It’s been quite some time since I’ve pedaled through the old Boy Scout Camp off Five Mile Meadow Road. Closed since before I was born, this swath of forest sits between Five Mile and Rt. 739. The Pennsylvania DCNR purchased the property a few years back from a developer and in the last few years, they’ve removed every structure or any sign that a camp ever existed, annexing it into the Delaware State Forest.
Since, the removal of materials, the old Jeep roads and walking paths have made some really nice mountain bike trails, from the road, out to the copper field, back through the camp and down the hill to Rock Hill Pond, a serene body of water, surrounded by a lush, green forest.
I love incorporating the camp into a ride, usually at the end, just before I exit the woods and enter my community. Recently, with the lake communities experiencing large summer like crowds, due to the pandemic, the camp area has seen lots of hikers and visitors, trying to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
You could park at the gate, right on Five Mile Meadow Road, across from Standing Stone Trail and hike in and have lunch by the lake, but you know I’m an advocate of pedaling in and seeing the entire swath of woods. There is even a parking lot, just off Rt. 739. The road from the lot leads up past the copper fields, past where the old bunk houses were, connecting to the main camp area. Check it out. Here’s some old pics from previous posts inside the camp, when a lot of the structures still stood.
ridingmilford.com 