High Adventures

BSA operates four national high-adventure facilities and numerous local council high adventure bases that provide outdoor adventure opportunities for older Scouts and Venturers. Troop 883 regularly attends national high adventures, often alternating years and locations.

National high-adventures include:

• Philmont Scout Ranch
• Sea Base
• Northern Tier
• Summit Bechtel Reserve

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Philmont Scout Ranch

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s largest National High Adventure Base. Born in 1938 as Philturn Rocky Mountain Scout Camp, Philmont has become a bustling center for high adventure and training. It covers 140,177 acres of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico, and operates 35 staffed camps and 55 trail camps in elevation from 6,500 to 12,441 feet.

Philmont Scout Ranch offers programs that include horseback riding, burro packing, gold panning, chuckwagon dinners, homesteading, cantinas, T-Rex and petroglyphs, rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, four-wheeling, railroading, various shooting sports, and much more. 

Sea Base

Sea Base offers 20 transformative experiences with the expansive backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, including sailing, fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, marine science and exploring islands in the Florida Straits, Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.

Scouts can camp overnight or spend overnight on boats, explore historic seaports and state parks, kayak on the ocean, and observe the rich biodiversity of saltwater ecosystems. They can also complete a service project with the Order of the Arrow at Dry Tortugas National Park, or earn SCUBA certification

Northern Tier

NORTHER TIER
Northern Tier is the Boy Scouts of America’s gateway to adventure in the Great Northwoods. In the summer, Scouts canoe and explore millions of acres of pristine lakes, meandering rivers, dense forests and wetlands in Northern Minnesota, Northwest Ontario and Northeast Manitoba.

In the winter, Northern Tier is home to the Okpik Cold Weather Camping program, the BSA’s premier winter high adventure program where Scouts ice fish, build and camp in igloos, and learn and experience hiking and camping in the cold and snow.

Summit Bechtel Reserve

The Summit is a training, Scouting, and adventure center for the millions of youth and adults involved in BSA, and home to the BSA National Scout Jamboree ,which happens every 4 years, along with other national and international conferences and special events.

Situated in the wilds of West Virginia, the Summit offer over 11,000 acres of program with access to an additional 70,000 acres of the New River Gorge National River and Park, including white water, climbing, forestry, mining, fishing, hunter education, shooting sports, and more.

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High Adventure Awards

The Triple Crown of National High Adventure award was created in 1995 and later the Grand Slam of National High Adventure award was created in 2014 by the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. to both promote the Boy Scouts of America’s National High Adventure programs and help identify those Scouts with a thirst for high adventure who may be interested in serving on the staff of Northern Tier High Adventure Bases and other National High Adventure Bases.

• Download the printable Fact Sheet and Worksheet (PDF) for the Triple Crown and Grand Slam of National High Adventure.
• See the Award Requirements page for requirements and current list of qualified high adventure programs.

The Boy Scouts of America’s National High Adventure Bases are: Northern Tier High Adventure Bases (Northern Tier), Philmont Scout Ranch (Philmont), Florida National High Adventure Sea Base (Florida Sea Base), and Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base at The Summit (Paul R. Christen).

In April 1996, Sam Wampler, then the Director of the Florida Sea Base, awarded the first five Triple Crown of National High Adventure awards to members of Explorer Post 525, from Edgewood, Washington.

The Triple Crown of National High Adventure has gained significant stature over the years, making it one of the most highly sought program awards. It gained additional notoriety when Joseph Csatari portrayed the Triple Crown of National High Adventure on the Eagle Scout’s uniform in his “100 Years of Eagle Scouts” painting released in 2012.

Recipients may only earn each award once and receive an award patch reflecting the National High Adventure Bases where they participated in a high adventure program. The symbols on the patch are a loon for Northern Tier, bull for Philmont, dolphin for Florida Sea Base, and black bear for Paul R. Christen.

Triple Crown of National High Adventure Award

The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America have authorized the issuance of a special patch to honor those who have participated in at least one qualifying high adventure program at any three of the BSA’s four National High Adventure Bases.

Recipients of the award receive one Triple Crown (3-inch) award patch reflecting the three National High Adventure Bases where they participated in a high adventure program. An optional large (6-inch) Triple Crown of National High Adventure award patch is available for purchase. There is no limit on the variations and quantities that may be ordered of the large patch.

Grand Slam of National High Adventure Award

The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc. in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America have authorized the issuance of a specialpatch to honor hose who have participated in at least one qualifying high adventure program at all four of the BSA’s National High Adventure Bases.

Recipients of the award receive one Grand Slam (3.5-inch) award patch. Both the Grand Slam of National High Adventure Award and Triple Crown of National High Adventure optional large (6-inch) patches are available for purchase. There is no limit on the variations and quantities that may be ordered of the large patch.