Trail Life USA · South Plains Region

All-American Campout — Event Packet

September 25–27, 2026 · Museum of the American G.I. · College Station, Texas

19016 Highway 6, College Station, TX 77845 · Map: https://goo.gl/maps/a7wKWJ8VWTYFx8Lr5

Fees & registration

Overnight camper	$45	Friday 3:00 pm through Sunday noon — the whole weekend, per person, all ages.
Saturday day visitor	$25	All of Saturday's activities and tours — per person, all ages.
Shotgun trap add-on	$25	Navigators, Adventurers & adults — 25 clay targets in a scheduled Saturday time slot.
Event shirt + pin	$25	Optional keepsake set. Order with your registration before the shirt deadline.

Shirt & pin orders close: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Pre-registration closes: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Your troop RSVPs to the regional event on Trail Life Connect and completes the required troop paperwork there.
Each family registers its attendees and pays on the region's Cheddar Up page — camping or Saturday-only, plus shotgun and shirt/pin add-ons.
Day visitors may also register and pay on arrival Saturday, but pre-registering keeps our planning numbers honest.

Quick facts

When: September 25–27, 2026 · check-in Friday 3–9 pm or Saturday 7–10 am
Who: All registered Trailmen — Woodlands Trail, Navigators & Adventurers — plus adults
Meals: Bring your own, except Saturday dinner with your troop
Wristbands: Blue = overnight · Green = day visitor · Red = guided museum tour

Getting there, check-in & camp life

Finding the entrance

›Enter 0.2 miles before the museum, just past Santa's Wonderland — look for the “Blitzen Lot” parking sign.
›Overnight campers and Saturday visitors both use this same entrance (not the museum's front entrance).

Overnight campers · Friday 3:00–9:00 pm

›Drive through the day & overnight lots to the break in the tree line, following the parking signs — then park and walk up to check-in to keep the camp entrance clear.
›Turn in any paperwork at check-in before heading to your campsite.
›After check-in, drive to the campsite area, drop your gear, and return the vehicle to overnight parking right away.
›Overnight campers wear a blue wristband.

Saturday visitors · 7:00–10:00 am

›Same entrance and address as overnight camping.
›Park in the day parking lot and check in at the entrance.
›Day visitors wear a green wristband.
›Arriving outside check-in hours? Late-arrival details will be in the event packet.

Campsites

›Large troops get dedicated camping locations; smaller troops choose a site on arrival.
›Areas marked in red or hash marks are off-limits — do not enter.
›Tent camping by patrol/troop: set up a youth patrol area, a field kitchen, and an adult area. Troop trailers may park near the camping area; all cars go to the central lots.
›Grass is mowed just before the event but may still be tall — a weed whacker is a handy troop tool.
›Sunday check-out is noon: pack out all trash and leave the site cleaner than you found it. Leave No Trace.

Water, restrooms & power

›Campsites have no water or electricity — bring plenty of water, preferably in reusable bottles. Water spigots are by the buildings at the front of the property, and a potable-water buffalo serves the camping area.
›Portable restrooms are placed near the campsites and the museum. Please leave the museum restrooms to those needing accessible facilities.
›No showers on site — portable/field showers are welcome.
›Portable generators are allowed but must be off from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. Camp is device-free for youth, so there's no recharging station.

Food

›Troops provide the Saturday evening meal; every other meal is bring-your-own (no food trucks).
›Plan coolers and ice for the weekend.
›Troop kit worth packing: chuck box / field kitchen, shade canopies, patrol flags, camping chairs, troop & USA flags with stands, caution tape and stakes, a troop first-aid kit, and water dispensers.

Museum tours & the guided-tour drawing

›The museum is self-guided — go through at your own pace — with one exception below.
›The museum offers two guided tours of 30 people each (60 total). First-time visitors are entered into a drawing; the first 60 youth and parents drawn get a red wristband and a tour assignment.
›If you aren't selected, please give the guides and their groups room while the tours are running.

Schedule

DRAFT — sample schedule from a previous year. The final 2026 schedule will be published in the event packet closer to the campout.

Friday

3:00–9:00 pm	Check-in (overnight campers) — Camp entrance
9:00 pm	Officers' conference (all Troop First Officers) — Camp flag pole
9:30 pm	First Officer debrief with troop — Campsite
10:00 pm	TAPS · quiet hours

Saturday

7:00–10:00 am	Check-in (day visitors) — Camp entrance
8:30 am	Morning colors & devotional — Camp flag pole
9:00 am–12:00 pm	Morning activities (open stations) — Near museum
12:00–1:00 pm	Lunch (bring your own) — Campsite
1:00–4:30 pm	Afternoon activities (open stations) — Near museum
4:30–7:30 pm	Dinner with troop — Campsite
7:30 pm	Evening colors — Camp flag pole
8:30 pm	Movie night — bring a chair, water, snacks — Near museum
10:00 pm	TAPS · quiet hours

Sunday

8:30 am	Morning colors — Museum flag pole
9:00 am	Chapel service — bring a chair and water — Near museum
11:00 am–12:00 pm	Cleanup & check-out — Leave No Trace — Campsite

Uniforms: Troop/Travel uniform to and from camp · event shirt or Trail/Travel shirt during the day · formal troop uniform for flag ceremonies and chapel. New Trailmen without a uniform yet are absolutely still welcome.

