Texas Explorers: Camping 101 at McKinney Falls State Park (B/J/C) 11/7/26

View event on calendar

Date: Sat Nov 07, 8:30 AM CST - Sun Nov 08, 10:00 AM CST

Category:

STEM,

Outdoor,

Life Skills,

Healthy Living,

Girl Scout Traditions

Level:

Brownies,

Juniors,

Cadettes,

Volunteers

Ready to sleep under the stars but not sure where to start?
Join Girl Scouts of Central Texas for a hands-on overnight class designed to teach you the skills to plan, set up, and enjoy your own camping adventures - no experience required!
Spend an action-packed weekend at McKinney Falls State Park where our expert staff will guide you through essential camping basics: pitching your own tent, cooking over a campfire, navigating trails, practicing Leave No Trace, and safely adventuring outdoors.
And no campout is complete without roasting gooey s'mores around a cozy campfire!
Whether you're a Girl Scout attending with a caregiver or bringing the whole troop along, this welcoming outdoor getaway is just for you.
All instruction, materials, and meals (Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast) are included.
A limited number of camping gear loaner kits are available upon request at no cost. Please email outdoors@gsctx.org to learn more.
Adults: Please limit registration to the recommended amount of safety-wise adults for the event. Only registered participants and adults will be allowed at the event. Unregistered youth are not able to attend this event. All adults in attendance must have a current Girl Scout membership, criminal background check (CBC) on file, and have completed Girl Scout Youth Protection Training (YPT).
Note for troops: If attending with more than one Girl Scout, submit an ATA by October 7. Ensure that your troop has a First Aider and an adult trained in Let's Go 1 and Let's Go 2.
Food and meals: All meals will be provided. Bring your own snacks. We will provide for vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, and regular diets. If you have any other special dietary needs, please plan to bring your own food.
Participants are welcome to register for the event and only participate in Saturday activities. Girl Scouts will earn their level camping badge and an exclusive Texas Explorers patch. A packing list and a more detailed schedule will be provided closer to the event date.
Thank you to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department: This adventure is made possible by a Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Girl Scouts of Central Texas is deeply appreciative of this partnership, which makes our Texas Explorers program possible and empowers our Girl Scouts to develop advanced outdoor skills while exploring the incredible diversity of Texas State Parks. Together, we are cultivating the next generation of outdoor leaders and adventurers who will serve as the future stewards of our Texas lands. As a condition of this funding, GSCTX is required to collect demographic information for all participants. This data is shared with the grant funder in an anonymized and aggregated format only. It will not be tied to the participant's name or personal identity.

Location: McKinney Falls State Park, Austin

Supervision level: This is NOT A DROP OFF EVENT. Adults are required to REGISTER, PAY, and remain with their youth participants. Girl Scout volunteers bringing their troop must follow all Safety Activity Checkpoints.

Badge/Patch: Brownie, Junior, and Cadette Camping Badge and fun patch will be given out at the event

Required paperwork: Please complete the following sections of the Council Event Health and Permission Forms, print, and bring with you to the event: Section A

Contact for registration questions: customercare@gsctx.org

Several days prior to the event, you will receive a final confirmation email from our Girl Scout experience team with any additional information you need. If you do not receive this email, please contact customercare@gsctx.org. Please make sure that @gsctx.org is on your approved senders list to prevent these emails from going to spam.