Summer Camp 2027

Frequently asked questions

Answers for leaders and parents, from registration and health forms to swim checks and care packages. Don’t see yours? Email camp.alexander@scouting.org or call 719-219-2916.

No. You can use any of these three options:

  1. Letterhead report: Your doctor’s office prints a full immunization report on office letterhead and signs it.
  2. Stamped report: The office prints the report on plain paper, stamps the office information on the first page, and signs it.
  3. Colorado form: The office copies the dates onto the State of Colorado form and signs it. Turn in both the state form and the immunization record.

Forms that say “See Attached” can’t be accepted.

Upload two items under Whole Unit forms in CampDoc:

  • The signed Swim Classification Record
  • A copy of the tester’s certification

The tester’s certification must be current as of the test date. Accepted certifications are:

  • BSA Aquatics Instructor
  • BSA Swimming and Water Rescue
  • Lifeguard or swim instructor certification from the American Red Cross, YMCA, or Ellis & Associates

Fast. Our first week usually fills in February. We’re about half full by mid-March and completely full by mid-April, so the earlier you decide, the better. If your week is full, we keep a waitlist, but we can’t guarantee a spot will open. Either way, we’ll do everything we can to get your unit to Camp Alexander.

You register each person attending, youth and adults, with a $100 deposit. After that:

  • Adding people: You can add youth and adults at any time, as long as your week has space.
  • First payment: 50% of your balance is due at the end of January.
  • Final payment: Your full balance is due April 22, 2027. Once your final payment is in, your unit’s account opens for merit badge registration, so a late payment means a later start on picking classes.
  • Dropping people: Call the camp office at 719-219-2916. We’ll move any money already paid for that person to others in your unit who aren’t fully paid yet.
  • After April 22, 2027: We can’t drop people, and refunds are only for documented medical reasons, military deployment, or a death in the family. See the refund policy.

Any balance still open when you arrive has to be paid at the Camp Office during check-in.

Reserve more spots than you think you’ll need. In January, pay the 50% only for the Scouts and adults you know are coming. The spots you’re holding for crossovers can stay at the $100 deposit until you see how many join your troop.

Campsite assignments depend on how many youth each unit brings, along with their ages and genders. Most units don’t finalize those details until early April. Once we have them, our team places every unit in the best-fitting campsite we can. Your assignment will appear on your registration page. It may still change if your numbers change even up to the day you arrive, but we work hard to keep changes to a minimum.

CampDoc sends the invitation within a few days after your unit registers and enters your Scout’s information, so give it a few days. Look for an email from Pathway to the Rockies via CampDoc, sent from noreply@campdoc.com, and check your spam or junk folder. Still nothing? Ask your unit leader to confirm your Scout has been added and that the registration has the correct parent or guardian email, not your Scout’s. CampDoc sends one of two emails, depending on whether you already have a CampDoc account, so watch for either one. For technical issues, click the ? in the upper right corner of the CampDoc screen to reach their help desk.

Colorado classifies all youth camps as childcare facilities, so we have to collect more paperwork than most Scouting America camps. What your Scout needs depends on their medications:

  • No medications: Only the immunization paperwork may be different from other camps.
  • Rescue medication only (inhaler or EpiPen): One extra form signed by the doctor.
  • Daily or regular medications: One extra form per medication, completed by the prescribing doctor.

To keep it to one doctor visit, print all the forms ahead of time and bring them with you. Our website has the medical forms sorted by age to make this easier.

At camp, all youth medications are turned in at check-in. During the week, Scouts come to the Med Lodge with two leaders and water to take them. We’ll go into more detail during the leader Zoom meetings.

No. Adults (18 and older) are responsible for their own medications at camp and don’t need to fill out the Medication Administration Forms.

It depends on the activity. Swim checks happen at the pool on Sunday after check-in.

  • Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rowing merit badges: Scouts must pass the BSA swimmer test.
  • Lifesaving merit badge: Scouts need the Swimming merit badge finished before camp.
  • Whitewater rafting: Every youth and adult on the trip must pass the BSA swimmer test.
  • Not a swimmer yet? We offer instructional swimming during evening activities for non-swimmers and anyone who wants to get stronger in the water. Talk with the Aquatics team at the pool on Sunday to get set up.

On Sunday, once your unit has checked in, finished all the stops and the tour, and moved into your campsite, head down to the pool and get in line.

Yes. Bring hard-soled water shoes for all lake activities, including the Polar Plunge. Our lake bottom is muddy and loves to swallow loose footwear like flip-flops and Crocs.

For youth, yes. Every Scout sleeps in a camp-provided 8 by 12 tent, three Scouts to a tent.

Adults need to bring their own tents. Camp tents are for youth only, which is how we fit more Scouts in camp each week. Cots aren’t included for anyone, but you can rent them for $25 for the week.

Cots rent for $25 for the week, either for the whole unit or individually. We’ll send a link for cot rentals and care packages after the first of the year. When you arrive, your cots will be waiting on your campsite picnic table. Before you leave at the end of the week, put them back on the table. Your Troop Guide can help with missing cots, missing parts, or broken cots on arrival day. If we still have cots available, you can also rent them from the front office after you arrive.

At the first leader meeting on Sunday at 7:30 PM. We hand them out to each unit after we finish the important announcements.

Outback is for Scouts 13 and older, and adult leaders are welcome to join them. Every day is built around a physically demanding activity, so everyone should arrive in strong physical shape.

No. Many units send their older Scouts to Outback while the rest of the troop attends summer camp, but it isn’t required. Outback crews camp separately from their units, even when the troop is at Camp Alexander the same week.

