC allows for the completion of many introductory badges (often earned before challenging badges earned in the returning years) and rank requirements while in a cohort-like setting that yields a successful adjustment to camp for first years.
Camp mailing address and phone number are only active during the summer camping season. During the off season, please contact us by email if you have any questions.
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