Activity stations

A Nav/Ad-led event serving the Woodlands Trail: Navigators and Adventurers run the stations in the morning, then rotate through with their own patrols in the afternoon. Stations are open — no sign-ups needed (shotgun trap is the one scheduled add-on).

BB guns: Woodlands Trailmen shoot Daisy Red Ryder and Buck BB guns after a safety briefing — fun paper targets plus metal spinners on the range.
Archery: Real compound bows and real arrows with target tips, with a safety briefing before anyone shoots.
Tomahawk throw: A quick safety briefing, then 3–4 tomahawks at a wooden target.
Atlatls: Throw darts with the ancient spear-thrower that turns your arm into a lever — more length, more energy, more speed.
Capture the flag: Up to 4 teams. Capture another team's flag and get it back to your base — ideal patrol vs. patrol.
Monkey bridge: Climb on and cross a rope bridge under tension. Trickier than it looks.
Milk crate race: Your whole patrol crosses the field standing on crates, passing the spare crate forward one step at a time.
Water balloon battle: One patrol defends the fort with water cannons; another attacks and tries to take it. Expect to get wet.
9 square: Work your way to the center square and hold it as long as you can — one hit per player, out of the top of your square.
Tug-o-war: Patrol vs. patrol — or Woodlands Trail vs. the adults. Pull them across the line.
Shotgun trap ($25 add-on): Navigators, Adventurers, and adults who sign up shoot 25 rounds at clay targets in scheduled Saturday time slots, in heats of 8 shooters. Safety briefing first; top Navigator and top Adventurer take home a prize. Sign-up happens with registration.

Health, safety & camp rules

Health & safety

›Troops handle their own minor first aid and should have (and communicate) a first-aid procedure for their attendees.
›Every attendee needs a medical form signed for this year, on file with the troop.
›We follow Trail Life USA's Youth Protection Essentials — leaders, reinforce the 1-2-3 system with your Trailmen.
›Youth never leave the site without 2-deep supervision and troop leadership approval; anyone leaving must inform camp leadership in advance.
›For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 first. Event health & safety contacts will be published in the packet.

Knives & wood tools

›A Trailman may carry or use a knife only if he is a Navigator, Adventurer, or Mountain Lion AND holds a valid Woodsman card (Mountain Lions) or Wood Tools Trail badge (Nav/Ad).
›Mountain Lions without a Woodsman card may use a knife only under the constant supervision of a registered adult instructor.
›Fox and Hawk Trailmen may not possess a knife at a Trail Life event under any circumstances.
›Hatchets and axes only in an axe yard, following Wood Tools procedures.

Fires

›Ground fires are currently permitted — check for a burn ban before you come, and restore the ground when you leave.
›A fire outbreak here would endanger everyone: keep a bucket of water beside every propane stove and gas lantern, and consider a dedicated cooking area.
›Electric lanterns recommended. Never leave fires, stoves, or lanterns unattended.

Not at this campout

›Smoking, drugs, and alcohol.
›Personal firearms (per Trail Life USA policy — event ranges are run by certified staff).
›Youth devices — the campout is device-free for youth; unaccompanied youth may carry a phone for emergencies only.
›Drones, helicopters, and RC devices.
›Have room in your vehicle? Consider carpooling — and chip in for the driver's gas.

Hot-weather camping guide

Sleeping cool

›Big tent, breathable mesh, fewer people trapping heat.
›Rain fly off (weather permitting); pitch in shade — or rig a tarp a foot above the tent and drop the tent during the day.
›Battery fan (batteries may not last the night — bring spares).
›Frozen water pack at the foot of the bag; use a sleep liner instead of a sleeping bag.
›Go to bed a little later, once it cools.

During the day

›PRE-hydrate — starting to drink when you're already hot doesn't work.
›Wide-brim hat, sunscreen, sunglasses.
›Cool wet rag on the neck — evaporation works.
›Eat cooler food: fruit, veggies, salads, sandwiches.
›Canopy for shade and a breathable chair at camp.

Clothes

›Light, loose, sweat-wicking (merino or UV/sun shirts; caution with cotton).
›Long sleeves block sun; moisture-wicking socks.
›No open-toed shoes around camp.

Warning signs — act early

›Dark or infrequent urination, intense thirst, headache, weakness, dizziness, cramps, nausea, heavy sweating, fast pulse.
›Heat stroke: sweating stops, confusion, fast breathing, loss of consciousness.
›Treatment: move to a cool place, drink water or sports drinks, lie down with feet slightly raised, cool the skin with water and fanning, cold packs at armpits and neck.