Very. Summit day starts at the Crags Trailhead near 10,000 feet, climbs through Devil’s Playground to 14,115 feet, and covers about 14 miles round trip with 4,300 feet of elevation gain on a Class 2 trail (route details on 14ers.com). It’s one of five full days of program. Monday is an acclimatization day of hiking around camp and up Blue Mountain, but participants should train for months before they arrive, not just the week before. See what summit day takes. Talk with your health care provider about the hike and the altitude at the physical.

The same forms as summer camp: the BSA Annual Health and Medical Record Parts A, B, and C, plus the Colorado forms for youth. Everything is uploaded to CampDoc at least 14 days before your week. See the Outback health forms guide.

Yes, some outfitters, like the rafting and climbing guides, may require their own waivers. The specific forms for 2027 haven’t been set yet. We will share them at leader meetings and email them to registered units.

Evenings are relaxed so everyone can recharge for the next day. Bring a good book, a favorite campsite game, a mountain bike for the local trails, or fishing gear. Anyone 16 or older who fishes needs a Colorado fishing license.

Bring some spending money, too. The Pikes Peak summit is famous for its doughnuts.

Half of your total is due January 29, 2027, and the full balance is due April 22, 2027. Money paid can move between campers in the same unit until April 22. After that, refunds are generally not issued except for documented medical reasons, military deployment, or a death in the family, and they carry at least a $100 cancellation fee. See the full payment and refund policy.

No. Tents and cots are provided for every Outback participant, youth and adults. Outback lodging is set up differently from summer camp, where adults bring their own tents.

Yes. Adult leaders are welcome on Outback alongside their Scouts. Every day is physically demanding, including the Pikes Peak hike, so adults should arrive in strong physical shape too. Adults need the same health forms, including Part C.

Staff decide on the trail, based on the weather and the whole group’s safety. If storms are building, the group can’t keep a safe pace, or someone shows signs of altitude sickness, they’ll turn around, even close to the top. Lightning is a real danger above tree line, and the hike from the summit back along the ridge to tree line is long and exposed. Altitude sickness can affect anyone, even fit, well-prepared hikers, so training helps but can’t guarantee a summit. Every trip runs with an emergency action plan. Turning back is the right call when conditions demand it, not a failure.

Plan for no cell signal. There’s very little to no mobile coverage at camp. A few spots, like the Overlook and the end of RATA Valley, get a signal for some carriers, but don’t count on it. Camp has limited Wi-Fi in some main buildings for adult unit leaders only. It’s shared with the Camp Office, Health Lodge, and program areas, and speeds are capped so camp keeps running. There’s no guarantee of speed or quality.

Before you lose signal, download or print the Camp Guide. Your Scoutmaster and SPL also get a printed Hip Pocket Handbook with the week’s schedule at check-in. See the full internet policy.

No. Camp Wi-Fi is for adult unit leaders only, and leaders may not share the password with Scouts. If Scouts are found on camp Wi-Fi, we change the password, and every leader in camp has to get the new one from the Camp Office. See the internet policy.

Yes, if you truly need to work. Calls and video meetings are fine, but keep them to what you need. Your first job at camp is being present with your Scouts. The connection is capped and shared with camp operations, so there’s no guarantee of quality. Have a backup plan for anything that can’t drop, like a meeting you could join by phone. See the internet policy.

On purpose. Camp operations come first, so speeds are capped to keep the Camp Office, Health Lodge, and program areas running. The Wi-Fi is meant for messages, email, and necessary work calls, not streaming, gaming, or social media. Heavy use can get a device blocked. See the internet policy.

Yes, but coordinate with the Camp IT Committee before camp. We may ask you to set it up away from camp network equipment. Unauthorized network equipment, or anything that interferes with the camp network, isn’t allowed. See the internet policy.

No. Rafting in Browns Canyon is a Friday add-on, paid separately from your camp fee. Your unit signs up for it together, usually starting in December, and provides its own transportation. Every participant, youth and adult, has to pass the BSA swimmer test. See the whitewater rafting page for details. 2027 pricing is coming soon.

No. Before your unit registers, give your unit leader the email you already use in CampDoc so the invitation goes to that account. Then log in at app.campdoc.com and accept the new invitation there. Don’t create a second account. Review every section for this year and upload this year’s signed forms. See our CampDoc setup page.

Yes. Every adult camper needs current Safeguarding Youth training. Your unit uploads a Safeguarding Youth Aging Report from my.scouting showing each adult’s registration and training, along with the other unit forms. See the unit forms.

Source: Scouting America’s Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

An MD, DO, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Colorado doesn’t accept signatures from chiropractors or podiatrists. The physical also has to be within 12 months of your Scout’s arrival at camp.

Yes, with a signed Colorado Contract to Carry. The Scout, a parent or guardian, the unit leader, and the health care provider all sign it before camp, and camp health staff sign it at check-in. Rescue inhalers, EpiPens, and anaphylaxis kits are the only medications a Scout keeps with them. See the health forms guide.

Some, yes. Several badges are for Scouts 13 and older, like Climbing, Shotgun Shooting, Cycling, Fly Fishing, Welding, and Automotive Maintenance, and a few are 12 and older. Each listing shows its minimum age, and you can filter by your Scout’s age on the Merit Badges and Rank page.

Totin’ Chip gives Scouts the right to carry and use woods tools. It’s required for the Woodcarving and Leatherwork merit badges, and Scouts can earn it at camp. Scouts in the First Class Center earn it during their sessions and don’t need a separate session.

Totin’ Chip sessions are offered at the First Class Center during the week, plus a Sunday evening session for Woodcarving Scouts. Exact 2027 times are in the Hip Pocket Handbook you get at check-in.